These days the luminaire was completed, which within the memorial refers to the one in Pacific Palisades/Los Angeles that stands there in front of the house that Thomas Mann lived in with his family during his exile in California, today’s Thomas Mann House. The art foundry Anton Gugg made an aluminium casting for it.
Once again, this marked the end of a lengthy process: based on photos I had taken in 2019 and plans by Public Works Los Angeles, a digital model of the light was drawn, by artist Florian Froese-Peek, transferred with a 3D printer into a three-dimensional 1:1 model made of plastic, then cast using the melt-out process.
I had visited Pacific Palisades in autumn 2019 – see the blog post.
For a long time I had researched and tried to get a light from there – which turned out to be difficult. Transporting it to Germany would also have been a lengthy undertaking, as I found out with the example of the luminaire produced in the USA based on the model in New York.
In the end, I followed the advice of Bob Gale, screenwriter and film producer (including „Back to the Future“), who lives in the neighbourhood. He wrote at the time: „My suggestion is that you have the fixture extensively photographed and measured, and then duplicate it in Germany. This would be the most cost effect and simple solution.“ This suggestion certainly does not come by chance from someone who is at home in the film industry, which often works with props and replicas.
And perhaps the concept of replicating a luminaire from the 1920s/30s using modern digital, but also traditional methods, for a monument that is to be erected in the future – presumably in spring 2024 – also fits the motto „Back to the Future“.
„Back to the Future“ – luminare L.A. cast
