NOVEMBER | ME, MYSELF & I
Frankie
Boyle
Febo Design’s ingenious founder
says lighting’s impact is often
overlooked
that used lighting technology
creatively. Christopher Bailey’s
creation featured over 100
umbrellas, each finished
in bespoke gold and silver
metallic fabric, and thousands
of motion-sensor lights,
programmed to sparkle and
glitter as guests walked by the
tree.
As an industry, we need to see
lighting with new eyes and create
relationships that help us better
enjoy its creative potential. Most
people’s exposure to lighting
effects is in conjunction with
music, but there’s so much more
to the medium. For example,
great lighting effects can be used
in a quiet environment when
you just want to relax or create
friendships.
I studied three-dimensional
design, which involved learning
about plastics, and materials such
as wood, metal and ceramics,
so I had a good grounding in
understanding the limitations
and potentials of those materials.
Later, I specialised in lighting,
allowing me to better explore
my life long obsession with lights and the potential of lighting
technologies.
Ever since school I was fascinated by lights. I was weaving fairly
lights through my sketchbooks. Nowadays, I’m looking into
material research, and what we can push boundaries and excite
people.
It is proven that different colour wavelengths have a relationship
on us, and this has obvious potential to be exploited at events and in
experiential.
I worked with Burberry in 2015 on a Christmas Tree at Claridge’s
50
We have a naturally inquisitive
nature as a species. We want to
crawl into something, or climb
onto something. Even if you
walk into a café, and there’s one
booth and a load of seats, you’ll
choose the booth. If you put a
spiral staircase into a room,
people will want to climb up it.
Events should be about tapping
into our curiosity, and lights
are a great tool for that.
One criticism people have at events and festivals is how people are
used to guide or direct you, and maybe actors are used as part of an
experience. However, a person can ruin the mood, and break you out
of an experience, whereas cleverly using lighting as guidance can
pique our curiosity and immerse us in an experience.
Without light we cannot survive. For some reason, however, we
often see lighting as an add-on. It’s the big elephant in the room, an
overlooked element that can deliver on the goals of the event. It’s a
shame that the only time we get saturated with lights is at a concert,
which is primarily a musical reflection of the artist.