Light, Perception and Future Images in the Interior Design of the Brussels Atomium

This research examines the production of light, perception and images of the future in the interior design of the Atomium in Brussels. The primary aim of the study is to demonstrate how the Atomium, which represented the scientific and technological developments of the future at the 1958 Brussels Expo, has been given new meaning today through light, sound and image-based exhibition practices. The research examines the relationship between the Atomium’s unique architectural geometry and its contemporary exhibition design. A hybrid methodology, blending architecture, interior design and experiential design and based on a qualitative research approach, has been developed. Selected interior spaces of the Atomium have been analysed broadly using the Space Syntax method; the relationship between spatial arrangements, light and experiential design is identified. Definitions were established in accordance with the research methodology, based on records taken from visual documents following on-site observations of the light’s colour, intensity, movement, rhythm and contrast. The results of the analyses revealed that the Atomium’s historical futuristic concept, reinterpreted through contemporary exhibition practices, reflects an image of the future. Thus, the architectural image that once represented the future has been transformed into an interactive spatial experience where the future is sensorially experienced in the present day. Keywords: Brussels, Atomium, Future, Spatial image, Interior design