Advanced lighting technology has made it possible for almost any object or surface to take on a mysterious glow. As is clear in these six examples, translucency is also showing up in art, fashion and architecture.
1 Bourgie by Kartell
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Ferruccio Laviani’s polycarbonate lamp, Kartell invited 14 designers to re-interpret the iconic piece. Tokujin Yoshioka added another layer of stunning glamour by intensifying the illumination to “sparkle like a shining star.”
2 Marie by Théo Kasperowicz
To explore how covered faces are perceived (especially when hidden by a veil, such as a niqab) French artist Theó Kasperowicz created a series of portraits that blur the subject’s faces, except for their eyes.
3 Luminophor by Ingo Maurer
One of Ingo Maurer’s newest lights, still a prototype, ingeniously converts blue light to white via a coated round diffuser.
4 Jia Hua Collection
The recent graduate of Parsons The New School of Design fashioned a translucent collection, which was shortlisted for the annual H&M Design Awards.
5 Crack Tables by Glas Italia
Johanna Grawunder’s all-glass sidetables have a surface that resembles shattered mirror. An internal light makes them shimmer like jewels.
6 Kings Cross Tunnel by Light Lab
The Light Lab chose pastel tones to illuminate a continuous glass wall along a 90-metre tunnel that connects London’s Kings Cross and St Pancras stations. The route is traversed by 100,000 people daily.