Alcalá Street was filled with light last Christmas thanks to the installation designed by the architecture studio Brut Deluxe and led by Ben Busche, commissioned by the City of Madrid.
The light installation, named Stellar, was a site-specific design commissioned by the Madrid City Council for the iconic 210-meter-long stretch between Puerta de Alcalá and Plaza de Cibeles, where the 32-meter-wide street is lined on both sides by plane trees.
Project Description: The installation consists of a dense system of blue lines that zigzag along the entire street, weaving a textile-like artificial sky, with some areas appearing more open and empty and others more compressed and dense, containing thousands of twinkling stars. With a palpable orientation, the installation aligns with the solar system—a subtle yet notable presence through the slow movement of the moon along the paths of the blue lines—and the constant street traffic, whose dynamic system is reinforced and emphasized by the installation. Viewers are immersed in an artificial atmosphere resembling the constant spin of weightless stars.
The installation was made using blue LED light rope with a total length of 6 km on 5mm stainless steel cables, and 480 vertical light motifs carrying a total of 7,680 LED bulbs, for a total installed capacity of 16.5 kW.
Location: Alcalá Street, Madrid
Design: Ben Busche / Brut Deluxe www.brutdeluxe.com
Collaborators: Jesús Francisco Rodríguez Pedrosa, Elisa Luda
Client: Madrid City Council
Contractor: Ximenez SA
Area: Alcalá Street, 210 m length, 16.5kW
Photography + Video: Miguel de Guzmán / Rocío Romero www.imagensubliminal.com
This article was written by Fernanda Amaro. The translation is powered by AI.
