In collaboration with Cooledge, our lighting design team created and built the immersive installation, “Out of the Light (Box)”, as a part of LightFair’s IALD Immersive Lighting Installations. Through its design and materials, the installation raises awareness about sustainability, encourages reflection on reuse and promotes a circular economy. The installation’s curved shapes symbolize and encourage a cyclical journey of sustainability, reminding viewers of the importance of repurposing and conserving resources.
“The display was based on the idea that there may be different approaches to construction that are more supportive of a circular economy”, explains Grant Harlow, VP of Marketing and Communications at Cooledge. “In addition to the natural bamboo, hemp, and shoji paper used, Cooledge’s TILE product was incorporated to demonstrate that light can be a fundamental component of the structure and not just an addition to it”.
The installation creates a captivating interplay of light, texture, and materials. The soft illumination of the LEDs diffused through the natural translucent shoji paper creates a serene ambiance, while the raw copper circuitry, traditionally concealed, adds a contrasting element. The bamboo structure and hemp materials enhance the connection with nature and sustainability. The minimal and sustainable design promotes a mindset of conserving and using resources minimally, rather than over-utilizing them.
“The installation draws people in by the exposed LED sheet and the circuitry pattern itself creates conversation”, says Tammy Wu, Senior Lighting Designer at The Lighting Practice (TLP). “Once you walk into the structure, the softly lit rice paper emits a daylight-like light quality that creates dialogue of how to design with minimalism in mind. The shape and material strive to echo the theme of a circular economy”.
The installation serves as a visual representation of incorporating sustainable practices into creative endeavors, inspiring viewers to adopt a mindset of repurposing and conserving. At its core, the installation invites designers to reflect on how materials are designed and consumed. It prompts a reconsideration of approaches to resource utilization, encouraging a mindset of minimalism and sustainability.
“It was great taking part in the collaboration between Cooledge and TLP, especially because Cooledge prides itself on minimal waste”, says Sarah Lurie, Lighting Designer I at TLP. “We successfully accentuated the themes of a circular economy, while also providing a moment of respite and contemplation within the trade show format”.
