Enlightening the Future: Marcel Wanders Turns Audi City Lab into a Journey of Light

Enlightening the Future was conceived as a journey through light for Audi City Lab in Milan. Created by Marcel Wanders studio for the 2021 Salone del Mobile period, the temporary installation occupied Via della Spiga 26 from 5 to 27 September. Visitors moved from a textile-covered threshold into an illuminated tunnel, a mirrored vehicle display and a lounge furnished at the scale of the body.

Mirrors repeat the vehicles and lighting effects in the installation’s central display. Photography: Marco De Ponti. Courtesy of Marcel Wanders.

The studio’s official release describes light as the connection between people and machines. That idea gave the project its sequence: light marked the address, responded to touch, animated the cars and finally softened around places to sit. The interior thus presented the automotive exhibition through changes in atmosphere as well as through the vehicles themselves.

The street becomes the first encounter

The facade introduced an illuminated Audi emblem within a composition of repeating textile panels and columns. Moving bands of light animated the surface, while large smoked-glass windows offered glimpses into the installation. The exterior established the project’s interest in repetition and motion before visitors entered the main display.

The street entrance identified Audi City Lab and the temporary Enlightening the Future installation. Photography courtesy of Marcel Wanders.

The press photographs show a clear, restrained sign beside the entrance, identifying Audi City Lab and the installation title. Beyond this relatively quiet threshold, the lighting became more immersive. The change allowed arrival to unfold as a sequence, with a recognisable point of entry followed by an increasingly enveloping interior.

A tunnel responsive to touch

Inside, soft textile-covered walls formed a corridor in which visitors could activate light through gentle touch. Mirrors overhead extended the visual field. The studio combined a tactile surface with moving illumination, turning the passage between rooms into a central part of the experience.

Red light animates the textile-covered tunnel at the temporary 2021 Audi City Lab. Photography courtesy of Marcel Wanders.

The archival photographs capture different states of that corridor: red light stretches along its length in one view, while blue patterned illumination covers the walls in another. These recorded moments show the same architectural device changing character through light. The surface, reflections and narrow perspective work together to draw attention towards the space beyond.

Cars within a field of reflections

At the centre of the installation were the Audi RS e-tron GT and the A6 e-tron Concept. A concrete floor and mirrored walls formed the setting for pulsating light effects around the two vehicles. Reflections multiplied the display, extending the apparent space and repeating the outlines of both cars and lighting.

A blue-lit state of the tunnel reveals the installation’s changing surface patterns. Photography: Marco De Ponti. Courtesy of Marcel Wanders.

Dimmable floor lighting and a concrete projection wall were also part of the studio’s design. In the photographs, concentric white lines surround the vehicles and continue through the reflections. The cars remained the physical focus, while the installation used the room’s surfaces to bring movement and depth to their presentation.

A lounge connects the exhibit to furniture

The final setting adopted a warmer register. Mad Queen and Mad Joker chairs, designed by the studio for Poliform, were presented in textures, materials and finishes related to Audi car seats. This gave the lounge a direct connection to the exhibition while allowing visitors to encounter it through familiar seating forms.

The lounge pairs upholstered furniture and curtains with the existing concrete setting. Photography courtesy of Marcel Wanders.

The furniture selection also included Poliform’s Soori Coffee Table by Soo Chan and the Westside modular sofa by Jean-Marie Massaud. Moooi Hubble Bubble lamps hung at different angles, and a bespoke broadloom carpet designed by the studio for Moooi Carpets brought pattern across the floor. Upholstery, curtains and the carpet softened the concrete structure visible around them.

The lounge completed the installation by changing the pace of the visit. After the directional corridor and the animated display, groups of chairs and sofas offered places to pause. The project’s use of light continued here, with the suspended lamps producing a more domestic scale of illumination around the furniture.

Mad Queen and Mad Joker chairs bring the lounge to the scale of a seated visitor. Photography courtesy of Marcel Wanders.

Project information and sources

Project: Enlightening the Future, Audi City Lab. Location: Via della Spiga 26, Milan, Italy. Exhibition dates: 5–27 September 2021. Client: Audi. Interior design: Marcel Wanders studio. Creative director named in the official release: Gabriele Chiave. Featured vehicles: Audi RS e-tron GT and Audi A6 e-tron Concept. Furnishing collaborators included Poliform, Moooi and Moooi Carpets.

Project credit: Enlightening the future, interior design by Marcel Wanders studio for Audi (2021).

Project information and archival images: Marcel Wanders’ official Enlightening the Future press room and the official Audi City Lab project release. This article documents the temporary 2021 installation.