SuperLux: Smart Light Art, Design and Architecture for Cities, Thames and Hudson – Davina Jackson / Guardians of Time Manfred Kielnhofer

The new book is called SuperLux: Smart Light Art, Design and Architecture for Cities, Thames and Hudson, out later this year UN Year of Light.
Writer Davina Jackson

Shrouded in shining red hoods and floor-length cloaks, mysterious human-akin figures gather conspiratorially in public plazas during evenings of community celebration. These three metre-tall, monk-like Time Guardians convey a sense of immortality and theological authority to protect and enforce universal laws of existence. Created by Austrian artist Manfred Kielnhofer, the guardians have been made in polyester resin, stone and bronze at various sizes and with different fabric cloaks. In recent appearances at European light festivals, some spectators have glimpsed these figures, or just their faces, radiantly glowing (from internally installed LEDs).