ilLUsion at Liassidi Palace Hotel Venice 2013: light and sound integrate

Maestro Fabio Fornasier presents for first time ilLUsion chandelier at Liassidi Palace Hotel in Palazzo Zorzi-Liassìdi in Venice on 28 May 2013. Presentation takes place during inaugural week of 55th Venice Biennale, in context uniting fifteenth-century architecture and contemporary innovation.
ilLUsion is chandelier with integrated audio system diffusing music 360 degrees. Work unites lighting and acoustic technology, transforming space perception through simultaneous sight and hearing.

ilLUsion presentation at Palazzo Zorzi-Liassìdi during Venice Biennale

Press presentation takes place on 28 May at 12:00, followed by two evening performances allowing public to experience integration between light and sound. Installation remains on display until 25 October 2013, during most intense months of Venetian artistic season.
Palazzo Zorzi-Liassìdi, with its fifteenth-century architecture, offers ideal context for this first presentation. For gallery owners and art collectors, work shows how Murano craftsmanship can integrate innovative technologies whilst maintaining own artistic identity.

Integrated audio system in Murano glass

ilLUsion development required one year of research to integrate speakers in Murano glass guaranteeing 360-degree stereophonic diffusion. Glass, traditionally not used for acoustic diffusers, became protagonist of technical challenge through study of vibration, resonance and frequencies.
After numerous tests with kevlar, cardboard and fibreglass cones, choice fell on latter. Crossover filters were tested and modified to find right balance between midwoofer and tweeter speakers. Glass thickness and shape were also subject to continuous modifications, until obtaining stable system without perceptible resonances.
Result combines sound quality, design and blown Murano glass, creating chandelier illuminating and diffusing audio simultaneously.

First luxury hotel installation in Venice

For interior designers, architects and hospitality professionals, ilLUsion opens new possibilities in luxury hospitality sector. Integration of audio systems in lighting elements allows creation of environments where sensory experience involves sight and hearing.
In hotel sector, this solution offers opportunities for hotels, restaurants and spas seeking particular atmospheres. ilLUsion capacity to combine lighting and audio diffusion opens prospects for contemporary interior design.
Installation in Venice during Biennale marks important moment for lighting design, showing how blown glass tradition can integrate with advanced technologies responding to contemporary needs.