Ark Nova
Between sculpture and architecture, artwork and concert hall
What is Ark Nova?
Ark Nova is a mobile concert hall. After several performances of the concert hall in Japan, it will now be set up and used for 11 days in 2025 for the Lucerne Festival on Lucerne's Lido meadow in the immediate vicinity of the Museum of Transport and the Hans Erni Museum.
At the same time and after the Ark Nova has been dismantled, an exhibition will be on display in the Hans Erni Museum until 12.10.2025, illustrating the genesis and use of this unique building, which oscillates between architecture and sculpture.
Backgrounds
In March 2011, the region off the Japanese Pacific coast was shaken by a severe earthquake, which in turn triggered a tsunami. This caused enormous destruction in an area of 500 km2 and claimed more than 20,000 lives.
In response to this catastrophe, the British-Indian artist Sir Anish Kapoor and the Japanese architect Arata Isozaki joined forces on the initiative of Michael Haefliger, Director of the Lucerne Festival, to develop a mobile concert hall. The aim was to use music to help support the population in the devastated regions.
