dbell

Issue 128

For anyone that has ever stepped foot inside an Apple store, you’ll know that it isn’t necessarily just about the products on show, but rather the overall experience of the space. Sometimes this gets to the point that it’s rare to see anyone actually purchasing anything as they instead prefer to play on display phones and tablets, but this is surely a testament to the inviting environment fostered within each store.

With this in mind, it was an easy decision for us, as part of this issue’s Retail Lighting project focus, to step inside one of the latest, most impressive Apple stores to date – Apple Marina Bay Sands.

A continuation of the long-standing relationship between the tech giants and Foster + Partners, Apple Marina Bay Sands exemplifies the dizzying heights that can be achieved in retail design, standing proudly on the Singapore marina as a remarkable piece of architecture, and a remarkable work of art. The project was the natural choice to grace the cover of this issue, and you can find out more about the design of this beautiful store on page 70.

I’m also thrilled to say that we’ve got not one, but two fascinating “Talking With…” interviews lined up in this edition. Firstly, it was my pleasure to speak to Prof. Dr. Thomas Römhild on the eve of his retirement. The founder of the Architectural Lighting Design Master’s course at Hochschule Wismar, it’s not a stretch to say that he is directly responsible for training and educating a huge proportion of the lighting designers working today. We at [d]arc media wish him all the very best in his retirement, and congratulate him on a stellar career!

Elsewhere, as we continue the discussion on diversity and inclusion, I sat down with Sanjit Bahra, Founder of DesignPlusLight, to talk about his experiences as a gay man of colour, and the need for greater representation throughout the industry.

Finally, as I’m sure you’ll have noticed, real life, in-person events are beginning to open up around the world, which is obviously amazing to see. In recent weeks, we held the second edition of [d]arc sessions in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE; Milan was alive with activity for the returning Milan Design Week; and I even ventured over to Austria for a special event at Zumtobel’s Dornbirn headquarters. Read about all of these events later in the magazine.

Enjoy the issue!

Matt Waring
Editor
arc

by dbell

Issue 127

Issue 127

It would be remiss of me if I didn’t open this issue by firstly saying a huge thank you to everyone that came out to Fabric at the end of March for our big [d]arc awards party. It was so great to finally get back to hosting a physical awards party, and amazing to see so many of you in the flesh again. A big shout out also to the design teams behind each of the nine light installations dotted around the venue on the night - these looked incredible and once again helped to make it a special night out. Finally a huge congratulations to all of our awards winners as well. Every year we’re bowled over by the calibre of entries that we receive and this year was obviously no different, so hats off to each and every category winner. You can find out more about each of the winners in an in-depth round-up of the awards later in this issue.

It’s disappointing to have to bring up a negative from the night, but I was incredibly saddened to hear of one guest in particular behaving inappropriately towards one of the women in attendance. We at [d]arc media always want our events to be fun, welcoming, and most importantly, safe spaces for all attendees, so we are obviously appalled by such behaviour. While in recent issues we’ve talked at length about allyship, privilege, equality and inclusion, it is clear that to a select few, the message still isn’t getting through. So we will clearly have to shout louder and do more to call out this unacceptable behaviour when we see it.

Moving onto this issue of the magazine: as you’ll see from our beautiful cover, we were granted an inside look at the Museum of the Future - Dubai’s latest architectural spectacle. Opened earlier this year, the museum has been gaining plaudits for its ultra-modern appearance, so it was fascinating to speak to Killa Design and Buro Happold and find out more about how this marvel was brought to life. As the arc team will shortly be heading off to Ras Al Khaimah for the second edition of [d]arc sessions, I’m hopeful that I will have enough time to stop off in Dubai and see the building in person!

As a big fan of the NFL, I was also very excited to speak to Lam Partners about their work on the amazing SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, which played host to the Super Bowl this February. You can read all about this in our façade lighting focus, starting on page 58.

