LUCE estratti LUCE 320_De Caro_Dante O Benini | Page 6

“Io vengo dalla scuola che
dice che vale tutto: far
sparire tutto e far vedere
tutto; la mia generazione
guardando a Wright ha
una particolare
predilezione per la luce
nascosta, e per la grande
sorpresa che nescaturisce”
“I come from a school of
thought in which
everything is considered
correct: make everything
disappear and show
everything. My generation,
which follows Wright,
prefers recessed lighting
and the great surprise
that derives from it”
In Dante
(O. Benini)’s
light
“Any act of thinking that
creates an architectural
space, has to interact
with light, both indoors
and outdoors”
I
am not asking you what light is, perhaps
no one knows precisely, instead I am asking
you what is light for you, what does light
represent in your work as an architect?
Light is matter that creates a shape. If light
is absent, no dimension has volume, depth,
dynamicity; through light a complete perception
of architecture is obtained, where light is
a physical and often metaphysical element.
Any act of thinking that creates an architectural
space has to interact with light, both indoors
and outdoors. The shape of a designed object
becomes tangible through the dialectics with
the lighting engineering project that determines
it. Therefore it is not a romantic embellishment,
but a fundamental element of the project, from
the preliminary design. In this artifice, the
undefined wonder of a space is hidden…
One of my clients admitted to me, some time
ago, that he had not been able to really discover
the mystery of his large home, and this
was because of the changes and the dialogue
between artificial and natural light.
How does architecture change, depending
on natural or artificial light?
Frank Lloyd Wright defined the layout of a house
“from in to out”, because the study of artificial
light (we refer to many decades ago) determined
the depth of field, just as for Carlo Scarpa,
for whom space was no more than the illusion
that was created of the same. Both were masters
in manipulating light for the highest
requirements of interior design projects. A great
artifice, the scenography of pure architecture.
Natural light, instead, outlines contours, masses
and components also through the creation
of shadows, that are not seen by all, because
their perception is “contaminated”.
An indifferent observer walks right across
an architecture, however this does not influence
the architect’s effort to create a correct dialectic
with the natural light and so, when night falls,
a deep sense of amazement returns with
the special light effects, and the city becomes
an enormous scenography to admire.
Is there a relation between natural and artificial
light in architecture : the former regarding the
orientation of the building and its openings, and
the latter as a protagonist if the built spaces?
Do excuse me, I shall take a building I designed
as an example: in the project in via Valtellina
in Milan, I designed two bodies with
a “backpack” where all the systems of the
building are lodged, covered by a gigantic
micro-perforated shield which, by the way,
was one of the first applications of this
technique. During the day the building was not
perceived greatly, but at night, due to the show
of lights, cars used to stop to admire it. You must
not forget that I work mainly at night time, and
therefore unconsciously I create a “day for night
effect”, I explore the levels of perception of my
architecture at the best possible hour, when light
allows me to provide a show above the city.
And then it must not be forgotten that my
theoretical position is organic: from Zevi to Scarpa
and all the declinations connected with
the dynamicity of architecture and therefore
orientation becomes a binding aspect in the
building process of any project, it is a story that
light modifies, surprising even the architect
himself. The designed shapes change to “others”,
almost as if the designer was not completely
aware. A morphological incidence that you do
not expect, a necessary collaboration leading to
an unexpected result, and this gives strength and
volume to architecture; in the case of interiors,
there is a greater possibility for control, relations
with the Lighting Designer who can interpret
the outline, which is the plan of each project,
are fundamentally important. It is team-work.
In your long career, have you ever collaborated
with Lighting designers, or is it a specific sector
in your Studio in Milan?
I have always, and only abroad, collaborated
INTERVIEWS / LUCE 320
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