With all of the recent preservation drama surrounding Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's Farnsworth House—which could soon get moved or set up atop hydraulic jacks to save it from the occasional flooding of a nearby river—wouldn't it be refreshing to get acquainted with the lighter side of an iconic piece of modernism? The groundbreaking architect and onetime Bauhaus director's 1951 design, which is credited with inspiring Philip Johnson's Glass House, will get a transformation like something out of Tron this fall if an ongoing art project called Luftwerk raises enough Kickstarter funds by May 31.
Chicago-based artists Petra Bachmaier and Sean Gallero previously illuminated Frank Lloyd Wright's Falling Water with a projected light and sound installation, and they're looking to bring the same kind of thing to the Farnsworth. According to the group's Kickstarter page, their aim is to bring "a heightened awareness of the house's innate characteristics" through "exterior projections along the structure's surface" that simulate the effect of "planes floating in darkness." For a preview of what might be in store if they can drum up enough funding, check out a previous "case study" they did with the home below. With the addition of the misty disappearing act happening at Johnson's Glass House, it's a pretty fun time to be a fan of modernism.
· Inside the Plan to Save Mies Van Der Rohe's Farnsworth House [Curbed National]
· INsite by Luftwerk turns Mies' Farnsworth House inside-out with light and sound [Archinect]