LIGHT SHOW
The current crop of artistic lights – kinetic, sculptural or whimsical – dazzles the senses and injects an animated vibe into living spaces
If you happen to be visiting the Netherlands sometime this year, you’re likely to encounter a number of van Gogh-related festivities commemorating the 125th anniversary of the artist’s death. In January, the Het Noordbrabants Museum, located in the artist’s homeland region of Brabant, hosted an exhibition of works inspired by the famous painter. Among the more arresting exhibits was Studio Drift’s Flylight, a site-specific light installation that interacts directly with its surroundings.
Consisting of delicate glass tubes that light up at random, in response to external stimuli – say, the movement of a museum-goer – the light mimics the behaviour of a flock of birds in flight. This natural phenomenon was translated into specially developed software that controls the motion of the lights, resulting in a mesmerising display that isn’t pre-programmed. In the same month, multibrand luxury furnishing emporium Macsk held its official launch in Singapore. What stole the show wasn’t the store’s impressive interior architecture or the furniture, but a
Lasvit blown-glass chandelier, the Alice, that appeared to shimmy in tune to a classical music soundtrack. Kinetic light fixtures such as the Flylight and Alice are part of a growing trend. What started out as site-specific installations in designer hotels, concert arenas and exhibition spaces has filtered into the domestic environment as technology (LEDS, motors, circuit boards) improved and became more accessible to homeowners. Homeowners, too, discovered the pleasures of an emotional, sometimes surreal experience of living in spaces animated by sculptural lights. Here are some of the most atmospheric lights – some kinetic, others static (but no less imaginative) – that will bring a magical touch to any home.
NEMO Uma Giancarlo Tintori’s Uma light for Nemo challenges conventional notions of a chandelier, with an inner steel structure supporting an elaborate assembly of transparent methacrylate (a type of plastic) tubes. When lit, Uma transforms into a futuristic sculptural object, reminiscent of a spaceship in ight. The effect is nothing short of spectacular.