Massive LED chandelier enlivens retail store
The Tommy Hilfiger Denim store unveiled an innovative chandelier, comprised of Color Kinetics’ LED luminaires.
Artist and Designer Reed Barrow was tasked with providing an eye-catching work of art to be the decorative centerpiece of the store. With the help of Ted Pearlman from Encore Lighting, he created chandelier-like structure appropriately titled “Monument to an Amaranth,” paying tribute to a colorful flower that never fades. Barrow used Color Kinetics’ iColor Accent Powercore—a direct-view linear luminaire that creates seamless columns of color and color-changing effects. 135 iColor Accent Powercore units were used to create a 1.8 m (6 ft) tall, 1.2 m (4 ft) wide captivating centerpiece. The LED luminaires were installed on a custom-designed steel chaise that is suspended from the ceiling using aircraft cables. With control resolution or ‘pixels’ as small as 3 cm (1.2 in), the luminaires are able to run low-resolution video, graphics and intricately designed effects. Barrow used 3D animation software to create a 12-minute, looping video that is reproduced by the lighting installation. At the beginning of every season, Barrow is tasked with creating new video content to keep the design fresh. The inaugural video was inspired by images of celebration and nature, beginning with fireworks that morph into fire, which is quenched by falling water and eventually changes to growing vines that bloom into a sea of flowers.
Barrow uses Color Kinetics’ Video System Manager, an integrated software/hardware control solution, to convert the video signals and stream the content onto the iColor Accent Powercore luminaires. To Barrow, LED luminaires were the only choice when deciding what light source to use. “I needed a fixture that could project video, while supporting the kind of control I needed,” he said. “Color Kinetics’ LED fixture and control system gave me that, while additionally providing millions of brilliant colors that help create the vivid experience.”
