Interieur 2012: beams of light appear to bend into curved gothic arches above this illusory passageway by London design studio Troika at the Interieur design biennale in Kortrijk, Belgium, this week.

Above: photograph by Frederik Vercruysse

The Arcades installation is formed from 14 columns of light that shine upwards in thin bars before passing through fresnel lenses. The lenses refract the light in a series of graduating angles, creating the illusion of curving light.

Above: photograph by Frederik Vercruysse

"The arcade of light lies between the intangible and physical, the visible and the seemingly impossible," the designers explained. "It asks the viewer to pause and contemplate the surrounding space whilst promoting openness rather than closure."

The installation is a site specific response to the design biennale's theme of Future Primitives and is located in a brick-walled former stable on Buda Island in the town of Kortrijk.

Above: photograph by Wouter Van Vaerenbergh

Fresnel lenses have appeared in a project by Troika previously – a chandelier that creates overlapping circles of light on the ceiling.

Above: photograph by Wouter Van Vaerenbergh

Other projects by Troika we've featured on Dezeen include an LED installation that shows the weather from the previous day and machine that projects blurred portraits on the wall.

Earlier this week, Interieur's curator Lowie Vermeersch told Dezeen's editor-in-chief Marcus Fairs that design fairs should be better designed in order to be less confusing for visitors.

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Photographs are by Troika except where stated.