Studio DRIFT Unveils Shy Society: A Striking Kinetic Light Installation Suspended Above Venice’s Grand Canal during the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia from May 3 to May 10 

Timed to the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, DRIFT will present Shy Society, a site-specific, kinetic light installation mounted above Venice’s Grand Canal. Installed on the façade of Palazzo Balbi between the Peggy Guggenheim Collection and the historic Ponte dell’Accademia, the work will be visible from the Accademia Bridge and by boat, transforming one of Venice’s most iconic waterways into an immersive stage for a continuously unfolding choreographed performance of light and movement. 

With this work, DRIFT brings its signature exploration of nature, light, and movement into the public realm, translating qualities often reserved for gallery or museum spaces into the city itself. 

Shy Society builds on DRIFT’s ongoing study into Shylight, one of the studio’s most iconic works, which continues to evolve through new spatial and environmental interpretations. Founded in Amsterdam in 2007 by artists Lonneke Gordijn (b. 1980) and Ralph Nauta (b. 1978), 

DRIFT is known for large-scale sculptures and kinetic installations that draw directly from natural phenomena. With Shy Society, the studio applies these qualities to outdoor public space, demonstrating how sculpture can embody softness, tactility, and rhythm within the urban environment. 

Comprising a constellation of kinetic light sculptures constructed from aluminium, polished stainless steel, silk, LEDs and robotics, Shylight delicately mirrors the nyctinasty of real flowers, unfolding and retreating in response to an internal choreography of movement and light. Developed over a five-year research period, each element is formed from multiple layers of silk, allowing the sculptures to move with exceptional fluidity and precision, controlled to the millimetre. 

The sculpture unfolds in a carefully choreographed pattern of opening and closing luminous elements, with movement synchronized to a calming rhythm that mirrors a human resting heartbeat. In doing so, Shy Society creates a shared temporal experience that subtly aligns viewers’ perceptions and encourages moments of pause and reflection, fostering coherence between people and space. 

“Public spaces often emphasize permanence, power, and structure,” says Lonneke Gordijn, co-founder of DRIFT alongside Ralph Nauta. “With Shy Society, we explore how softness, light, and movement can create connection—between people and their surroundings.” 

Installed outdoors from 3–10 May, Shy Society transforms the Grand Canal into an evolving performance that merges art, nature, and technology. Opening at the beginning of the Biennale’s vernissage week, the work will offer a continuously shifting experience shaped by light, water, and the rhythms of the city. 

This installation marks a pivotal moment as DRIFT brings its poetic, technology-driven practice to the public realm, extending its exploration of nature, perception, and human experience beyond traditional exhibition spaces. The project builds on the international history of Shylight, which is part of the permanent collections of the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam and the Hessisches Landesmuseum Darmstadt, among others. Major past iterations include performances with the New York City Ballet (2023) and exhibitions at Palazzo Strozzi (2024). 

Before the end of the year, the studio will open its own museum in Amsterdam, offering a permanent home for large-scale works and ongoing research. Next year, DRIFT will celebrate its 20-year anniversary, marking two decades of pioneering work at the intersection of art, technology, and human experience. 

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