Winning the design competition run by the commission of 'Fiestas' was an honour and the first step toward producing an interactive, awe-inspiring civic attraction. Skywave was, and is today, the only installation to be selected by the town's Lord Mayor to be displayed for longer than the night it was designed for. The installation was a logistically complex and collective effort produced by the town for the town. It was around this piece of community art that a communal family was formed in this town.
The location intensified its cultural, symbolic and spiritual connection with its people
25, 000 FLECOS
LIFESPAN 102 DAYS
Set immediately in front of La Marina Cathedral, Skywave was organically engineered as a reflective 636m² canopy that soared majestically above Benissa town square for 102 days. Completed for the election of "Queen of Fiestas" the 25,000 reflective strips draped across the bustling public square, casting a shimmering aura and amplifying the town's sway of palm trees in the steady autumn winds.
The framework of the installation was designed of a bespoke organically shaped net, adapted to be supported by existing town square palm trees and suspended 12m above the surface of the square. Its fluid configuration provided an unaided 'aural wave effect' like so many fronds gently rustling in the Spanish Costa Blanca breeze.
Skywave installation is light-weight, highly durable, shock-resistant, weather immune and non-flammable. Safety was paramount in its construction as it was estimated that 6,000 people would gather underneath at any one time during the event concluding with a full-on fireworks display.
From its inception, the concept and construction of the Skywave evolved out of the commitment to faithfully represent a local, historical and community perspective for the Staging and Election of ‘Queen of Fiestas’, held in Benissa, Spain, September 2018.
Set immediately in front of La Marina Cathedral and spread out organically as a reflective canopy, the 636m² installation soared above the town square for 102 days. 25,000 reflective strips draped across the bustling public square, shimmering and enticing visitors to look up in awe whilst its location intensified its symbolic and spiritual connection with the population. The foundation of the installation consisted of a bespoke, organically shaped net, adapted to fit its environment so it could be supported easily by existing palm trees and suspended 12m above the public square.
The final design provided enough fluidity so it moved unaided in the gentle breezes at 275m above sea level. We created a light, strong, weather-resistant and non-flammable, installation, as it was estimated that 6,000 people were gathered underneath at any one-time during the event that was conclude with a very large and sustained firework display.