Starlight, Museum of the City of New York
A Site-Specific light sculpture for the Museum of the City of New York, Starlight won a Merit award in the recent IALD International Lighting Design Awards. A massive statement for the imposing elliptical stairway at the heart of the historic interior, the uniform geometry of the spatial grid creates a moiré effect, producing intriguing optical effects according to the viewpoint.
The very simplicity of the concept meant that every detail had to executed with great precision. The sculpture is the product of hand-assembled, computer-generated components. The connection points are engineered to make the installation as abstract and simple as possible: white LEDs are mounted on both sides of triangular-shaped, double-sided circuit boards, merging visually to create a pixel.
The chips - some 10,500 in all - are unlensed to provide the most precise points of light possible. 'Our agenda was to minimise, minimise, minimise, to try to remove the appearance of design from the different pieces until all that was left was a profound moment,' Chris Cooper of Manhattan-based Cooper Joseph Studio told Architect Magazine.
One aim of Starlight was to encourage museum-goers to take the healthy option of using the stairs - the best view of the installation is from the staircase. Photo: Eduard Hueber, Archphoto Inc
The pixels are suspended at each corner from 219 stainless-steel, low-voltage wires - dubbed vines by the designers - which form a rectangular box measuring 7m tall, 4.5m wide and just under 1m deep. Silver cylindrical counterweights keep each vine taut, stopping 2.6m above the floor. A fabrication crew from RUSHdesign of Brooklyn soldered each point, maintaining a 14.5cm vertical spacing between each chip along a strand. Although there are more than 15,000 solder joints on 5km of wire, they met the chip's stringent spacing tolerance of 0.31mm.
One aim of Starlight was to encourage museum-goers to take the healthy option of using the stairs - the best view of the installation is from the staircase. Photo: Eduard Hueber, Archphoto Inc
Various aims lay behind the commission. The museum wanted to change public perception and show its current relevance rather than being viewed only as a venue for historical displays. The sculpture establishes a new look for the central spaces and building entrance, and acts as a draw for passersby. Another objective was to increase efficiency, be more sustainable and promote public health by encouraging the use of the stairs instead of the lifts. The sculpture acts as a magnet to the staircase, and visitors also grasp that it is the best location from which to understand its full circular form. LED technology also helped save energy and enable minimal maintenance.
'Mind blowing', said one IALD judge. 'I am in awe of the discipline required to bring the conceptualisation of this piece through fabrication to execution - the lowly diode becomes transcendent and the future of the LED knows no limits.'
Lighting design and architecture: Cooper Joseph Studio
Led lighting consultant: Studio 1Thousand
Fabrication: RUSHdesign
