Through the lens of art and science, the exhibition Lighten Up! On Biology and Time explores the connection of living organisms with the natural cycle of light and dark. 

Nathalie Opris’ design thereby put a strong emphasis on the exhibition’s lighting design: by alternating zones of intense darkness, twilight, or bright natural lighting, visitors are offered a diversified parcours to explore. The media-heavy exhibition encompasses 3D interactive projection installations, optical elements purely relying on daylight, sound art, speculative design and analogue artworks. 

The technologically complex artworks shown in Lighten Up! require a deep understanding of the underlying technologies and optical phenomena. Nathalie’s exhibition design seamlessly embedded the artworks into the museum’s infrastructure and defined the perfect location for each work in dialogue with the artists, and thereby providing for ideal conditions for making the large-scale pieces stand out as monolithic structures, or in other cases, creating intimate spaces from the more subtle pieces to shine. 

A reading room with a circular bed, carpet flooring, an array of reading lights and a bookshelf was conceived as a space for resting and contemplation. Using Yves Klein Blue as a wall colour and transporting visitors into an environment relating to sleep, twilight, dreams and processing of experiences made during their visit, the space also encourages reflection on each visitor’s own thoughts about the exhibition topic.

The design of the physical installation elements follows a modular approach, allowing for elements to be reused and altered in their purpose to serve as seating, light boxes, podiums or vitrines. Two types of presentation surfaces for the artworks were conceived: a black through-dyed MDF for self-illuminated artworks, or those requiring lighting from above, and translucent, back-lit surfaces (light boxes) for more haptic, analogue and tactile pieces. The base constructions are made of spruce plywood, creating a sense of warmth and an organic aesthetic, and connecting with the pavilion’s architectural elements designed by Kengo Kuma.