Memory & Light by Arvo Pärt and Arup

Initiated and curated by Clare Farrow for London Design Festival 2018, as a highlight installation in the V&A’s 18th-century Norfolk House Music Room, “Memory & Light” by Estonian composer Arvo Pärt (b.1935) and Arup designers - Stephen Philips (product), Ned Crowe (sound) and Ed Elbourne (lighting) - is a meeting of music and design, inspired by Arvo Pärt’s famous words: “I could compare my music to white light, which contains all colours. Only a prism can divide the colours and make them appear; this prism could be the spirit of the listener.” The project, presented by Harman Kardon with 4 music works by Arvo Pärt, also travelled with English Heritage in 2018-19.

Film by Harman Kardon: Presenting “Memory & Light”, with new speakers and an interview with Clare Farrow

V&A: “Memory & Light”, Norfolk House Music Room, Sept. 2018

Press: ArchDaily, Google Arts & Culture, It’s Nice That, Artemide, icon: highlights,

Supporters: Harman Kardon, Perspex® Brand, Enttec, Embassy of Estonia London, Talbot Designs, Ed Elbourne (Lighting)

English Heritage Podcast, Interview with Clare Farrow: Episode 33, “Memory & Light: the sound installation delighting visitors’ senses at Belsay Hall, 2018

English Heritage: Short Film on “Memory & Light”

Exhibition Text:

Arvo Pärt (b.1935, Estonia), the most performed contemporary composer in the world, once wrote:

“I could compare my music to white light, which contains all colours. Only a prism can divide the colours and make them appear; this prism could be the spirit of the listener.”

This multisensory installation - a rare collaboration specially conceived for the V&A’s Norfolk House Music Room and curated by Clare Farrow - brings his words to life through Arup’s innovative design. Through a collaboration with Arup specialists Stephen Philips (Product Design), Ned Crowe (Acoustic Design) and Ed Elbourne (Venue Design), the transparent curved screen (made from Perspex® acrylic and fabricated by Talbot Designs) represents the prism in Pärt’s poetic description. This is presented alongside a simple yet luxurious viewing and listening bench (upholstered in Poltrona Frau’s leather) where visitors can sit or recline to experience the composer’s words and his music: “Spiegel im Spiegel” (Mirror in the Mirror), “Für Alina”, “Silentium” and “Da pacem Domine”, courtesy of ECM Records. Speakers by Harman Kardon bring the music through the bench and into every corner of the space.

Clare Farrow says: “This is a wonderful opportunity to create an encounter between music and design, between the past and the present, in this beautiful 18th-century music salon in the V&A, bringing to life Arvo Pärt’s description of his music through the innovative design concepts of Arup. In the year when the new Arvo Pärt Centre opens in Estonia, and the country marks its centenary, the installation also celebrates dialogue, legacy and freedom of expression.”

Presented by Harman Kardon

Curated by Clare Farrow

Supported by Perspex® Brand, Estonia 100, Hiscox

Further Support by Poltrona Frau, Talbot Designs, Elf Ideas, Enttec, Arvo Pärt Centre and ECM Records

Special events:

Pop up talk: Michael Pärt, 15 Sept. 2018

Pop up talk: Stephen Philips, Arup, 17 Sept. 2018