Snaking through darkness

Some spaces require subtle lighting to enhance existing features while others call for light itself to become the feature, creating an entirely new space. Bruce Munro’s Twilight installation at London Zoo – a snaking cascade of light in the Rainforest Building – falls firmly into the second category. 

The space itself is a stairwell leading from the zoo’s rainforest area above to the downstairs night-life area. The challenge was to link these distinctive zones in a way that visitors felt was all part of the experience. 

Magic 

“They wanted to create a bit of magic in what was essentially a dead space,” recalls Munro. The area had just been through a major refurb, leaving a blank canvas for Munro and his team to work with. “We had this idea of using a shower of light to evoke the tropical rainforest, with dripping leaves, foliage and refracted light.” 

“People can take what they want from the piece - it’s truly an abstraction”

The installation takes full advantage of available space in the double height stairwell. A total of 864 clear teardrop diffusers hang at the end of optic fibres from 12 interconnected ceiling plinths, with a maximum drop of 500mm.

The piece is illuminated by two remotely placed 150W metal Halide projectors that allow the light to change colour. 

Subtle 

Munro is quick to distinguish the effect from disco lighting: “It’s a very subtle colour shift to match the light outdoors.” But while the design is based on a natural world of dripping leaves and foliage, the overall impact is largely down to individual interpretation. “The main aim was to lead people from one space to another. They can take what they want from the piece itself – it’s truly an abstraction.” 

That said, Twilight’s modular design is part of a carefully structured evolution taking place across Munro’s recent projects. Originally developed for an installation at the Victoria & Albert Museum, the modular structure will be used again on a far larger and more complex scale in his next commission at Salisbury Cathedral. 

“I love the flexibility of modular systems. They give the serpentine shape you see in Twilight, and the materials are visible instead of being hidden away. On the practical side, they work well as a grid to run fibre optic cables from one place to another.” 

So what do London Zoo’s visitors think of Twilight? “We’ve had excellent feedback,” confirms Munro. “The zoo operates graphics and a soundscape in the same area, and it all melds into one experience. Twilight was never intended to be a standalone piece – it works as part of the whole.” 

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