LEIGH SACHWITZ
The Architect Who Evokes Emotion Through Tech
From her homeland of Scotland to Germany (where she’s now based) to the interactive exhibitions, theatrical productions and immersive education projects she creates worldwide, Leigh Sachwitz proves that her brilliant mind wanders as much as she does. “Vision is imagining the future and thinking outside the box,” notes the founder of flora&faunavisions design studio, which she launched in 2005 after years of putting her architectural degree to work from 9am-5pm — while experimenting with visuals, sights and sounds on the eclectic Berlin club scene from 5pm-9am. Her goal with flora&faunavisions’ work is to foster an emotional connection and a sense of optimism in those who experience it. “Technology is our love language and beauty our inspiration,” she says of the innovative work she and her team creates. And you don’t even have to bribe a German bouncer to get you in the door.
Projects
Leigh Sachwitz helps visitors “bring their dreams to life” through Utopian Garden, a joyfully immersive digital experience in Tacoma, Washington. Structured as a game, participants play through Science, Nature and Art chapters as responsive sound design and AI-generated visuals stimulate the senses. At the end, a communal Utopian Garden is revealed in stunningly colorful effects, hinting that utopia is a place we all must create together. Leigh’s traveling Inside Out installation, coming to the U.S. as part of the WNDR Museum’s permanent collection, is an immersive 360-degree audio-visual experience that climaxes when a glass ceiling virtually shatters and its walls disappear. Visitors are left exposed and purified in the dawning light. And Wagner’s Ring Cycle, which will launch in December in Brisbane, Leigh joins forces with director Chen Shi-Zheng to build a kinetic digital stage, which allows for countless, dynamic backdrop configurations.
