Billi Thanner is the artist behind Infinity of Light, the new light installation on the towers of the Votivkirche in Vienna. It is a monumental sculpture that does not aim for spectacle, but instead invites a slow, diffused perception. The work will remain visible until August 2026, transforming one of the city’s most iconic landmarks into a point of symbolic connection for months.
The work rises through an aluminium structure measuring 28 by 8 meters, shaped as a horizontal figure eight — a symbol of infinity since ancient times — crossed by a warm white light that defines its presence without turning it into spectacle.
The conceptual reference is as simple as it is powerful: eight minutes is the time it takes for a ray of light to travel from the Sun to the Earth. From this physical constant emerges a spatial metaphor that speaks of continuity, balance, and connection, avoiding any religious or ideological emphasis. Infinity of Light thus occupies a suspended space, where mathematical precision coexists with a poetic openness left to individual interpretation.
The production choice is also significant: Infinity of Light was realized with private funding, without public or ecclesiastical contributions. Thanner waived her fee, asserting an idea of art as a free and independent impulse, accessible to anyone willing to encounter it.
Beyond categories, Infinity of Light functions as a silent signal in the heart of Vienna: not so much an invitation to look, but a reminder of the light that invisibly connects us.
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