My time in the Big Smoke
Following on from the Nulty Dubai launch party, I headed to the UK to spend a couple of months with the London team for a bit of “Nultification”. What then entailed was something for me to find out.
“Architecture is a learned game, correct and magnificent, of forms assembled in the light”, Le Corbusier said. We all know the value light adds to the quality of a space – the Lighting Design Awards was a celebration of this effort. In the midst of the best minds in lighting design, loud banter about the illumination arts, good food and music was how I spent my first evening in London.
It was pretty much uphill from there as I dove into work, finding a steady pace between the many interesting projects I was exposed to. I was flitting between teams, grasping projects in different stages and delving into various aspects of lighting. In the midst of all this, I would gaze out the window to see the tip of The Shard disappear into the clouds.
I had the opportunity to attend Clerkenwell Design Week (see our overview of it here), which is one of the most avant-garde events in the field of design. This platform showcases exciting product designs and ideas, while also allowing oneself to immerse in engaging talks and workshops. Our own Paul Nulty’s talk on “Painting with light” was inspiring; it was a deliberation on playing with shadows to create beautiful compositions of light in space. In addition to the design week, there was an array of lighting events, organised by the likes of Delta Light, Mike Stoane Lighting and Fagerhult, which gave me a chance to meet and interact with the lighting design community.
There are many more perks to being in London, least of which is the ability to visit a plethora of design museums around the city. It was delightful to see how light plays an integral role in making spaces special. You can see it in the filtered light pouring in through the brick walls at the Tate modern, the ephemeral quality of light in the Serpentine pavilion by BIG Architects, to the dazzle of lights in Piccadilly Circus.
But, truly what my time in London has given me is an insight into the working of the Nulty team. With such a great team, you see how diverse everyone’s interest in lighting design is. There are designers who are interested in light art, some of them are technically very strong and some people represent light beautifully! I’m in-between a place where I have an opportunity to absorb so much from everyday interactions, where topics range from lighting up London’s bridges, to correct lighting for plants. It doesn’t leave you wanting for much more and I feel I can carve out a space to express myself.
I look forward to going back to the sunny days in Dubai and extravagant projects in the Middle East, having made some fantastic friends and fond memories of a “rainy” London.
Blog post and images by Harshita Shetty
