Es Devlin. Library of Light - Pinacoteca di Brera

In the year of Euroluce, the Salone del Mobile has commissioned a monumental kinetic installation by Es Devlin, the British artist and designer, known as a ‘poet of light’. The work is being created within one of Milan’s most venerable landmarks: the Pinacoteca di Brera. The installation reflects a phrase by Umberto Eco that came to the artist's mind as she climbed the tall shelves of the Braidense National Library: “Books are the compass of the mind, they point to countless worlds yet to be explored.”

Devlin’s luminous rotating sculpture is located in the centre of the 17th century Cortile d'Onore, which connects the Pinacoteca di Brera, the Braidense National Library and the Academy of Fine Arts. It is an 18 meter diameter revolving cylindrical sculpture formed of illuminated book shelves containing over 2.000 volumes. During the day, while the structure turns, the angled mirrored plane at the top of Devlin’s cylindrical sculpture will reflect the sun’s light into the columns, the statues of the portico and parts of the building never previously penetrated by the rays of the sun. At night, its illuminated structure creates shadow plays on the walls of the courtyard.

Devlin’s sense of the vitality of libraries is expressed through a series of collective readings including The Order of Time, by theoretical physicist Carlo Rovelli, read in the recorded voice of the British actor Benedict Cumberbatch. Devlin’s own voice will contribute phrases from the writings of Maria Gaetana Agnesi. Their voices will be underscored by a composition by British duo Polyphonia, with solo violin drawn from Beethoven’s 1806 Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61.

Encompassing these voices is a firmament of over 2,000 books selected and donated by Feltrinelli on the theme of Thought for Humans., chosen by the Salone del Mobile as the common thread running through the 2025 edition. Every day, at 8.00pm, visitors will be able to listen to readings “recited” by the library itself while following the text running horizontally across an LED display. Visitors can browse the books and donate their own, helping to expand this public archive during the days open to the general public, books that will become part of the Milan Library System, continuing their journey through the hands and minds of other readers. A gift to the city, commissioned by the Salone del Mobile, with the contribution of Feltrinelli, in collaboration with the Pinacoteca di Brera and La Grande Brera.

During the two weeks the installation is open, Library of Light will be transformed into a stage for thought and dialogue, hosting a series of meetings that will interweave art, literature, craftsmanship and reflections on our time. Through the voices of artists, writers, curators and innovators, the library will become a place in which ideas take shape, become cross-pollinated and multiply, offering visitors a chance to immerse themselves in a constantly evolving cultural experience.

The first session will focus on weaving as a means of cultural transmission, an ancient practice which, through the warp and weft, preserves memory, tradition and identity. In this context, space will be given to voices from India, the country that recently hosted the Salone. Literature will be the protagonist of the evening organised by Feltrinelli on Wednesday 9 April (7.00 pm), with a lecture on C’era una volta il corpo [Once upon a time there was the body] by Walter Siti, one of Italy’s most distinguished Italian writers and intellectuals. He edited the complete works of Pier Paolo Pasolini for Mondadori’s Meridiani series and is the author of the podcast Perchè Pasolini? Siti has written novels that have left their mark on more than one generation, such as Paradise Overload (2006) and Il Contagio (2008). In 2013 he won the Strega prize for Resistance is Futile. His latest book is called C’era Una Volta il Corpo, published by Feltrinelli. Another key moment will be devoted to the concept of Thought for Humans., which reflects on the responsibility of art and design towards humanity. An open discussion between the artist Matilde Cassani, the set designer Margherita Palli, and the architect Luca Cipelletti, moderated by Annalisa Rosso, will explore the ability of creativity to generate thought, imagine possible futures and redefine our relationship with space and matter.

Es Devlin. Library of Light

7th – 21st April

Pinacoteca di Brera – Cortile d’Onore

A project by Salone del Mobile in collaboration with Pinacoteca di Brera and La Grande Brera

With contribution of Feltrinelli

Free entrance – 9 am – 9 pm