Commissioned by Artangel, The Ethics of Dust is a temporary art installation at Westminster Hall that was created by artist Jorge Otero-Paolos. It features a 50 metre long translucent latex cast of Westminster Hall’s east wall and contains hundreds of years of surface pollution and dust. Suspended from the hall’s magnificent 28 metre high hammerbeam roof, the latex sheet contains innumerable particles of dust, soot and dirt gently lifted from the wall during the sensitive cleaning process. Working together with ETC, White Light was approached to provide the perfect lighting solution for this unique exhibition.
The Lighting Designer for the exhibition was Jonathan Samuels. He comments: “With any art exhibition, you can never change the actual work itself. That said, something such as The Ethics of Dust requires proper lighting in order to do it justice; particularly as you cannot see a lot of the features in normal conditions. What lighting does is allow the audience to really experience Jorge Otero-Pailos’ amazing work and get a sense of the history that is embedded within these walls”.
Due to the historic surroundings of Westminster Hall, this meant that the lighting used had to be kept below a certain temperature. Jonathan adds: “As the temperature had to be controlled, we knew that LED was our best option. With this in mind, we wanted to use the best LED equipment that was out there at the moment. The first company that sprung to mind was ETC”.
Jonathan spoke to Mark White, ETC’s Regional Manager for the UK and Ireland, describing the exact products he required. Jonathan comments: “What was great about speaking to Mark was that I was able to specify exactly what I wanted and they were able to suggest a variety of options. However, one of his most vital suggestions was that I partner up with a supplier who could really help me decide the kit and guide me throughout the entire project. When Mark asked me if I had worked with any of ETC’s dealers and I suggested White Light, he knew they could provide a comprehensive and local service and I was in complete agreement”.
With it being impossible to do any on-site experimentation, Jonathan came down to WL’s warehouse where he was able to perform some R & D. Jonathan Haynes, WL’s Business Development Manager, comments: “When Jonathan visited our London base, we specifically mocked up a small area to ensure that this replicated the space at Westminster Hall as much as possible; allowing him to truly envisage the lighting design. It soon became clear that, for what he wanted and what was necessary for that space, the Source Four LED Series 2 Tungsten HD was the perfect solution”.
The Source Four LED Series 2 Tungsten HD was designed specifically for studio settings and enclosed spaces where high-definition lighting is a must. With a flicker-free operation, the Tungsten HD creates warm adjustable-white light that mimics the performances of tungsten fixtures yet still benefits from LED technology. Its temperature and tints can be tweaked to perfectly illuminate specific tones, and the incredible amount of lumens create the brightest light in its colour-temperature range.
Once the equipment was chosen, Jonathan spent three days on site where he worked with WL and his team to create the precise set-up he required. He states: “With this being a heritage site, everything had to be done carefully and meticulously. We were working with materials that were more than 1,000 years old so there was no need to rush. Thankfully, Artangel had allowed the team enough time to get everything just so and ensure the equipment was in place.
He adds: “These lights were absolutely ideal for what I required. To light the 50 metres evenly and to accentuate the exhibition, we mounted them with 70 degree lens tubes and ETC Smooth Wash Diffusers. Thankfully, they managed to just light the entire space”.
The project has been five years in the making and is the first of its kind. Sam Collins, Head of Production at Artangel, comments: “What’s fascinating is when you consider the sheer history that has taken place within that space: Kings, Queens, Prime Ministers and a whole host of other dignitaries have all passed through the hall making them literally a part of this exhibition. It’s fantastic that the public are now able to experience this”.
Since the exhibition opened, it has received nothing but rave reviews. It will run until 1st September 2016.
Jonathan comments: “This has been a fantastic project for me to work on. Not only has it been a really different and interesting exhibition but it has proved to be the ideal collaboration between designer, manufacturer and supplier. By each of us playing to our respective strengths, we were able to ensure that the exhibition achieved its deserved potential; something I am really proud of and very grateful to both companies for”.