SpY Transforms a Ghent Building into a Spiny Thicket of Bright Orange Traffic Cones

orange traffic cones cloak the columns of a regal stone facade with bright, spiny coverings

“Cones” (2023). All images © SpY, shared with permission

Hundreds of reflective traffic cones jut from the neoclassical facade of Aula Academica at Ghent University, turning the grand columns into a dense thicket of spines. The playful installation is one of the most recent projects of the Spanish artist known as SpY (previously), whose site-specific works often utilize functional materials in unexpected places.

The short-lived intervention, titled “Cones,” wraps hundreds of bright roadway markers around eight columns lining the street entrance. Light illuminates the installation at night, casting a cheerful orange glow on the surrounding area.

On view for just a few weeks in late 2023, “Cones” was a preliminary project to the 2024 Lichtfestival Ghent, which opens this month in the Belgian city.

orange traffic cones cloak columns with bright, spiny coverings

a person walks in front of orange traffic cones cloaking the columns of a regal stone facade with bright, spiny coverings

orange traffic cones cloak the columns of a regal stone facade with bright, spiny coverings

glowing orange traffic cones cloak the columns of a regal stone facade with bright, spiny coverings in an evening photo

SpY Transforms a Ghent Building into a Spiny Thicket of Bright Orange Traffic Cones

orange traffic cones cloak the columns of a regal stone facade with bright, spiny coverings

orange traffic cones cloak the columns of a regal stone facade with bright, spiny coverings in an aerial photo of the surrounding area

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