Departing from a reflection on the history of the Niklaus Chapel in Gstaad, its spiritual meaning and importance to the local community, artist Emilio Ferro has created a site-specific installation that offers to the viewer an immersive and meditative experience. Combining light and sound, hisartwork is a metaphor for the journey of life: it symbolically addresses the theme of transformation and the fluid crossing of liminal spaces and times.

▼装置概览，overview of the installation ©Roberto Conte

一束白光从安装在祭坛后面的图腾式金属结构中放射出来，像一座非物质雕塑一样穿过整个中殿。当小礼拜堂的入口大门打开时，光线向外溢出，延伸到村子里；当大门关闭时，光线被控制在内部，在门上投射出一个发光的光环。光线强调了这一实体门槛的物质存在，在建筑的内部和外部之间，在小教堂和小镇之间建立了一种动态但非实质的联系。

A beam of white light radiates from a totemic metal structure installed behind the altar and crosses theentire nave like an immaterial sculpture. When the chapel’s entrance door is opened, the light spills outward, extending into the village; when it is closed, the light is contained within, casting a luminous halo on the door itself. Under scoring the material presence of this physical threshold, the light creates a dynamic yet unsubstantial connection between the interior and the exterior of the building, between the chapel and the town.

▼光线穿过教堂，light cross through the church ©Roberto Conte

圣尼古拉斯被尊崇为旅行者、水手和商人的守护神，陪伴并保护着旅途中的人们，无论是身体上还是精神上。他是希望的象征，指引人们克服旅途中的不确定性和挑战。

Dedicated to St. Nicholas, the chapel has always played an important role for Gstaad and the valley, notonly as a place of worship, but also as a symbol of the cultural identity of the region and its inhabitants.St. Nicholas, who is venerated as the patron saint of travelers, sailors and merchants, accompanies andprotects those who are in transit, both physically and spiritually. He is a symbol of hope and offers guidance through the uncertainties and challenges of any journey.

▼彩色玻璃构筑的圣尼古拉斯像，St Nicholas in Stained Glass ©Roberto Conte

当光束穿过小教堂时，它隐喻着过去与现在、神圣与平凡的结合。费罗的光雕强调了旅程的普遍性，它不仅可以被理解为地理上的迁移，还具有内在的体验，是一条通往意识、成长和转变的道路。教堂中殿放射出的光芒成为那些通过中殿的人的隐喻，象征着他们身体和精神上的转变。光线照亮了道路，在世代、文化和宗教之间，在昨天的社区和今天的社区之间建立了非物质的联系。在光的体验中，教堂的参观者发现了一个安全的地方，并有机会进入冥想状态，找到一种新的个人祈祷方式。

As the beam of light traverses the chapel, it metaphorically unites past and present, the sacred and theordinary. Ferro’s light sculpture underscores the universal dimension of the journey, which is not only to be understood as a geographical displacement, but also has an inner experience, as a path to consciousness, growth and transformation. The light radiating through the church’s nave becomes ametaphor for those who pass through it, symbolizing their physical and spiritual transitions. The lightilluminates the path and creates an immaterial connection between generations, cultures and religions,between the community of yesterday and that of today. In the experience of light, visitors to the church discover a place of security and the opportunity to enter a meditative state and find a new and personal approach to prayer.

▼当光束穿过小教堂，the beam of light traverses the chapel ©Roberto Conte

▼对人生道路的隐喻，A metaphor for the path of life ©Roberto Conte

装置还配有费罗创作的背景音乐。萨南地区和格施塔德周围河流的水声通过浸入式麦克风录制、采样并转换成声音组合，伴随着游客，唤起时间和生命的流动。此外，小教堂中的磁场也被录制下来，使通常听不到的声音变得清晰可辨。费罗的这一声音干预揭示了普通感官无法感知的东西，邀请观众踏上另一个维度的旅程：倾听和内心的反思。

The installation is accompanied by a soundtrack created by Ferro. The water sounds of the rivers thatflow in the Saanenland and around Gstaad are recorded via immersion microphones, sampled andtransformed into a sound composition that accompanies the visitor and evokes the flow of time and life. Inaddition, the magnetic fields in the chapel are recorded to make audible what normally escapes thehuman ear. This sonic intervention by Ferro reveals what cannot be perceived by the ordinary senses,inviting the viewers to embark on another dimension of the journey: one of listening and inner reflection.

▼光的体验，the experience of light ©Roberto Conte

▼光的体验，the experience of light ©Roberto Conte