Biennale di Venezia
Venice, Italy
Arch. Franco Purini

Targetti official partner of Venice 10th Biennale di Architettura LIGHT on the CITY TARGETTI is partner of the VENICE BIENNALE 10TH INTERNATIONAL ARCHITECTURE EXHIBITION One of the new aspects of the 10th International Architecture Exhibition that will not fail to surprise the public is the special attention paid by the organizers and curators to the lighting factor. Targetti, the Florentine company which thanks to its nearly eighty years of experience in the field of indoor and outdoor architectural lighting has become a worldwide synonym for “architectural lighting culture” has been invited to head the project. As proof of the strong and permanent bond between the worlds of architectural and lighting design, Targetti was involved in the process of defining the “atmospheres” which will characterize the most prestigious exhibition settings of the 10th Biennale. The lighting at the Padiglione Italia, Corderie, Artiglierie, Tese and the Palermo section will be pure Targetti. In its role as partner, Targetti has made available its most innovative products, products which are the fruit of constant investments in research and development – the highest level of investments among all the names in the lighting industry. One of the most significant points along the “Targetti path” will be located right next to the ticket counter. Upon entering the Gardens visitors will be guided towards the Biennale by the Info Light Box, a huge luminous polycarbonate cube on which 80,000 dynamic, colored LEDs display images, information and videos about the event’s main contents. Its twinkling structure is a metaphorical continuation of this edition’s main theme that is dedicated to City, Architecture and Society. It is a reconnaissance tour of the indefinable nature and ongoing changes in the contemporary metropolis where architecture and new technologies play an essential role, especially in terms of relations and communications. Designed by architect Pino Brugellis, the Info Light Box consists of 10 panels of SmartsLab. This is a patented product, marketed exclusively by Targetti with the stated purpose of marking a true turning point in both the contexts of lighting design and digital communications. From the technological standpoint, the main innovation is the use of “hexel™” technology (hexagonal pixels) that guarantees optimum image perception even at long distances and higher luminosity than traditional screens, even though it uses fewer pixels. From the design standpoint, it offers the possibility of connecting a potentially unlimited number of modular panels without any visible connectors. They are controlled by a single software that is compatible with the most widely used graphic programs, and configured in a self-carrying unit. These features are what make SmartsLab a tool particularly suited for specifically architectural-multimedia uses of light, and the Info Light Box at the Biennale marks its application debut. The partnership with the Biennale di Venezia is part of the Targetti investment strategy for promoting and enhancing the most innovative expressions of design culture. Targetti has been pursuing this strategy for more than a decade through the Fondazione Targetti, in training for professionals interested in using light as a structural component in architecture (the Lighting Academy) and in a series of meetings with the most outstanding figures in the world of contemporary architectural philosophy and design (Osservatorio sull’Architettura).