The Observer Effect is an architectural installation composed of eight monumental portals, each measuring 6.2 meters wide and 4.4 meters high. The portals were aligned in a precise geometric rhythm along the shoreline in front of The Shelborne by Proper in South Beach and installed during Art Basel Miami Beach 2025. The work quickly became one of the most photographed installations of the week, drawing thousands of visitors daily to experience it at sunrise, sunset, and throughout the night.

Inspired by the quantum principle that observation alters reality, the installation translates perception into architectural form through light, reflection, and movement. Finished in iridescent automotive paint, the portals continuously shifted in appearance, moving from spectral hues to muted metallic tones as sunlight, weather conditions, and the surrounding sea transformed their surfaces. In this way, light itself became the work’s living medium.

To activate the installation, Pilar Zeta invited legendary ambient musician Laraaji to create a sunrise and sunset sound and light experience. A pioneering figure in ambient music whose early collaborations with Brian Eno helped shape the genre, Laraaji composed an improvised soundscape meditation that held large crowds in sustained stillness along the shoreline. He described the performance as “rapporting with infinite space,” deepening the installation’s perceptual and contemplative dimensions.

Laraaji’s presence added a profound sonic layer to The Observer Effect, reinforcing the work’s exploration of consciousness, perception, and inner stillness. In conversation with Artnet, he revealed that the experience inspired a new sound work currently in development, drawing from the music of Hildegard of Bingen and featuring collaborators Brian Eno, Patti Smith, and Jim Jarmusch, to be presented at a future Venice Biennale