Lunar Crescendo Named Digital Winner at Korea Design Award 2023

Lunar Crescendo, a media sculpture by digital landmark design studio Apollon Immersive Works (CEO Lee Taekjin), has been named a winner in the Digital field of the Communication category at Korea Design Award 2023. Apollon Immersive Works created the piece with German media artist Timo Helgert, and it was installed along the Danghyeoncheon walkway in Nowon-gu, Seoul.

Rethinking public value and digital design

The Digital field drew a wide range of entries, from media art and digital installations to NFTs and virtual humans. The jury cited Lunar Crescendo's public character as a sculpture presented through a municipal public art festival, and the way it moved beyond conventional forms of digital design. The Communication category was judged by Kim Myungjin of FROM, Park Irang of Hyundai Department Store's brand strategy team, and designer Yoo Hyunseon of Workroom.

A walkway lit by some 150 moons: 37 rings and 74 LED bars

Lunar Crescendo was created for Nowon Moonlight Walk, a public art festival organized by the Nowon Foundation for Arts and Culture. The festival ran from October 13 to November 5, 2023, along a 2.5 km stretch, where more than 150 installations by Korean and international artists filled the walkway. The design began with the crescent moon, the starting point of the lunar cycle, defined not as its brightest phase but as a time of preparation and recharging toward the full moon, offering visitors a moment of comfort. Thirty-seven elliptical ring modules were joined by a steel frame to form the crescent, with a total of 74 LED bars built into the modules. Ambient music in three movements played from speakers hidden in the ceiling beneath Danghyeon Bridge No.3, so that light and sound could be experienced together.

A first project beyond commercial space

Apollon Immersive Works has long delivered media art for commercial architecture, from consulting through production. Lunar Crescendo is its first project without a commercial purpose. From Apollon Immersive Works, Lee Taekjin, Kim Sehee, Sung Hojun, Kwon Yeryeong, and Lee Jungwoo took part. Timo Helgert (SAN Communication) led content design, Austrian composer Meric created the music, and Paul Olivier Letrou of France handled sound design. Another Sunday handled hardware production and programming.