Enjoy the issue!

Matt Waring
Editor
arc

by dbell

Issue 126

Issue 126

As I sit writing this, it has been two whole years since we published our big Light + Building preview issue, where I talked rather prematurely about how excited I was to be heading back to Frankfurt for the big show. Two years later and we’ve still not made it back there, and with the event once again being postponed (this time to October this year), that wait will go on a little longer. Since those heady days of February 2020, the world has changed considerably, and in the process, many are questioning whether the big shows such as Light + Building even need to happen anymore, especially with the emergence of new, smaller, more boutique events (like our very own [d]arc sessions). I guess time will tell on that front.

Speaking of change, by this point you’ve no doubt noticed that we’ve gone through a few changes of our own, with a very jazzy new look. Hats off to our Production Manager and designer Dave Bell for all of his hard work over the past few weeks to freshen up the magazine and deliver this beautiful redesign. I hope you’ll agree that it looks incredible.

You’ll see in the pages ahead that we’ve mixed things up, dropped some features, reworked some others, and even introduced a couple of new elements too. One such element is the very welcome addition of Kaye Preston, Founder of Designers Mind, to our team of contributors. Over the past two years, the subject of mental wellbeing has been brought firmly to the front of our minds, and the work that Designers Mind is doing to raise awareness and acknowledgement of the subject in the design community has been tremendous. I’m very much looking forward to seeing Kaye’s contributions in the magazine going forward.

Change is also one of the key topics in one of this issue’s big feature interviews - change on a much larger scale. Regular readers will know that we’ve been discussing equality and privilege in recent issues; while this has previously been focused more on gender, this time around I broach the subject of racial diversity, equity and inclusion in the lighting industry in a fascinating chat with Lauren Dandridge. It is a very frank, at times challenging conversation, but as Lauren herself says, it is only through having these difficult conversations that true change can start to happen.

I hope that you like the new look. Enjoy the issue!
Matt Waring
Editor
arc

by dbell

Issue 125

arc Dec/Jan 2021/22 – Issue 125

Check your privilege…
WIL research has us asking what it means to be an “ally”…

In our last issue, we spoke with Women in Lighting’s UK Amabassador Carmela Dagnello about her research into gender equality in the lighting industry. The research surveyed participants on their own experiences of gender bias, from pay discrepancies and diversity in leadership roles, to examples of sexism and harassment. The results included some shocking anecdotes. But, while the findings were eye-opening and alarming, they were at the same time completely unsurprising. We all know that these issues exist - we may have experienced them ourselves or, dare I say it, even directly contributed to them, be that consciously or unconsciously.

As we have learned this year, particularly in the wake of Sarah Everard’s murder, we need to do more; not by educating women to better protect themselves, but by educating men to understand and acknowledge their inherent male privilege, and the unconscious bias that comes with it. As a cis, hetero, white man I can say that I haven’t experienced any inequalities in my life based on my gender, race or sexuality. But while that’s fine for me, I recognise that a lot of people out there don’t have the same luck, the same opportunity, the same privilege, and its up to us with the privilege to do something about this. This is why I would class myself as an “Ally”, and a male supporter of initiatives such as Women in Lighting. Later in this issue, my fellow male supporters of WIL have put together an informative and useful guide on how to be an ally, and I would urge all of our male readers to take note, and think about how they too can be better allies.

On another note, as you’ll have seen from our amazing front cover, Expo 2020 finally opened its doors in Dubai this October. With so many amazing pavilions it was hard to narrow down what to feature, but we hope that you enjoy our review later in this issue.

Finally, all that is left for me to say now as we somehow reach the end of another year (wasn’t it 2020 five minutes ago??) is that, on behalf of all of us here at [d]arc media, I’d like to wish you all a very happy holidays, and we’ll see you in 2022!

Enjoy the issue!

