Tala announces LDF installation
(UK) - Tala and SCP present Under the Arches installation as part of London Design Festival.
Esteemed British furniture manufacturer and retailer SCP has joined forces with LED lighting brand Tala, for Under the Arches - a one-day immersive furniture and lighting exhibition, as part of LDF 2017.
Located in a former train station booking office, beneath the overground railway bridge at Shoreditch's busiest intersection, Under the Arches celebrates East London's creative history and the best of British design.
Spanning 3,000sqft the exhibition will feature three specially curated room-sets comprised of both brands' latest designs, situated within the two beautifully-restored arches that characterise the unique layout of the space.
Tala will unveil its latest product, the Voronoi collection and the world's largest sculptural lamp, the Voronoi III. The brand will also celebrate the UK launch of its Basalt collection, first show at Euroluce.
Linking the two arches and using over 1,000 lamps, will be BLOCK - a bespoke, introspective, mirrored light display that responds to the movements of those in close contact with it.
Under the Arches will take place from 10am-6pm on Tuesday 19 September at 347 Old Street, London.
lightjunction returns to Kings Cross London
(UK) - lightjunction will return to Granary Square, Kings Cross, next month as part of this year's wider designjunction from 21-24 September 2017.
designjunction will present more than 200 of the world's most iconic design brands to the world's leading design professionals and is the place #wheredesignmeets during the London Design Festival.
From dramatic installations to celebrated collections, lightjunction - an area dedicated to decorative lighting at designjunction - returns to the ground floor of Cubitt House. Expect to the latest from Resident, Marset, Blackbody, Decode, Tala, Martinelli Luce, Rich Brilliant Willing and many more.
Specifiers, architects and interior designers - make sure you visit designjunction to gain inspiration for your next project. Book tickets in advance for free entry, or pay £15 on the door.
Promotions at Rockwell Group
(US) - Rockwell Group announces appointment of Greg Keffer, AIA, to Partner and promotion of Richard Chandler to Studio Leader.
Since joining the firm in 2012, Keffer has overseen a wide range of projects, from iconic restaurants such as Nobu Downtown and Union Square Cafe, to Brightline train stations, NeueHouse flagship locations in New York and Los Angeles, and the historic Fairmont Le Château Frontenac.
Over the past four years, Chandler has played an influential role in shaping numerous projects at Rockwell Group, including Chefs Club, 605 Third Avenue, Union Square Cafe and Nobu Downtown in New York, and Nightingale Plaza in West Hollywood.
darc awards / architectural open for entries
(UK) – Deadline for project entries is 2nd July; deadline for Product entries is 11th July. Lighting designer voting begins on 12th July.
Entries are now being accepted for the darc awards / architectural via its website www.darcawards.com/architectural.
The Project categories (SPACES, PLACES, STRUCTURES, ART & EVENTS) are split into High and Low Budget for both large and small projects so all types of projects have an equal chance of winning.
The project entries will be shortlisted by an international lighting design jury before being voted on by the lighting design and light artist community in a unique online voting system.
Product entries will go straight to the lighting designer vote so the specifiers can pick their favourite product from the last twelve months.
All lighting designers and light artists who vote in every category will be eligible for a free ticket to darc night, the awards party at MC Motors in London on 14th September.
Follow @darcawards for all the latest updates and information regarding the awards.
Every entry will be displayed online for full exposure and every company who enters will receive a free profile in the online darc directory.
Just like in the pages of mondo*arc and darc, we’re not after the most efficient, the best money saving, the safe. We’re after the creative, the clever, the brave.
The categories are:
STRUCTURES – BEST EXTERIOR LIGHTING PROJECT (LOW / HIGH BUDGET)
PLACES – BEST INTERIOR LIGHTING PROJECT (LOW / HIGH BUDGET)
SPACES – BEST LANDSCAPE LIGHTING PROJECT (LOW / HIGH BUDGET)
ART – BEST LIGHT ART INSTALLATION (LOW / HIGH BUDGET)
EVENT – BEST LIGHTING EVENT
KIT – BEST INTERIOR / EXTERIOR / TECHNOLOGY LIGHTING PRODUCT
Now, over to you…
To enter your architectural lighting projects and products go to:
www.darcawards.com/architectural
darc room awarded London Design Festival status
(UK) – darc room, London’s creative, curated lighting specification exhibition officially part of London Design Festival on 21-23 September.
darc room has been formally accepted by London Design Festival as part of its 2017 program. The lighting specification exhibition will take place at B1, Victoria House, Holborn in central London on 21-23 September.
