you need to consider the light, whether that’s natural or artificial. Likewise, I think that to design lighting, you also need to think about the space and how its occupied. With my pieces I set out to do this, but also to create some dialogue between the two in the form of movement. Having a kinetic element in the work, be it physical or visual, brings it to life and creates a dialogue between the architecture, user, and the light which is really interesting territory to explore.

Perhaps your most well-known design is the beautiful Perch Light. How did you come up with the design?

The Perch was the coming together of a number of interests: kinetic sculptures, birds and paper.
I was always fascinated by kinetic and balancing objects, especially those that use a simple mechanical principle. Inspired by some of these early toys, I made a balancing sculpture (a conceptual broadcasting aerial for Wilton’s music hall!) that balanced on two feet and used a counterweight to balance and sway. Using two feet as the contact points gave me the idea to work with light. Express the polarity of the electrical supply and explore how something that sways can maintain an electrical connection.

In tandem with this I was exploring birds as a theme because I think they are creatures that you can have an emotional connection with. Whilst growing up, certain birds who were frequent visitors to the garden were said to be relatives who had passed away, dropping by to check in with us. I love this idea that birds can be connected to people past and present, familiar yet fantastical.

The paper material was a way to bring these two elements together in a very lightweight form. It was both a shade/diffuser and a vessel for housing counterweights to control and balance the movement.