Matt Waring
Editor
arc

by dbell

Issue 124

arc Oct/Nov 2021 – Issue 124

Back in the real world…
The last couple of months has seen us return to the world of real life events…

As I sit writing this, I’m still basking in the glow of our return to the world of live, face to face events. As you may recall, at the time of our last issue we were just about to head down to London for [d]arc room pop-up @ Design London - our first in-person event in nearly two years. I’m delighted to say that the show, and its accompanying [d]arc thoughts programme of panel discussions was a huge success; while it was a little strange actually being out and about at a trade show again (with the awkward hug/handshake/fist bump greetings), it was amazing to see everyone in real life again. A huge, heartfelt thank you to everybody that attended, exhibited, and took part in the [d]arc thoughts programme - we couldn’t have done it without you!

Speaking of events, we’ve also not long returned from the beautiful Greek island of Mykonos for the debut edition of our brand-new networking and specifying event, [d]arc sessions. This exciting event is built around connecting people involved in lighting specification projects around the world in an intimate, exclusive setting. And so it was that a highly curated guestlist of specifiers and suppliers gathered at the stunning Royal Myconian Hotel for two days of networking, socialising and face to face meetings - a very welcome change of pace after spending so long working remotely, meeting behind laptop screens. We couldn’t have imagined how well this event would have been received (again, a huge thank you to all who came and made it the success that it was), and we’re already putting plans in place for the next one - watch this space!

With all of this going on, it’s been a challenge finding the time to put a magazine together as well! (However did we manage in years gone by??) That said, I’m incredibly proud of the content that we have lined up for you. We speak to WIL ambassador for the UK Carmela Dagnello about her eye-opening research into Gender Equality in the lighting industry (absolutely essential reading), while I also spoke with design extraordinaire Yorgo Lykouria. We also have some beautiful workspace projects from the likes of Speirs Major, Schuler Shook, Sirius Lighting Office, and our cover stars 18 Degrees.

Enjoy the issue!

Matt Waring
Editor
arc

by dbell

Issue 123

arc Aug/Sep 2021 – Issue 123

Guess who’s back…
After 18 long months, our live events are returning with [d]arc room pop-up…

It’s been a very long time coming, but here at [d]arc media, we’re all delighted to finally be returning to the real world as our first physical event since December 2019 is just around the corner.

You may have seen us shouting about it on social media over the past couple of months, but on 22-25 September, we’re hosting [d]arc room pop-up @ Design London, at the brand new Magazine venue on London’s Greenwich Peninsula. It is the fifth edition of the event (after last year’s online edition, [d]arc room livestream), and we can’t wait to get back out there amongst the people to see all of our lovely readers in person once more.

Alongside the exhibition space, we’re also thrilled to bring you the return of [d]arc thoughts - our first in-person talks programme in two years. Taking place on the Magazine Mezzanine, the [d]arc thoughts programme will feature in-depth project conversations and insightful discussions on the industry’s hot topics with some of the best and brightest names in the lighting design community. We already have some great content lined up, but keep your eyes peeled for the full programme announcement soon!

Finally, the news that I know you’ve all been desperately waiting for, with the return of live events comes the return of [d]arc night - our much-lauded [d]arc awards party! Taking place on the opening night of Design London on 22 September, the [d]arc night party will be a chance for the lighting design community to catch up face to face over a drink, get reacquainted and celebrate the achievements of last year’s [d]arc awards winners.
As is customary for a [d]arc night party, the celebration will also feature a number of light-art installations on show for guests to absorb. With this year’s theme focused on The Spectrum, we’re expecting some great things from our supporting design teams. Entry to the party is completely free, but all guests are required to register for Design London in advance.

We’re incredibly excited about finally getting back out there, and we hope that you’ll all come down to say hello - it’s been a while!

See you there!

Matt Waring
Editor
arc

by dbell

Issue 122

arc Jun/July 2021 – Issue 122

A new arrival...
Welcome to the world, Daisy Mae Waring...

