Google Making the Invisible Visible installation

Google presented Making the Invisible Visible, an immersive installation at Garage 21 in Milan’s Porta Venezia Design District during Milan Design Week 2025. Developed by Ivy Ross, Google’s Chief Design Officer, in collaboration with artist Lachlan Turczan, the project examined how abstract forces such as light, motion, and perception can be transformed into physical, emotional experiences through design.

The centrepiece was Lucida (I–IV), a series of four sculptural light veils suspended within a field of mist. These columns were not static forms; they behaved like living structures. As visitors approached, the light would fold, shimmer, and bend in response to movement, creating volumetric forms that appeared to be sculpted from air and light. The effect was achieved using a custom-built setup involving precision lighting, fog diffusion, and motion detection, translating human presence into tangible optical phenomena.

Rather than leading with product, the installation reversed the usual tech exhibition dynamic. Viewers were not introduced to devices, but to design principles. The sequence concluded with a display of Google hardware from Pixel Watch to Nest Thermostat, revealing how visual and sensory cues drawn from Lucida’s language inform the form, texture, and responsiveness of Google’s physical products.

Making the Invisible Visible continued Google’s series of experimental design interventions (following “Shaped by Water” in 2023), positioning the brand not just as a technology provider but as a cultural actor exploring the emotional potential of hardware.

Strategic note

This collaboration highlights the role of design in making complex technologies more accessible and emotionally resonant. By working with an artist, Google moves beyond utility to explore how tech can create meaningful, sensory-driven experiences, bridging the gap between data and human perception.

Image: Francesca Veggetti