Gv 1,29 is a large luminous installation made of glass, gold and steel, conceived by artist Andrea Mastrovito on commission from the Juncta Constructora of the Basilica of the Sagrada Familia. The artist won the competition for the creation of the Agnus Dei as part of the completion project of the famous basilica in Barcelona. It is suspended inside the upper arm of the Tower of Jesus Christ, at a height of 172 metres.
The work is an essential element described by Antoni Gaudí in his plans. Evidence of it can be found in the Àlbums del Temple, published by the association responsible for developing the project, where he explicitly refers to the Lamb of God as a sculpture intended to complete the architectural design. Mastrovito’s proposal was selected by the jury for the elegance of its golden light and the luminous transparency of the Lamb. The work aims to synthesize the evangelical message of Salvation through Christ’s sacrifice, identified as the true Light and Origin of the world.
It's a complex installation composed of several elements surrounding the glass sculpture of the Lamb, around which hundreds of golden fragments are suspended. These elements are fixed within a complex geometric structure made of 24 golden tubes bearing as many quotations of the Agnus Dei from the New Testament, illuminated from within. The Lamb, handmade in hollow glass by Studio Reduzzi and covered with thousands of crystal fragments, shines both with reflected and its own light: the daytime refraction of sunlight is combined with the luminous inscriptions of the golden tubes and the glow produced by the inscription of verse 1:29 from the Gospel of John, rendered in phosphorescent material on the Lamb’s fleece, making the sculpture a true source of light.
The sources of inspiration behind the creation of Gv 1,29 by Andrea Mastrovito belong both to the sphere of the sacred and to that of art and its history, deeply connected to Gaudí’s imagery and architecture and to its roots in nature. Part of the inspiration also draws from recent scientific theories. Following Gaudí’s indications, Mastrovito placed great importance on light in his Agnus Dei, working with gold and glass to fully exploit three types of illumination: natural (sunlight), artificial (LED strips and phosphorescence), and spiritual (gold). For artificial lighting, the work’s light design was entrusted to Studio Waldemeyer.
Thanks to the gilding expertise of Studio Reduzzi, Mastrovito used gold both for the 24 rays of the hyperboloid and for the hundreds of fragments suspended by transparent threads surrounding the central sculpture. The gilding of both the rays and the suspended fragments reflects natural and artificial light, creating multiple refractions while also imparting the mystical and symbolic value that this precious metal has always held in sacred iconography.
Images Credits: Basílica de la Sagrada Família, Photo Pep Daudé.