The intersection of technology and art took on a breathtaking form at Milan Design Week 2025, as Google collaborated with visionary artist Lachlan Turczan to unveil a truly immersive installation. Titled “Making the Invisible Visible,” Google’s showcase captivated visitors, with the centerpiece being Turczan’s ethereal artwork, Lucida (I–IV). This captivating creation transformed a darkened space into a realm where light itself seemed to possess a tangible presence, inviting interaction and blurring the lines between the real and the perceived.
At the heart of Google‘s exploration of art and design as “acts of alchemy that bring ideas to life,” Lucida (I–IV) drew crowds eager to witness the magic unfold. This collaboration marked a return to Milan Design Week for Google and Turczan, who previously partnered in 2023 on an installation featuring giant speakers that orchestrated mesmerizing dances of water. This year, the artist turned his attention to the captivating interplay between water and light, demonstrating how their delicate union could conjure the illusion of solidity within the intangible.
Stepping into the installation space was akin to entering a dreamscape. Six imposing light fixtures, each spanning six feet in width, hung suspended from the ceiling within a carefully darkened room. These fixtures housed a sophisticated combination of lasers and concave parabolic mirrors, meticulously engineered to project beams of light downwards. The true enchantment, however, lay in the air itself. A fine mist permeated the room, creating a canvas upon which the laser light, reflecting off the mirrors, could truly manifest. Instead of simply falling to the floor, the light interacted with countless minuscule water particles suspended in the air, conjuring the astonishing illusion of shimmering, translucent curtains.
What truly elevated Lucida (I–IV) beyond a mere visual spectacle was its interactive nature. Sensors strategically placed within the installation detected the presence of visitors. As individuals walked beneath the ethereal light curtains or dared to wave their hands through the seemingly solid beams, the magic intensified. The static curtains would instantly respond, wobbling and shifting as if composed of a tangible material, yielding to the touch. This captivating effect was meticulously orchestrated through proprietary software, further enhanced by subtle soundscapes triggered by the same motion detection, deepening the sense of immersion and wonder. Google aptly described this interplay as a deliberate blurring of “the boundaries between the tangible and intangible.”
The sheer delight of the visitors was palpable. Many couldn’t resist the urge to engage with the light, dancing beneath the shimmering curtains to observe their fluid responses. Turczan explained that Lucida (I–IV) drew inspiration from his outdoor artworks, which could only be experienced during the fleeting moments of twilight, lending them an ephemeral quality. His ambition for this indoor installation was to recreate that same sense of fleeting wonder within a controlled environment.
The journey to bring Lucida (I–IV) to life was a testament to dedication and meticulous engineering. “It took about a year of engineering and prototyping and iterating over and over again,” Turczan revealed. He also shared the unique challenge of his creative process: “We actually also never saw more than just one of them at a time, because my studio is only big enough to put one in. So seeing three of them overlap or all six of them in the space is like a dream come true.”
Ivy Ross, Google’s chief design officer of consumer devices, echoed this sentiment. “Sending the pictures, they just look like columns,” she noted. “The beauty is when you push and pull and you hear sounds, and the shape changes.” Ross collaborated closely with Turczan to help realize his artistic vision, while her design team curated the rest of the “Making the Invisible Visible” installation, offering insights into the often-unseen stories behind Google’s hardware innovations.
For Ross, a seasoned attendee of Milan Design Week, the focus has always been on providing a meaningful experience. “I’ve come to the Milan design show my whole career,” she stated. “We’re committed to always giving people an experience, not just showing our things. And the idea is to let them see a little bit of Google thought leadership. The combination of giving you an experience, a person and showing you how it relates to how we think, that’s always the objective.”
Google’s commitment to exploring the intersection of art, technology, and sensory perception builds upon their previous year’s installation, “Making Sense of Color.” Developed in collaboration with studio Chromasonic, that installation sought to make light audible and sound visible, simulating the fascinating phenomenon of synesthesia.
Lachlan Turczan’s Lucida (I–IV) for Google’s “Making the Invisible Visible” installation at Milan Design Week 2025 undoubtedly left a lasting impression on its visitors. It served as a powerful reminder of the beauty and wonder that can emerge when artistic vision is coupled with technological innovation, transforming the intangible into an experience that is both captivating and profoundly human.