Surfaces of Light
I know this room so well and yet through every season it looks very different.
Light has the power to transform an everyday room into a dramatic visual experience.
Light enriches our world.
When light reach right into a space it creates amazing patterns and shapes onto the walls and surfaces.
And suddenly this room becomes a different place.
Natural light brings with it a touch of theatre and drama to re-energise space.
Shapes of light can appear from nowhere, then move across the walls onto every surface. Here for just a moment, and then gone.
In different days/seasons light shapes fade in/out, in tones soft and hard, fuzzy and sharp.
A soft light changes the mood and atmosphere.
A bright light puts a spotlight on detail; tufts of carpet… wool fibres… folds in the curtains. Edges and corners.
In my home I will suddenly notice the subtle texture of the paintbrush on plaster, the strokes of the hand that treated that surface (mine). And also the grain and colour of natural wood contrasting with the bland shine of a cheap laminate finish.
Each of these little details add ‘something’ to the space; a material quality and patina. A sheen, a tinge, a glow…
And so, when the sun shines it’s no longer just ‘a wall’… or ‘a plaster surface’.. or ‘white’.
Light moves silently across a room seeking out the walls, the furniture and floor.
Working with the 3-Dimensional contours, light adds high-drama and visual impact to a space.
Light can be very unforgiving of bad workmanship, and poor quality materials. But when used to enhance materiality it can be breathtaking and beautiful.
In the design of interior space architects and designers often use wall surfaces as an element and breathing space for the play of light.
A room may be designed for when the sun shines ( or not) to enhance the inherent material qualities of the space.
For example, when it is designed for the fresh, crisp, clean wall surfaces that seem almost dusted in talcum powder (John Pawson ), or for the more rugged surfaces of older, aged buildings ( David Chipperfield.)
Reach out and touch it.
Children make sense of their world through touch.
They learn about materials by scratching, tasting, rubbing, stroking and playing with different surfaces. In this way they come to understand the sound and tactility of each material, its contact temperature and sensitivity of grain.
As adults, we tend to rely on sight rather than touch. But, we still carry with us an understanding and knowledge of material qualities absorbed from our childhood; our personal discovery of materials.
The eye is the organ of distance and separation, whereas touch is the sense of nearness, intimacy and affection. The eye surveys, controls and investigates, whereas touch approaches and caresses.
Juhani Pallasmaa, The Eyes of The Skin
In an adult world propriety rules how we behave in a space.
We don’t want to mark the walls. Or scratch the floor, or leave behind a greasy stain. We come to know which materials we like and those we do not.
There are materials that are easy to clean, and maintain considered appropriate/standard for a domestic environment. And others that tend to be used more in industrial, up-market, or commercial environments.
Interiors are valued not for how they ‘feel to touch’ and more for how they ‘look’.
It is only when we are painting, cleaning, making or re-making surfaces that we re-connect intimately with the materiality of the space.
And what it feels like, smells, like.. how smooth or how rough, soft or hard. This is what finishes a space, the final touch.
In 2016 the artist, Robert Irwin created Dawn To Dusk for the Chinati Foundation in Marfa.
This is where an ‘interior’ is both sculpture and art.
As viewers move through the space they absorb and connect with the desert’s landscape and changing light.
In this setting your gaze is shaped so that you stop, look and notice.
From blinding sun through to the rich, warm evening hues, this experience is about engaging with the simplicity of form in an interiorised space. It is the play of light expressed in a very simple – but impactful – sculptural form.
Many artists, such as Olafur Eliasson, continually explore the interplay of sculptural form and light. And Conrad Shawcross’s Slow Arc Inside A Cube is an example of how the art explores layers of light and pattern within the confines of a room.
James Turrell is famous for his huge light installations. Viewed from within, his work explores the simplicity and purity of light and shade: these are Zen-like sculptural forms within clean geometric spaces.
These are awe-inspiring works that can only be truly experienced first-hand.
To fully capture the impact and immensity of the scale and form, surface, materiality and light you have to be there.
All these images were taken in my home.
With the room filled with light I captured ‘a moment’ that made me stop and look.
A playful distraction… a creative pause.. a moment of joy?
To have such a spectacular and ever-changing seasonal lightshow in my home is an inspiration.
When the sun shines in… I get to look at my home in a new way.
