London Design Festival 2013: fluorescent lights are controlled by analogue toggle switches in this interactive installation by Faye Toogood for design brand Established & Sons (+ slideshow).
London designer Faye Toogood responded to Established & Sons' invitation to produce an installation for the London Design Festival by replicating the appearance of a giant equaliser inside the brand's 550 square-metre showroom.
A hundred and sixty fluorescent tube lights flicker in alternating sequence and can be controlled by toggling switches mounted on a central switchboard.
The switches are embedded in blocks of coloured resin, through which the cables can be seen.
Beneath the switches the cables drop down through a metal mesh table and spill onto the floor, creating a tangled pile that carries current to the lights.
Iridescent panels fixed to the wall behind the lights are made from zinc passivated steel, a material commonly used to provide insulation from electronic interference.
Toogood developed the installation in response to a new series of colourful resin furniture by Japanese architect Jo Nagasaka, which Established & Sons is also launching during LDF.
Faye Toogood recently designed the interior for a London boutique with a bright white basement and a moody blue ground floor, and used raw concrete and colourful fabrics for the interior of a fashion store in Dubai. See more Faye Toogood »
Established & Sons launched a table supported by four chairs in Milan earlier this year and commissioned designers including Jasper Morrison and Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby to design benches for an exhibition at the V&A museum during last year's London Design Festival. See more Established & Sons »
Here's some more info from Established & Sons:
Established & Sons at The London Design Festival
14th–22nd September 2013
Established & Sons – A Vivid Interval
The Conductor
Established & Sons is delighted to announce an artistic collaboration with London designer Faye Toogood during the London Design Festival.
Faye has been invited to create an interactive installation at Established & Sons' 6,000 square foot studio showroom. Titled, 'The Conductor' the creation will allow guests to watch and control a rhythmic symphony of light played out on a giant circuit board of iridescent zinc passivated steel – an industrial material used to provide insulation from electrical interference.
Echoing the graphic of an equaliser, 160 fluorescent bulbs fed by intertwined wires and cables, light up in alternating sequences. The circuit is completed by the audience themselves, who can 'conduct' this electrical spectacle from the centrepiece switchboard; itself an array of intricately pigmented resin blocks and archaic-looking analogue toggles, which operate the light orchestra. The result is a macro-electronic display that redefines the notion of son et lumière.
Maurizio Mussati, CEO of Established & Sons says, "We are delighted to welcome Faye Toogood to transform our showroom this year. Established & Sons provides a creative platform for innovative concept ideas inviting the use of visual imagination in design. Faye's interactive creation will be an immersive and inspiring visual experience, with light and colour dancing across the eyes. It provides the perfect platform for the launch of our stunning new resin series, designed by Jo Nagasaka and should make a memorable impression. I recommend bringing a pair of sunglasses!"
Japanese architect, Jo Nagasaka's new resin series, was the inspiration behind 'The Conductor'; the idea of a symphony of colour and industrial materials. These stunning pieces; a coffee table, side table, credenza with sliding doors and a new chair, remain true to Japanese minimalist style whilst being elevated to avant-garde status through the use of brightly coloured resin. The elegant and smooth finishing highlights the beautiful properties of the natural grain of the wood.
Opening Times/ 16-21 September:
10am – 6pm, 22 September: 12pm – 4pm
Established & Sons Showroom, 5-7 Wenlock Road, London, N1 7SL