(ANS - Barcelona) - At sunset last Wednesday, 25 February, there was an unusual and amazing sight at the Temple of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the summit of Mount Tibidabo overlooking Barcelona. The usual illumination of the temple was replaced by a symphony of colours and images. All present - participants, media and guests – were filled with admiration at the spectacle of light, first inside the temple and then on the terrace and the square outside.

by Fr Nicolás Echave, SDB

The event started with an address of welcome offered by the Rector of the Temple. He thanked the artist Gerry Hofstetter and the sponsor of the event, Swiss Air, for choosing this monument in the city, fitting in nicely with the events for the Bicentenary of the Birth of Don Bosco.

The art of attention

The Swiss artist Gerry Hofstetter is the protagonist of this initiative. He has created a display which he calls "the art of attention." Its purpose is to raise public awareness through the media of the importance of paying attention to the people and the space around us in an increasingly fast and technological world. To this end he has created a series of lighting works in London, Hamburg, Vienna, Paris, Milan and now in Barcelona, ​​using architectural icons of great symbolic value to communicate the message.

The show at Tibidabo consisted of a projection inside the Temple and on the façade, relayed by the principal means of communication. From the beginning it was supported by Swiss International Air Lines and by the German Achtung! GmbH, which was responsible for the creative idea.

The starting point

The Observatory of Greenwich, in London, was the starting point of this initiative. This place, a World Heritage Site since 1997, has played an important role in the history of astronomy and navigation, and is the perfect symbol for the movement. Hofstetter decided to project on the facade of the Observatory countless eyes that could be seen from a great distance. The eyes are the visual contact between people and are intended to promote attention to others and the environment around us.

Light, the first thing that emerges from the hands of the Creator, is also a permanent invitation to focus on the One who is defined as the Light of the World (Jn 8, 12).  The projection on the Temple of Tibidabo also recalled the permanent attitude of welcome to all from that holy mountain.

Published 03/03/2015