It all happened in a flask

Jonathan Coles Lighting Design has installed a kinetic display featuring laboratory glassware in its imaginative installation for The Wellcome Collection on London’s Euston Road. Amanda Allen reports

The Wellcome Collection in London is made up of a museum, library and conference area which aims to explore the connections between medicine, life and art in the past, present and future. Operated by The Wellcome Trust, the venue describes itself as a destination for the ‘incurably curious’, housing a vast and idiosyncratic collection of implements relating to the medical profession.

The collection was amassed by the Trust’s founder Sir Henry Wellcome, a pioneering 19th-century pharmacist and entrepreneur and, in a nod to his extensive collection of medical glassware, a new light feature has been created for the foyer, made up of more than 220 medical bottles and flasks, hung as pendants, over the space. The piece was designed by Jonathan Coles Lighting Design, which was commissioned to create a new feel for the lobby. “Having undergone a refurbishment four years ago, The Wellcome Trust wanted to create a more intimate environment and to lessen the corporate feel of the space,” explains Jonathan Coles, the practice’s eponymous founder.

The lighting design team also worked on a scheme for the entrance, foyer and restaurant, in addition to the light feature, which had a very gradual development, according to Coles. He says: “I was not fully sure where the design would end up when we first embarked upon it. We looked at a number of concept designs and one thing that stood out to me was The Wellcome Collection’s impressive collection of glassware. I felt that it was important for the space to represent what The Wellcome Collection is about. We began to look at glass jars and their different shapes, and we eventually decided to use the flasks as pendants.”

The flasks used in the installation were supplied by specialist glass manufacturer Schott, which supplies medical glassware to laboratories around the world. “The flasks were adapted to work with the space. We wanted to keep the design simple and we experimented with different models and prototypes,” says Coles. The aim was that the flasks would appear to have a liquid or heavy gas within. Effectively, the labware is ‘filled’ with light by partially etching each flask to different levels, stopping the direct view of the light source by use of a snoot and allowing individual LEDs to mix on the surface in swirling patterns. “We wanted it to seem like the flasks were glowing from within, so the lamp (a Philips iColor MR g2) is set right back inside the flask, while a colour-changing video feed creates the impression of water rippling out in concentric rings from a virtual red droplet,” explains Coles.

Twin challenges

There were two major project issues to overcome, according to Coles, one of which was the lack of a usable ceiling void; the other was The Wellcome Trust’s desire for the building work to be completed outside of normal working hours.

At concept stage, both issues were resolved by introducing a bespoke designed and moulded GRG suspended ceiling across the lobby. This could be made in panels off site and installed in sections, with the lighting pre-fixed, reducing disruption in the space. The new ceiling had the added benefit of allowing the introduction of lighting to the exact areas they were required and provided a blank canvas for the design.

According to Coles, it also allowed them to have some fun with how the light points interact with the ceiling. He says: “Where the light points enter the ceiling we have created a dimple. It was developed to be reminiscent of how a needle dimples the skin just before it pierces it. But it just gave a really nice clean finish to the ceiling.”

Creating an atmosphere

The scheme utilises only low-energy light sources, all dimmable to provide flexibility and atmosphere, according to Coles. These are individually circuited and controlled via DMX and Dali through a Pharos Control system. The Pharos user interface is also used to control everything via an iPad, which made the system more user-friendly for staff at The Wellcome Trust. “The difficulty was that we had some DMX-controlled fittings and some Dali-controlled fittings and some standard dimming on the scheme, so we had to find a system that could work universally,” says Coles. “The interface makes it easy for the staff to control the lighting but, importantly, it also restores the lighting to a default setting when they have finished.”

In the lobby, Philips LuxSpace and Erco Lightcast downlights provide ambient lighting, while Philips SpotLED3s accentuate food counters and, to illuminate tables, the lights are moulded into the ceiling. Also integrated into the GRG ceiling are Philips Colorburst RGB projectors within a special circular aperture, which are positioned and programmed for special events within the lobby.

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