Paul James, director of darc room and publishing editor of mondo*arc and darc magazines, commented: “This is fantastic news for darc room and for the exhibitors. We are sometimes guilty of talking to ourselves in the lighting industry. Our goal, both in our publishing and our events, is to broaden the conversation to other designers who do not work with lighting every day but nevertheless are involved in the lighting specification process. Being involved in London Design Festival will allow us to meet a wide range of designers and specifiers, not just those in the ensconced in lighting.”
darc room is organised in collaboration with design consultants Light Collective. It will offer a unique way for exhibitors to show their products and for visitors to learn about lighting with special pods made from OSB board. In addition to the exhibitors, the venue in central London offers a magnificent canvas for light installations from darc night, the darc awards / architectural event as well as some exciting examples of light art and inspirational speakers from the design community.
Exhibitors so far include Anolis, Applelec, ATEA, atelier sedan, DARK, Delta Light, EcoLED, EcoSense, Enigma, Filix, Forma, Lamp Lighting, LED Linear, Linea Light, LG OLED, Luci LED, Lumenpulse, molo, Optelma, Radiant, Reggiani, Soraa, tossB, Turnlights, WILA and Xicato.
The darc night installations on show at darc room will involve lighting designs from ACT, Arup, DPA, Elektra, Lichtvision, Lighting Design International, Michael Grubb Studio and Visual Energy.
Anyone interested in participating in darc room should contact Paul James on p.james@mondiale.co.uk.
Flos steps outdoors
(UK) - Flos presents outdoor range for first time as part of London Festival of Architecture.
Held at the Atrium showroom, a photography exhibition by artists Tommaso Sartori and Nicholas Cope for the new Flos outdoor lighting catalogue, was showcased.
Produced by new group company Ares, the fourth production unit alongside the successful Home, Architectural and Custom sectors, Flos Outdoor is a collection created to illuminate open spaces through a new language, finding balance both by hiding in the natural landscape with discrete objects and by conversing with the architecture through designs that have a unique identity.
While the new range is predominantly architectural, there is the odd nod to the decorative world, particularly through Lighting in the Rain, designed by Philippe Starck, consisting of Ktribe F3 floor lamp, Romeo C3 suspension luminaire and Superarchimoon floor lamp.
During a talk between Flos CEO Piero Gandini and landscape designer Luciano Giubbilei at the launch of the outdoor range, Gandini commented: "In a world like outdoor lighting, one that is often so obsessed with technical specifications that it forgets the delicate and wonderful relationship between light and nature, our desire is to explore the poetry of open spaces in a new way.
"As a result, Flos Outdoor products are designed to satisfy contemporary technical lighting needs with precision, but also to define a new balance between technology, form, light and shade."
RBW makes Staffan Tollgard debut
(UK) - Rich Brilliant Willing makes UK debut with Staffan Tollgard Design Group.
New York-based design firm has joined forces with Staffan Tollgard Design Group to strengthen its international presence. Commenting, RBW co-founder Alexander Williams said: "Our mission is to create atmosphere with LED lighting using technology, simplicity and creativity. I think this is a universally applicable recipe.
"However, it still requires the expertise of someone with deep roots in the London design community to help translate our message and offering for this important market. We're thrilled to be partnering with Staffan Tollgard to make our LED fittings accessible to a growing audience."
"For me, RBW continues the artisan qualities, making most of their luminaires in the Brooklyn studio, with an OCD-esque perfectionism," says Tollgard. "Handmade should not imply a tolerance of imperfection. A bad welding joint is not evidence of being handmade; it is a bad welding joint. RBW's execution and attention to detail is second-to-none. I am truly excited to bring some of their most iconic pieces to their first London home."
NYCxDesign win for Stickbulb
(US) - Stickbulb wins 'Best in Show' award during this year's NYCxDesign Awards.
The New York-based decorative lighting brand won the award for its Ambassador installation at Collective Design, a comprehensive category for the best across all NYCxDesign shows.
Additionally, Stickbulb was made an Honoree for the NYCxDesign Awards 'Made in the Boroughs' category for Boom and won 'Best Lighting in Show' from IFDA NY at ICFF.
The accolades follow on from the debut of two new sleek LED chandeliers, Boom and Diamond and the use of a majestic new wood type made of 300-year-old redwood (Water Tower Redwood) used to create the immersive large-scale installation Ambassador.
INDEX Design Series success
(UAE) - The sun set on the INDEX Design Series forest after a four day showcase of the best in international and local design at the Middle East’s biggest interior design exhibition.
Industry figures from 108 different countries gathered at the Dubai World Trade Centre last month to meet, network and do business with more than 1,000 exhibitors from across the world.
Set amongst a lush green environment, the show – held in tandem with workspace, the region’s premier office furniture gathering, and Middle East Covering, which unites the leading companies in surface design – also hosted a pool of influential Design Talks speakers, ranging from former British Designer of the Year Bethan Gray, to Jazia Aldhanhani – CEO of Dubai Design & Fashion Council – and Lindsay Miller, Managing Director at Dubai Design District.
