LIGHT INSTALLATION «SILVER CLOUD» BY INGO MAURER
An installation by the lighting artist Ingo Maurer signals the new beginning at the Residenztheater to the outside world: «Silver Cloud» hangs in a prominent position in the foyer «Zur Schönen Aussicht» – a setting that combines both interior and exterior.
«Ingo Maurer is one of the best-known lighting artists and the elder statesman among lighting designers of our time. His light compositions in public spaces and squares are renowned here in Munich, his home city, as they are all around the world. What could be more fitting when it became necessary to redesign the foyer ‹Zur schönen Aussicht› than to ask the artist Maurer how and by means of which interventions this magical place could be reinterpreted? The industrial designer Konstantin Grcic had redesigned the foyer of the Residenztheater in 2011 when Martin Kušej became Artistic Director. In the past, this was accompanied by an illuminated sign saying ‹Residenztheater›, an innovative branding symbol and location marker that was subsequently felt to be over-obtrusive. In the course of the change of Artistic Director, it became appropriate to renovate both the foyer and the illuminated sign. Its location in a prestigious and highly visible location on Max-Joseph-Platz called for an artistic approach, a statement that would link exterior and interior, and which would be able to inspire both viewers (outside) and visitors (inside) in equal measure. Ingo Maurer is fascinated by light’s immaterial qualities, playing skilfully with air and lightness, colour and reflections. He has now created a red LED script ‹Residenztheater› for the glass facade and with ‹Silver Cloud› an object that is constantly shifting and in motion, convincingly flirting with the transitory nature of theatre and that captures the playful reality of our art form. The ceiling of the ‹Schöne Aussicht› is now red, a new lighting concept has been implemented and ‹Silver Cloud› unveiled: an installation that can be seen and experienced both internally and externally and a promising signal to the public and the surroundings of the Residenztheater that lies hidden inside.» Andreas Beck
It is with great sadness that we learned of the death of Ingo Maurer on 21 October 2019 at the age of 87.
Our sincere condolences go to his family and the entire Ingo Maurer team. The light installation «Silver Cloud», which was created for the Residenztheater and presented to the public on 19 October 2019, will be a legacy of this wonderful lighting artist in his home city of Munich. We are grateful that we were able to realise this project together with Ingo Maurer, who worked on it until shortly before his death, and will preserve his memory.