Seeds of Light

IALD Immersive Lighting Installation at lightfair 2023

Voted Best Overall Installation

At Lightfair 2023, IALD introduced new Immersive Lighting Installations sprinkled around the show floor. According to Lightfair’s website, “These collaborative lighting installations have been conceptualized and created by manufacturer-lighting designer teams hand picked and matched by an IALD panel,” and Traxon e:cue was proudly selected and partnered with Tillotson Design Associates as one of seven installations. 

Read below to learn more about “Seeds of Light,” the judge’s choice for best overall installation!

Our Installation Story

Every day we are thinking about the resources we extract from the earth, the beauty we coax from them, the experiences they enable, and our responsibility to ensure those resources and experiences remain accessible to future generations. 

Our teams at Tillotson Design Associates and Traxon e:cue care deeply about the environment and the impact our work may have. Sustainability is at the forefront of our exhibition design – not just in resourceful efficiencies but also in maximizing meaning with restraint.

This installation is constructed around the skeletal framework of a traditional greenhouse.  Traxon’s innovative fixtures and mounting systems integrate light with the structure. Reflective surfaces allow for maximal impact while using only a portion of the actual resources and materials. Visitors are invited to engage and interact with the piece by walking through and observing from both internal and external vantage points. Recyclable, lightweight paper is manipulated to create a topography embedded within the luminous mesh, revealing each “seed” of light as one walks around the installation. Uniquely tailored programming of the media lighting system enhances the concept of cyclical life and vegetation as the “Seeds of Light” germinate, bloom, nourish, and reconnect us to the Earth.

To ensure that the installation has a life beyond this premiere, the team has taken great care in utilizing materials that are durable yet efficient – all components are easily collapsed, packaged, and shipped for future destinations where the Seeds of Light may crop up.

Below you will find photos and videos of the final installation.

*Click the images below to expand size.

About the Designer

Tillotson Design Associates, founded in 2004, is a WBE lighting design consultancy based in New York City. A diverse staff with backgrounds in architecture and interior design, including several LEED accredited professionals, combine talents to create exemplary work. Together, we offer over 80 years of lighting expertise, including 15+ years from Erin Dreyfous, partner at TDA and lead designer for this “Seeds of Light” exhibition.

Erin joined Tillotson Design in 2007 immediately upon graduating from Parsons: the New School for Design with an MFA in Architectural Lighting Design. Her prior experience includes work as an apprentice electrician.  She served as an IALD New York City Regional Coordinator from 2013 to 2015 and in 2018, Erin was named one of Lighting Magazine’s 40 under 40 “to watch”.  She joined Suzan Tillotson as Partner of Tillotson Design Associates in 2017. Erin has guest-lectured for architectural graduate students at Columbia University, has presented her completed award-winning projects to fellow colleagues through the DLF Organization, and has served on design juries including Architectural Record’s competition panel for Best New Products of the Year.

At Tillotson Design Associates, we have no preconceived notions about what works. We welcome new challenges and enjoy the exploration and research of unique materials and ideas. We encourage collective decision making and strive to provide the best possible lighting design service for our clients.

Learn More about Tillotson Design.

About Traxon e:cue

Traxon e:cue is a global leader in dynamic lighting and control systems, providing innovative, performance-driven, and intelligent lighting solutions.

With an expansive portfolio, our solutions allow lighting designers to elevate architecture, entertainment, hospitality and retail environments, worldwide.

At Traxon e:cue, we possess a unique strength in our team and experience, allowing us to specialize in the complete solution to deliver unforgettable multi-dimensional, dynamic lighting and control installations. With a portfolio of projects spanning the globe, as well as a continued focus on developing the next generations of lighting and control solutions, we are committed to our partners and customer base to turn creative visions into bold, beautiful lighting experiences.

To learn more about Traxon e:cue’s sustainability focus, click here

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