Lightfall (2025)

Client: Span Group
Designer: Studio 52
Location: Covent Garden, London, United Kingdom

Date: 2025-05-01 00:00:00 +0000 UTC
Tags: Timber, Sustainable, Digital Design, Detailing, Fabrication, Lighting Design

Lightfall

Lightfall is a light sculpture, designed by Studio 52 that brings together structure, illumination, and gravity in a considered visual arrangement. Comprising 25 individually shaped wooden forms, the piece is suspended in a cascading sequence from the top of the space to the bottom. Each form is connected to the next using small, custom steel hangers, creating a quiet balance that reflects the relationship between weight and suspension.

Lightfall is engineered for balance, with each arch counter-weighted by the next in a carefully considered sequence. The weight is distributed so that one side offsets the other, allowing the structure to hang securely while maintaining a light, suspended presence. This balance of forces provides both stability and simplicity in form. Each stainless steel connector hangs from a notch in the arch above, supporting the one below. The small gaps between the forms create a light, suspended effect. Each stainless steel connector attaches at a notch in the arch above and links to the one below. The small gaps between them give the piece a gently suspended quality.

Each arch is uniquely designed and CNC’d from birch plywood, with thicker, more robust forms at the top and smaller, more delicate ones toward the bottom. This gradual change in scale transforms the piece as it descends through the space. LEDs run down the entire piece, powered from the top. Their interplay with shadow creates a dynamic dance that transforms the sculpture’s appearance from every angle.

Photographs © Phil Hutchinson Photography

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