Fashion-cum-interiors innovator Henry Holland featured too. He said of INDEX: “The show was super-impressive. I really liked the theme for this year, Design for the Senses. The luxury pavilion was amazing – so many different international designers and such an amazing array of design talents.
“This was the first time I’ve been to Dubai for four years and it has changed so much. The speed at which it’s developing and growing in both culture and architecture is really interesting. There’s such an amazing blank canvas here – it’s such an exciting place to be.”
Paul Murphy attended INDEX in his role as design director with Drawlink Group. He explained: “We attend INDEX for a few reasons. We’re always looking for new sources for materials, ways to improve what we’re doing and to keep ourselves knowledgeable. People come to our offices regularly to show us products but to be here where they can express themselves in their own way is important and allows us to diversify our opinions and diversify our thought process. It’s an interesting show that allows people to express themselves and allows us to manage ourselves and find the right products.”
With more than one in every three exhibitors already confirming their attendance for INDEX 2018 – which takes place earlier in the year, March 26-29 – the four-day exhibition has been heralded as a success.
Samantha Kane-Macdonald, event director at INDEX, said: “Our show this year had a genuine buzz throughout it – a real sense of beautiful, exciting, organic design coming to life. Many factors contributed to that sensation: our live interactive design features, the green theme, the quality of our Design Talks speakers and content, welcoming more high-end designers than ever before. It was a really special week and we can’t wait to get going for 2018.”
Delta Light collaborates with Morgan Furniture
(UK) - Delta Light has collaborated with Morgan Furniture to design a light art installation using its Metronome fittings.
First shown during last month's Clerkenwell Design Week, a festival celebrating the best in design and architecture in East London, the theme of the Morgan’s installation was 'Underlying Geometry'.
Beneath the surface of every beautiful object lies a considered structure based on mathematical proportions, such as the golden ratio. From natural structures as delicate as leaves, to manmade structures as dramatic as The Shard, the underlying structure is what pushes these forms towards ‘perfection’.
We base our assessment of whether a person or design is beautiful on this geometry. Therefore, when creating art, products or architecture, this structure is the first element of consideration. Delta Light used the Metronome as it fitted perfectly within the scheme, not only for its shape but also for its story; world renown fashion designer Tim Van Steenbergen took Delta Light’s Husk fitting, draped fabric over it and started cutting until he developed the concept for what we now know to be the Metronome.
Morgan’s have also collaborated with British artist Mark McClure on an art installation titled ‘Surface’ which dominates the main wall in the studio and was the perfect accompaniment the lighting installation, which will run until the end of August.
New Hangar Design / Vistosi collaboration
(Italy) - Hangar Design Group signs new project with Vistosi.
After the successful Peggy - created for the Venice Guggenheim Museum - and Futura lamps, Hangar Design Group signs a new project to create the Stone pendant lamp for Vistosi.
Characterised by almost sculpted volumes, where the lightness of blown glass is opposed to the solidity of linear geometries. In this tension, between the use of a material that naturally tends to round shapes and a rigorous design imposing edges and orthogonal lines, the signature of Hangar Design Group expresses itself.
The lampshade is made of two distinct pieces: a central lamp holder, in opaque white glass, for a maximum refraction of light, and a transparent diffuser which rests on it, forming a single composition. The superimposition of two glass thicknesses produces a new gradation of colour that could not be otherwise obtained.
Max Fraser joins 100% Design
(UK) - 100% Design announces appointment of leading design journalist Max Fraser as Content Editor.
100% Design returns for its 23rd edition to Olympia London from 20-23 September. Fraser will add to the show’s critical and curatorial clout, producing features and installations inspired by this year’s theme, Elements. He is a dynamic new figurehead for the show alongside Media 10’s Daren Newton who oversees the show’s business development and exhibitor relations. He will retain the same position as Content Editor on Clerkenwell Design Week, a showcase of leading UK and international design brands presented in showroom events, exhibition and installations.
Max Fraser comments: “100% Design was the first design exhibition of its kind in London and I’ve witnessed it grow up from its early years. My involvement has been multifarious, from initially visiting as a curious young visitor before eventually being part of the advisory committee then collaborating with the show as a strategic partner during my time working at the London Design Festival.
Today, my work as a journalist and consultant takes me around the world and I hope to bring some of those findings back to London. As the show continues to evolve in its latest home at Olympia, I will be advising the 100% Design team across the content and creative elements with a particular focus on the main exhibition feature.”
Daren Newton, Managing Director, 100% Design and Clerkenwell Design Week, adds: “I am delighted that Max joins the team of 100% Design. In the new dual structure Max will drive the content and creative sides of the show while I will lead the business development. I have worked with Max on many projects in the past and he has always brought an exciting energy to any project he’s been involved in."
