2024-04-16
Hyundai's pavilion, making its debut at the Pyongchang Winter Olympics, is a black hole-like structure with tall, almost 10-metre-high walls covered in Vantablack - the world's blackest material. Described as 'the darkest building on Earth', the lump was designed by British architect Asif Khan.
The right to use Vantablack was reserved by British-Indian artist Anish Kapoor; Khan began work on Surrey NanoSystems in 2013, a year before the invention of Vantablack was announced, and was the first to use the material in an architectural structure. The architect had previously created a 'selfies pavilion' with a screen that adapted to viewers' facial expressions. The design was presented at the 2014 Olympic Games.
"From a distance, it seems as if the lump takes the shape of a window through which one can see the unexplored depths of outer space. The impression intensifies with each step by which you approach the building, eventually filling the entire field of vision. Thus, stepping inside the building gives the impression of being engulfed by a cloud of darkness," - recounts Khan.
As Vantablack absorbs 99.96% of light, it makes every surface appear as a flat, amorphous void. The flat walls, covered with thousands of flickering lights, are parabolic facades, curving inwards from the corners and ceiling. The lights, crowning bars of varying lengths, make the building look like a field of stars floating in the air.
Upon entering the pavilion, the viewer finds himself in a white interior inspired by the new hydrogen fuels used by Hyundai, which the author has dubbed the 'water room'. The room produces 25,000 drops of water every minute - the liquid, flowing in small streams throughout the room, forms a puddle that dries up every few minutes.