Studio Roosegaarde is a social design laboratory led by Dutch artist Dan Roosegaarde and his team. Rosgaard is trained in fine arts and holds a master’s degree in architecture from the Berlage Institute in Rotterdam. In 2007, he founded the studio where he collaborates with a team of designers and engineers specializing in creating futuristic landscapes.
At Studio Roosegaarde they focus on aspects such as air, water, energy and clean spaces, and use light as a main language to express their ideas and adapt them to each project. Rosgaard’s logo “Schoonheid” is a Dutch expression with two meanings: “beautiful” in creativity, and “clean” in clean energy and clean air. For Rosgaard, they are basic conditions for everyday life.
One of his latest projects is Waterlicht, a dreamscape about the power and poetry of water. In the form of a virtual flood, WATERLICHT shows the potential height the water level could reach. This collective experience underscores the importance of water innovation and the impact of climate change. WATERLICHT Tampa was held from October 27 to 29, 2023 in Florida, USA.
Likewise, one of her most important projects is GLOWING NATURE, a biotechnological symphony about light and life. It is an art installation that reveals 700 million-year-old microorganisms that respond to contact with the viewer. This interactive experience combines the unique qualities of ancient luminous algae with cutting-edge technology and provides audiences with an encounter between biology and innovation.
Created after extensive research, GLOWING NATURE provides the conditions necessary to create a profound interaction with the world’s most luminous algae. As visitors walk through the installation, the pressure of their footsteps awakens the algae, creating an enchanting, ever-changing environment with bioluminescence. In addition to offering visual meditation, GLOWING NATURE invites you to participate in the intersection of light, energy, and the potential of nature.
This installation extends over an area of 20 to 50 square metres, with the luminous algae encased in a custom polymer shell. He won the 2020 IESNYC Lumen Award in New York, the 2019 International Future Design Award, the 2017 LIT Lighting Designer of the Year in the USA and the Best Ambient Lighting Design in China. WATERLICHT combines LED lights and lenses that create a constantly changing virtual flood, influenced by wind and rain.
Another one of its installations is SPARK: an intervention where organic fireworks light up the city as a sustainable celebration. The artist brought a form of celebration to life with a fireworks display that lit up the city in a sustainable and poetic way. His inspiration arose from the brilliance of fireflies and the transformative vision of imitating fireworks, making this a spectacle of biodegradable sparks of light spreading through the air.
The work won the 2022 Dutch Creativity Awards and three Lovie Awards, including the prestigious People’s Lovie Award. SPARK redefines celebrations by transforming traditional and polluting methods, such as traditional fireworks, balloons, drones and confetti, into a new and sustainable experience.
Studio Roosegaarde is located in a former glass factory in the port of Rotterdam, where concepts are embodied in art installations. The studio has experience with commissions in public spaces in smart cities such as Rotterdam, Beijing, Paris, Eindhoven and Stockholm. His works stimulate the imagination and effectively address the challenge of climate change.
His most relevant exhibitions have been at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, the Design Museum in London, Tate Modern, the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, Google Zeitgeist, and Victoria & Albert Museum, and has received international innovation awards such as the Shenzhen World Design Award.
