Pirene is an street installation from Apikipala, a company founded in early 2023 by Albert Mascuñano and Alfred Borràs, which includes collaborations with the Navarrese artist Unai Ruiz.
Taking inspiration from the hypnotic and complex Marble machines, Pirene rethinks their operation and allows the public to interact with them through mechanical elements, creating challenges of wit and skill that simulate the ascent or descent of a Pyrenean mountain.
Pirene is presented as a series of enigmatic paths that can only be solved through interaction. Like climbing a mountain, each element of the installation requires a desire for discovery and the effort to ascend, whether through a game or the manipulation of mechanical elements.
The ultimate goal is to create a connection with the artwork, simulating the connection that forms with the natural environment through interaction. Pirene not only focuses on the peaks of the Pyrenees but also offers games that descend into valleys, fly over autumn forests, enter caves, or leap over waterfalls. A part of the collection is aimed at the little ones, with games that seek family involvement, featuring scalable difficulty to create play spaces for everyone.
Each game is fully illustrated by the artist Unai Ruiz, and one of its sides always features a painting inspired by the place that served as inspiration for its creation.