Ronan Devlin - ‘Loom’ light art installation - 3 Broadgate, London

Photography Luca Piffaretti

When it comes to art installations the most important element is the relationship between the work of art and the public.

Photographing public art installations is certainly one of the most creative challenges an architectural photographer could face. We are often required to work really slowly in deserted spaces and use human figures to give an impressions of size and dynamism.

When it comes to art installations, the most important element is the relationship between the work of art and the public and that is when every architectural photographer needs to show some flexibility and awake their hidden street photography eye. This work by Ronan Devlin doesn’t just interact with the public but also changes with it.

“Loom weaves an electronic fabric which unfolds in response to individuals passing through the building.”

As the artist tells us, “referring to Broadgate’s textile making heritage and ORMS Architects design for the building’s cladding, Loom weaves an electronic fabric which unfolds in response to individuals passing through the building”.

As the footfall of City workers intensifies towards the end of the day, the waves start moving in a faster and more chaotic way illuminating the arch underneath 3 Broadgate with different colours whose movements are also dependent on the amount of pedestrian traffic.  

In order to picture the artwork at its best, it was necessary to photograph it at dusk when there is still enough light to capture the surrounding architecture and the installation is more defined and luminous. This poses some technical difficulties because using a long exposure to let enough light in doesn’t work well with photographing a series of moving waves.

As a solution, Luca ended up using different slower exposures for passerbys and faster ones for the artwork, blending the two together in order to have an overall balanced composition. If you ever happen to be near Liverpool street in London, go have a look, it is definitely worth it.