The light artwork Lorem Ipsum turns Åbo Akademi University Library inside out
The Hämeenlinna-based light artist Immanuel Pax (b. 1988) has been commissioned by Åbo Akademi University and the Åbo Akademi University Foundation to create a work of art for the City of Turku’s Path of Light 2024 event. The text-based artwork Lorem Ipsum will be projected onto the wall of the historic Book Tower, one of the service points for library services at Åbo Akademi University, which also houses archive collections.
Pax has taken inspiration from the architecture and function of the Book Tower.
“Instead of texts being preserved inside the library, they are now projected onto the outside of the building. In this way, the work turns the library inside out”, says Pax.
The work, created explicitly for the Turku event, contains texts in Finnish, Swedish, English and Latin, but also words that are abbreviated and used mainly on social media. The digital revolution and its impact on individuals’ ability to access texts is something that has further inspired the artist.
“Sharing, reading and producing texts has become something that everyone can participate in. Today, there are many more texts being written, everyone is constantly writing in different forums and on different platforms”, says Pax.
Pax wants to encourage everyone who visits the Path of Light to also go and look at the letters up close, as the shadows from the viewers thus become part of the work and help to bring it to life.
This is the second year that Åbo Akademi University and the Åbo Akademi University Foundation have collaborated around the Path of Light. It is hoped that the collaboration on art will be further intensified in the coming years. In the nearby Astra construction project, the Åbo Akademi University Foundation is investing in public art. Three separate art projects will be realised under the theme Burning Time, inspired by the visible and invisible layers of time in the surrounding environment.
The Path of Light is a light art spectacle arranged by the City of Turku. It consists of a great light event and seasonal lighting on display throughout the darkest winter season. The inspiration for the Path of Light was drawn from Turku itself, its stories, atmosphere and the surrounding landscapes. This year, all the works featured in the light art event will be situated along the River Aura, above it or, for the first time, within the river itself. The Path of Light takes place 5.–8 December 2024.
