Ingo Maurer GmbH

Blow Me Up: Dynamic light installation for Sport Schuster, Munich
Munich, 7 March 2019 | 102 inflatable lighting elements float above the entrance area of
Sport Schuster in downtown Munich. The installation by Ingo Maurer with its gentle twisting
shape points the way to the new part of the landmark building, which is located at the area
of the old Rindermarkt (cattle market).
In just a few months, Ingo Maurer and his team developed the more robust version of the
Blow Me Up for commercial spaces together with Theo Möller, the designer of the inflatable,
luminous lamp. The reopening of the sports store took place on 10 October 2018.
The tube-shaped lighting elements are suspended from the ceiling along a gentle curve. The
look is very dynamic, but without overstatement. The installation is equipped with computer
controlled, programmable RGBW LED strips. Thus it offers the customer many flexible
possibilities to make the interior lighting appealing, surprising and the possibility of new colour
sequences, all without re-installing lamps.
Moreover, “we developed an adaptable workflow that allows us at the same time to design
complex shapes, simulate dynamic content and fabricate custom-made light fixtures close to
the client needs”, says Moritz Behrens, the project manager at Ingo Maurer GmbH.
During daytime a dynamic colour gradient smoothly flows across the installation, whilst at
night a bluish thread streams through the light tubes. It reminds one of the northern lights.
Before the opening, other colours were explored including a bright pulsating red, for
example. "...When the Bavarians play...", comments an employee who hurries past.*
"We are very pleased to have been able to develop the installation. For such an established
local company is great to work for," said Claude Maurer, who has been active in the
management at Ingo Maurer since 2011. "However, it was also an exciting challenge, to
develop, produce and install the robust variation of the Blow Me Up together with Theo
Möller in only a few months. The team involved has done a fantastic job."
The robust lighting elements are made of truck tarpaulin material. The underside is
transparent, the upper side light grey. They create associations of materiality – of outdoor
products. Thus they fit perfectly to the assortment offered by the client.
An RGBW LED strip is sewn into each lighting element, which produces the light in the
‘Tube’. Only the reflected, indirect light is perceptible, that can of course also be adjusted in
brightness. "My father is known in Munich for colourful installations in underground stations
such as Münchner Freiheit, and in the mezzanine at Marienplatz", says Claude Maurer, "With
the installation for Sport Schuster, we show that we can also provide exciting and enriching
solutions for business spaces. We have realized many projects worldwide, but Munich hasn't
seen much so far."
A big advantage of the installation is that it provides the client with so many possibilities even
for the future. For other projects the lighting elements can also be combined into other
forms, which interact with the actual architecture. Theo Möller, a young architect from
Leipzig, presented his idea for the inflatable "Blow Me Up" in 2016 at Ingo Maurer GmbH,
which went in production in 2017. The concept was immediately convincing, and led Ingo
Maurer’s team to the idea of creating a "luminous ceiling" with coloured LEDs for
light+building 2018. The stand was a complete success; the installation was also shown
during the Salone del Mobile in Milan.
Sport Schuster was founded in 1913. Their products focus on Mountaineering, Outdoor and
Fitness gear for the active lifestyle. The shop is located only a few meters from the central
Marienplatz in Rosenstrasse.
A video is visible on the Vimeo account https://vimeo.com/314480307 .
* a reference to the internationally well-known Munich football club FC
Bayern Munich. When playing in the home stadium its media façade turns red.