The new Kide Building at Aalto University is enriched with a public artwork by Baptiste Debombourg. With In motion, the artist transforms light into a dynamic flow that interacts with architecture, landscape, and urban movement.
Designed by SARC+SIGGE Architects under the guidance of Max Hartman, the Kide Building houses spaces for research and teaching for the Schools of Basic Sciences and Electrical Engineering at Aalto University. Located in the heart of the Otaniemi campus, next to the renowned Undergraduate Center by Alvar Aalto, it is positioned at a strategic point of daily pedestrian, vehicular, and tram traffic.
Baptiste Debombourg chose to start from the light effects generated by the interaction between sea waves and architectural surfaces. From this arises a logic of interactions that transforms urban movement into an artistic language. The work reflects the different rhythms of the place - the speed of vehicles, the pace of pedestrians, the proximity of the sea - translating them into a surface that captures and diffuses visual energy.
The heart of the work is mirror-polished stainless steel, slightly wavy. A durable material, capable of reflecting landscapes and moving bodies, amplifying their perception. The installation, suspended 30 mm from the wall, introduces a visual topography that continuously changes based on light intensity, offering different atmospheres even in dim light hours.
On the outside, the shape of the artwork mirrors the design of the windows on the first floor, from which a liquid flow seems to emerge, invading the urban space. On the inside, however, the composition resembles the splash of a wave, welcoming visitors with a sense of continuous movement. With In motion, the artist opens up new perspectives of perception, stimulating the gaze and transforming the everyday into a contemplative experience through this urban architecture.
