Pilar Zeta creates chromatic colonnade to "recalibrate from frenetic energy of art fairs"
Argentinian artist Pilar Zeta has installed a series of blocky columns covered in iridescent car paint in Miami Beach as a space of respite from the busy energies of Art Basel, Design Miami and other fairs.
The Observer Effect is located on the beachfront of Miami Beach in front of the hotel The Shelborne By Proper, which presented the work by Zeta in collaboration with the week's anchor art fair, Art Basel.
It consists of eight, 14 by 16 foot (4.2 by 4.8 metre) archways that are each made up of geometric volumes, such as oversized cubic bases and monolithic lintels.
The archways create a short colonnade that leads towards the waterfront.
"Positioned at the threshold to the ocean, The Observer Effect offers a transitional space to recalibrate from the frenetic energy of the city and the art fairs, and to experience moments of contemplation, wonder, and reconnection with self," said the team.
Each archway is covered in a dark grey, iridescent automotive car paint, which refracts the light from the sun and water to create "an ever-changing chromatic prism" according to the team.
The monochrome covering is a contrast from Zeta's previous graphic, multicoloured installations, as the designer chose instead to present "light as the protagonist" for this piece.
The installation's volumes and shimmering paint also play with the observer effect principle of quantum physics, where perspective changes what is being observed.
"This paint comes alive with the sun," said Zeta. "When the light is strong, the surface illuminates and feels almost iridescent."
"It shows how light shifts everything and how the whole piece changes depending on the moment you encounter it."
Musician Laraaji is set to perform a series of meditative performances underneath the installation upon its opening.
Zeta previously presented a stone installation at the Zona Maco art fair in Mexico City.
Nearby, along the beachfront, Es Devlin created a rotating library stocked with books that informed her career.
The Observer Effect is on view from 2-7 December at the beach at 18th Street in Miami Beach as part of Miami art week. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.
The photography is by Jack Jackman
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