Library of Light
Milano Design Week 2025
Pinacoteca di Brera - Milano
Library of Light is a rotating cylindrical sculpture 18 metres in diameter created by the English artist and designer Es Devlin, and stands in the centre of the 17th-century Cortile d'Onore of the Pinacoteca di Brera. For two weeks, visitors are invited to step onto the rotating library and immerse themselves in texts read aloud by Es Devlin in response to the Biblioteca Nazionale Braidense's immense collection of 1.5 million volumes and the hundreds of works of art in the Pinacoteca. The sound work also features the voice of the English actor Benedict Cumberbatch, who reads a reflection by the theoretical physicist Carlo Rovelli on the concept of time.
The heart of the installation is the luminous shelves that house the over 2,000 volumes selected for the theme "Thought for Humans", identified by the Salone del Mobile as central for the 2025 edition. Visitors are invited to contribute texts of their choice, further expanding the Library of Light during its opening to the public, after which the books will become part of the Milan Library System, continuing their journey through the hands and minds of readers. This initiative is a gift to the city, desired by the Salone del Mobile in collaboration with the Pinacoteca di Brera.
Library of Light
Milano Design Week 2025
Pinacoteca di Brera - Milano
Library of Light is a rotating cylindrical sculpture 18 metres in diameter created by the English artist and designer Es Devlin, and stands in the centre of the 17th-century Cortile d'Onore of the Pinacoteca di Brera. For two weeks, visitors are invited to step onto the rotating library and immerse themselves in texts read aloud by Es Devlin in response to the Biblioteca Nazionale Braidense's immense collection of 1.5 million volumes and the hundreds of works of art in the Pinacoteca. The sound work also features the voice of the English actor Benedict Cumberbatch, who reads a reflection by the theoretical physicist Carlo Rovelli on the concept of time.
The heart of the installation is the luminous shelves that house the over 2,000 volumes selected for the theme "Thought for Humans", identified by the Salone del Mobile as central for the 2025 edition. Visitors are invited to contribute texts of their choice, further expanding the Library of Light during its opening to the public, after which the books will become part of the Milan Library System, continuing their journey through the hands and minds of readers. This initiative is a gift to the city, desired by the Salone del Mobile in collaboration with the Pinacoteca di Brera.