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The Wednesday Journal of Cultural Insights.
Yinka Ilori launches his first permanent installation in Germany, titled ‘Filtered Rays’.
Made of recycled materials and coloured in bright hues, Yinka Ilori has re-imagined this space which now functions as an active community area.
Located in Berlin on the banks of the Spree in front of the Estrel Berlin Hotel in Neukölln, one of Europe’s largest hotels, the Estrel Berlin has a rich history of supporting artists.
The owners Dr Sigrid and Ekkehard Streletzki have created an art enclave at the Estrel. The display includes some of the most prominent German and international artists in the atrium and throughout the hotel.
The Estrel Berlin invited Ilori to create a permanent, site-specific pavilion in front of the hotel. A project that has been in the making since the pandemic. This large-scale installation is one of Ilori’s first architectural structures. It features re-used scaffolding and translucent, conical discs made from recyclable PTFE membrane which overlaps to form a colourful rainbow canopy in his signature colour palette.
Ilori’s installation explores how architecture, material and colour can create a new appreciation and perspective for audiences. He invites hotel guests and passersby to take some time out to wander through the maze-like structure, which provides brief moments of intimacy and meditation. Gazing upwards toward the sky, visitors can experience how the light and colourful plastic discs in red, burgundy, yellow and green change their perception of the outside world.
‘Filtered Rays’ will be freely accessible to the public and throughout July, August and September, Estrel Berlin will host yoga, meditation, dance and art workshops for young people.
“I wanted to forge a space that could bring people together, to create a meditative and reflective experience but also a space where people could come together to engage in conversation and create new memories”
Yinka Ilori
Ilori’s playful approach to spatial design above all aims to encourage everyone to come together to celebrate art and design in a new way, creating a sense of community and giving his audience an opportunity to experience his work in a new light.
Photographs: Linus Muellerschoen
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