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T

aking inspirati on from a swarm of
butt erfl ies in mid-fl ight, a group of
students from the Singapore University
of Technology and Design (SUTD) developed
the unique ‘Flights of Fancy’ display for
the 2014 Singapore Night Festi val. The
installati on used the Singapore Nati onal
Design Centre’s expansive space to bring the
one-of-a-kind experience to life with the help
of HARMAN’s Marti n Professional Exterior
400 LED lighti ng fi xtures.

'Flights of Fancy' was the fi nal project for the
University’s 10-week Urban Lighti ng course
where students learned about the eff ects
of both natural and arti fi cial light on space,
as well as fundamental design concepts.
According to the SUTD student team leader,
Kenickie Cher Jia Jun, Marti n Professional
fi xtures were crucial in bringing the team’s
vision to life.

Created by the careful positi oning of lights
and shadows, ‘Flights of Fancy’ off ered
unique eff ects depending on the ti me of day
to ensure no experience was the same—not
even for two people standing beside each
other. The display featured a large fl oati ng
sculpture made of hanging dichroic fi lms,
a refl ecti ve material that the team used to
mimic butt erfl ies ascending into the sky. To
do this, the SUTD student team needed a
large, tall space with white walls and used 8 x
Marin Exterior 400s, a MAC 700 Profi le, and a
MAC 250 Krypton to produce a powerful light
for refl ecti ons.

“One of the things we liked about the Marti n
fi xtures was our ability to program a dynamic
design,” said Kenickie. “The installati on

became ever-changing, and that made the

experience unique for each visitor. The strong

light source amplifi ed the colours of the

refl ecti ons and refracti ons created by the

dichroic fi lm, creati ng the full eff ect that our

team had envisioned from the beginning.”

The Marti n fi xtures were concealed in two

fl oor boxes below the fl oati ng sculpture and

programmed to gradually change intensity

and directi on. Each box contained 4 x Exterior

400 fi xtures that provided colour washes

that were slowly dimmed and then would

brighten over ti me. “The Marti n fi xtures

were extremely powerful and eff ecti ve,”

said Lighti ng Designer Shigeki Fujii, the

students’ course instructor. “The dimming

and movement of the lighti ng fi xtures truly

amplifi ed the colours and the eff ects of

the display. Most observers did not even

noti ce the lights were changing intensity and

directi on, they thought the eff ect was simply

due to the wind.”

The SUTD team also programmed Marti n’s

MAC 700 Profi le and MAC 250 Krypton

moving head fi xtures to slowly move across

the sculpture. Additi onally, the lightweight of

the dichroic fi lms and the subtle movement

of air throughout the space, paired with

lighti ng eff ects, helped animate the colour

refl ecti ons into a sea of shimmering lights.

“Space, material and light source were the

three most important components of the

design,” said Fujii. “The space had to be

white because it need to receive refl ected

light as a canvas and we also wanted daylight

in the space to allow for dramati c eff ect

changes from day to night. The light source

had to be powerful and sharp to create

crisp refl ecti ons on the space as well as

programmable to allow us to amplify the

dynamic eff ects.”

According to Fujii, the fi xtures were

instrumental in helping the student team

develop one of the most powerful pieces in

the festi val, “the students would not have

been able to complete their fi nal project

without the support of Marti n’s team and the

outstanding quality of their products!”

http://www.marti n.com

85

LIVE!

March - April 2015

Students Find Inspiration With Martin

Professional

SINGAPORE

“The dimming and

movement of the lighti ng

fi xtures truly amplifi ed the

colours and the eff ects of

the display. Most observers

did not even noti ce the

lights were changing

intensity and directi on,

they thought the eff ect was

simply due to the wind”

• Lighti ng Designer,
  Shigeki Fujii