Visual System and Philips Lighting Design team up to create a new sound and light experience for the Atomium in Brussels.

Ever wondered what the state of architecture would be like if Stanley Kubrick became and architect instead of a filmmaker? Me neither, but this latest collaborative effort between Visual System and Philips Lighting Design gives you a glimpse into that excitingly weird and wonderful prospect.

Hosted in Brussels famed Atomium (a building originally constructed for Expo 58, the 1958 Brussels World’s Fair, designed by engineer André Waterkeynand with architects André and Jean Polak) Talk Interactive gives visitors control of a hemispherical sound and light environment.

By placing their hands closely to a centrally located sphere, users can conduct an immersive light and sound experience around the larger sphere in which the work is situated.

The project is an interactive extension to the Visual System public installation, Talk, and was the result of a series of discussions and experiments with Philips Lighting Design, with additional sound design by composer Thomas Vaquié.

Talk Interactive celebrates the legacy of Philips’ Poeme Electronique – a revolutionary multimedia experience, which was exhibited originally alongside the Atomium at the 1958 Brussels World Fair. Not unlike the work of filmmaking genius Stanley Kubrick, Talk Interactive forms a part of the Philips brand’s continued experimentation effort toward creating new and surprising experiences for the world through lighting. And they’ve certainly nailed it here.