If you’ll forgive me for taking a moment to be incredibly self indulgent, the last couple of months since our last issue has seen my world turn completely upside down as on 25 March, my wife Emma and I welcomed our daughter, Daisy Mae into the world. The adjustment to parenthood and the transition from a duo to a three-piece has been an adventure to say the least, but luckily we’re both coping very well, and even managing to get some sleep!

It has meant that working from home to produce this issue has suddenly become a lot harder as alongside interviews, meetings and deadlines, there are now nappy changes, feeds and general cuddles thrown into the mix. It’s certainly true what they say about learning to do things one handed once you have a child!

I also want to take this opportunity to give a big shout out to my colleagues Sarah and Helen for stepping in and holding the fort while I was on parental leave, and for helping out with some writing too.

Onto this issue, and as you’ll have seen from our stunning front cover, I was lucky enough to sit down with Christopher Bauder, the founder and creative mind behind art and design studio WHITEvoid on the eve of the launch of its latest exhibition, Dark Matter. Bauder has produced some exceptional pieces of light art over the years (winning two [d]arc awards in the process), so it was fascinating to chat with him about his creative process and learn more about the history of the studio, and the new exhibition.

Speaking of the [d]arc awards, it feels like a very long time ago now, but back in April we were thrilled to reveal the winners of the 2020 awards in a special online presentation. Well done to Helen, Sarah and Paul for your top notch hosting duties, I’d have been involved too but was up to my eyes in nappies at the time! Huge congratulations to all of the winners (if you missed it, you can find out who took home the top prizes later in this issue), and a big thanks to everyone who tuned in, submitted projects, voted, and generally got involved in the awards process. We love doing the awards each year, but it would be nothing without all of you!

We’ve already opened entries for the 2021 [d]arc awards too, so make sure to submit your latest and greatest works.

Enjoy the issue!

Matt Waring
Editor
arc

by dbell

Issue 121

arc Apr/May 2021 – Issue 121

A fond farewell...
We wave goodbye to Kerem Asfuroglu’s Dark Source Stories...

As I sit here writing this, it is pretty much a year to the day since lockdown began and we packed up arc HQ to work from home for what was supposed to be a six-week spell, “just to see how things pan out”. That six-week period very quickly turned into an indefinite hiatus, and after a whole year of remote working, the idea of returning to the office full time, when/if that eventually happens, feels very alien indeed! Although putting a magazine together remotely was a challenge at first, the fact that you’re now reading issue #7 of lockdown (not including the annual ILDS!) I suppose shows how we have all adapted to the new circumstances that were rather thrust upon us.

After a year of lockdown, you might think that it was quite an ambitious move for us to run a hospitality focus in this issue; but the sheer number of you that reached out to us to share your latest hotel/bar/restaurant projects just goes to show that, while the hospitality industry is outwardly on pause, it’s given hoteliers and restaurateurs the chance to renovate their premises, or even expand and open new ones. What it does mean is that when life does eventually return to something approaching “normal”, we’ll all be able to go out to some beautifully designed spaces, with some amazing lighting! Inside this issue you’ll find a small snapshot of new hospitality venues around the world, with lighting design from Klaasen Lighting Design, FPOV, Light Collab, Paloma Design Studio, and more, so make sure you check them out.

On another note, I’m sad to say that this will be the last issue of arc to feature Kerem Asfuroglu’s Dark Source Stories. Kerem has graced our pages with his incredible artwork detailing our social and cultural relationship with light for the past 46 issues (23 of which I have been here for), but his increasing professional commitments mean that it is time for us to say goodbye. While it’s obviously sad news for us that Dark Source Stories is coming to an end, all of us at [d]arc media are incredibly happy for Kerem that his professional venture, Dark Source, is doing so well, and we wish him all the very best in his future endeavours.

Thanks for the amazing work, Kerem!

Matt Waring
Editor
arc

by dbell