A shimmering start to the week, Reflective Palace, is an enchanting art installation from 2006. Titled, “To Breathe – A Mirror Woman”, Korean artist Kimsooja transformed the Palacio de Cristal in Madrid one summer. Using the original architectural structure, the artist reconstructed the interior of the 22-metre high building entirely, placing mirrors on the floor and coating windows in a translucent diffraction film.
The result was the natural creation of endless rainbows, and viewers were invited to step into this world of wonders. A soundtrack of the artist’s breathing played in the mirrored backdrop, deepening the experience, transforming the Palacio de Cristal into a true place of reflection.
The interaction between the altered space and the use of sound, encouraged visitors to travel through the palace by following both the artist’s and their own breathing, in a way of reflecting on others and themselves, much like their surrounding surfaces.
A place that was once built to exhibit flora and fauna from the Philippines, was transformed by Kimsooja into a reflective palace that reconfigured the concept of space and left much for us to think upon and dream about. –Anita
