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Designing Light for the Türkiye Pavilion: Notes from the Venice Biennale
An article by Ayça Zümrüt for The Türkiye Pavilion at the 2025 Venice Biennale
.Light for Venice: Türkiye Pavilion
Details:
Location: Venice, Italy
Year: 2025
The design process of this project represented a very special starting point for me. A few years ago, when I was still an architecture student, the first images I saw and the texts I read about the Venice Biennale left a lasting impression. Since then, being part of the Biennale has always been a dream of mine. Learning at the very beginning of the project that I would be responsible for the lighting design of the Türkiye Pavilion felt like a sign that this dream was about to become reality.
Grounded: The Conceptual Framework of the Exhibition
As a first step, we came together with IKSV and the exhibition curators, Bilge Kalfa and Ceren Erdem.During this meeting, they shared the manifesto, emotional framework, and design approach of this year’s Türkiye Pavilion. The exhibition was a work deeply rooted in the ground and centered on the concept of “place”: Grounded. Concepts such as belonging, geography, dwelling, and localization—often treated abstractly in contemporary design and architecture—were addressed through a tangible, embodied experience within an international context. Presenting this theme at the Biennale as an experience that integrates spatial design, art, and the visitor was particularly significant.
At the beginning of the project, we studied the exhibition space through drawings and visuals that I was already familiar with from previous biennials. We aimed to understand how a coherent relationship could be established between Yerebasan and the architectural space. Lighting design does not merely render a space or object visible; light is one of the fundamental elements that defines space and constructs the concept of “place.” To perceive a place, one must first sense it; the spaces and places we perceive are completed through light and visual experience. In the Grounded exhibition, the combination of sound and texture would gain meaning through its integration with lighting.
Lighting Concept and Design Decisions
The next step was to develop the lighting concept. In order to establish a design language aligned with the exhibition, we produced sketches and shared our ideas with the curators. During this phase, multiple parameters came into play: luminaire selection, precise positioning, aiming and orientation, regional grouping according to the artworks, onsite controllability, and the development of lighting scenarios.
At this stage, it was crucial to consider the lighting fixtures and the control system as a unified whole. Inventronics and Avolux supported us throughout this process, and thanks to the preliminary meetings we held with Inventronics, we arrived on site well prepared.
The Control System: Flexibility with HubSense
One of the most decisive choices in this project was to approach the lighting design not only through fixture selection and layout, but in direct integration with the control system. The exhibition scenario was conceived as a living structure—one that could change, respond, and breathe together with the artworks. For this reason, we needed a flexible, user-friendly control system that would allow for rapid interventions on site.
With the support of Inventronics and Avolux, we decided to work with HubSense. Its Bluetooth-based infrastructure enabled us to quickly integrate luminaires into the system and control them directly onsite without the complexity of extensive wiring. Being able to view each luminaire individually via a mobile device, group them, and make instant adjustments was a significant advantage—especially for projects operating within the tight timeframes of a biennale. We divided the space into zones—the right wing, left wing, and the central installation—and defined luminaire groups for each artwork through HubSense. This made it possible to create distinct lighting levels and atmospheres for each piece. Moreover, by saving these settings as scenarios, we were able to adapt swiftly to different modes of spatial use. One of the most valuable aspects of working onsite was the level of flexibility the system offered. When a luminaire needed to be relocated or reassigned to a different group, disconnecting the track spotlight, resetting it via Bluetooth, and reintroducing it into the system was a quick and seamless process. This allowed design decisions to be reconsidered and updated directly on site. Lighting design shifted from being a fixed, plan-based decision into a dynamic process shaped in real time by the space and the artworks.
In an exhibition like Grounded, built around notions of place, belonging, and spatial experience, it was essential for light to function not as a static element but as an adaptable and responsive tool.
HubSense enabled this flexibility, allowing the lighting to evolve alongside the exhibition and strengthening the relationship between design and space. Working with HubSense on site made it even clearer to me that light is not merely an execution of a predefined plan, but a design instrument that takes form in direct dialogue with space. The ability to intervene instantly and experience the lighting from multiple viewpoints allowed for continual refinement. This freedom ensured that design decisions truly aligned with the real conditions of the space.
On-Site Process in Venice
Following the design meetings, the luminaires were prepared in line with our design decisions through the joint process we carried out with Inventronics and Avolux, and then shipped to Venice.
The on-site phase, which took place just before the Biennale opening, was both the most exciting and the most critical part of the project. During our two-day site visit with Inventronics and Planlux, we completed the grouping of the pre-numbered, fully installed luminaires within HubSense and established their relationships with the artworks. On site, we first introduced each luminaire into the system individually via Bluetooth using a mobile device. We then divided the space into zones—the right wing, left wing, and the large central installation—and grouped the luminaires that would work together for each artwork. Thanks to this setup, all groups could be easily dimmed via phone, and different light levels could be saved as scenarios. The practicality of the interface allowed us to move quickly and in a well-controlled manner on site.
After the grouping phase, aiming and fine adjustments were carried out in relation to the artworks. Track spotlights that needed to be repositioned or reassigned to a different group could be removed, reset via Bluetooth, and reintroduced into the system with ease. This flexibility made it possible to implement design decisions taken on site instantly. Once all adjustments were completed, we measured and verified the light levels on the artworks placed on walls and floors using a spectrometer. This ensured that both the intended atmosphere and the required technical values were achieved.
At this point, the on-site process for us at Planlux went beyond being just a technical control phase—it became the moment when the design truly came to life. Seeing ideas we had discussed repeatedly in drawings and meetings take shape through light within the space was genuinely exciting for us. Experiencing firsthand the relationship between light, the artworks, and the architectural context, rethinking certain details on site, and making the final touches together became one of the most instructive and enjoyable moments of the design process.
Making all these decisions within a limited time frame in Venice, while working collaboratively with teams from different disciplines, ensured not just the completion of the project but the formation of the exhibition as a cohesive, holistic experience. In this sense, the on-site process became the most tangible layer of the design—where ideas transitioned from paper into space.
The Biennale as a Learning Process
Being on site together with the İKSV team and the exhibition curators, Ceren Erdem and Bilge Kalfa; discussing the sensory quality of light through the exhibition’s main theme; and evaluating each work not only by how it looked but by how it felt was extremely valuable for me. Additionally, working on site with Inventronics and Planlux in terms of technical decisions and lighting design — learning, discussing, and experiencing light together — made this process even more meaningful.
As young lighting designers, being part of the Planlux on a journey that extended from Türkiye to Venice—meeting people from different disciplines, collaborating as a team, and developing a shared design language—was deeply meaningful for us. Amid an intense working schedule, experiencing a new city through the canals of Venice and sharing coffees during short breaks on site became small yet unforgettable moments that brought balance to the process.
Looking back, this experience remains with us not merely as a project, but as a lasting learning journey—one that shaped our memory and continues to guide us today.
You can visit the project’s website for more detailed information: https://turkiyepavilion25.iksv.org/en
