Lighting "Cartier and Islamic Art: In Search of Modernity"

The Art of Illuminating

By Randy Reid

The lighting of museums and exhibitions places the highest demands on designers and their lighting tools. This challenge was brilliantly met by lighting designer Amanda Arikol of Tillotson Design Associates, in collaboration with exhibition designer Elizabeth Diller of Diller Scofidio + Renfroe, who created an “Immersive Gem World” for a state-of-the-art Cartier exhibition in Dallas.

I was able to visit this exhibit when I was in Dallas attending the ArchLIGHT Summit last month, and both the exhibit and the lighting were stunning.

The Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) was the sole North American venue for Cartier and Islamic Art: In Search of Modernity, a thought-provoking exhibition that seeks to investigate the influence of Islamic arts and architecture on European and American design and to understand the process through which Islamic art, in particular, inspired a new style of jewelry suited to the modern movement. The exhibit traces inspirations from Islamic art and design, including from Louis Cartier’s exquisite collection of Persian and Indian art, on the creations of the Maison Cartier from the early 20th century to present day.

Co-organized by the Dallas Museum of Art and the Museé des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, in partnership with the Maison Cartier, Cartier and Islamic Art presents over 400 objects from major international collections, including the Department of Islamic Arts at the Louvre Museum and the Keir Collection of Islamic Art on loan to the Dallas Museum of Art.

In the case of the Keir Collection, Cartier imported new materials to introduce into its work, including carved emeralds and other multicolored engraved gemstones from India, Iran, Bahrain and other Arab lands. The exhibition was an exercise in creating contrast, with a combination of existing halogen and new LED fixtures working in unison to strike a delicate balance between the monolithic volumes of the architecture and the delicate textures and colors of the Cartier pieces, many of which required adherence to stringent light level requirements. This gave significant complexity to the lighting design. By museum standards, jewelry is relatively small, and the focus of the beam is crucial.

This challenge created the perfect application for the ERCO Eclipse Series, the "Samurai" of lighting tools. With thousands of possibilities, the Eclipse Series uses an interchangeable dark light lens that creates a magical impression. Color temperatures for each piece were curated while giving careful consideration to minimizing spill light to maintain the illusion that all were lit with the same source. This allowed the curators to ensure each artifact was lit properly without receiving too much light. This helped create the intention stated by Sarah Schleuning, DMA Senior Curator of Decorative Art and Design, who said, “The goal was always about the object and getting people to look closer. What they (designers) added was always in service to the narrative.”

The most engaging parts of the exhibition were the floor-to-ceiling LED screens, which created a contemporary display that offers viewers a close-up look and analysis of the objects while the archive pieces remain safely under glass. Dr. Agustín Arteaga, the DMA’s Eugene McDermott Director, noted during the panel, “These digital displays are meant to serve as a reference to bring you back to the physical object with a greater understanding.”

DS+R produced original animations that analyze and illustrate the unique construction and traces of Islamic origins. This innovative scenography creates a fully immersive experience, but it created a challenge when it came to adapting the lighting technology and controls.

Casambi-enabled Eclipse fixtures provided a solution for the DMX integration needs. The wireless technology saved time and cost, and also allowed the commissioning team on site to determine which fixtures would be DMX-controlled.

The Casambi application is an intuitive user interface, allowing anyone – regardless of technical proficiency – to quickly program the devices. For this exhibition, the commission team renamed luminaires by each artifact’s number and paired everything with the DMX interfaces.

The team was able to create groups and zones by simply stacking icons into folders, just like apps on a phone home screen. Next, they set up a schedule, using a synchronized timeclock for a set-it and forget-it level of control. When the programming was complete, the luminaires synchronized the control data. They maintain operation through a mesh typology that removes any single point of failure from the system. Multiple levels of security ensure that access is limited and protected.

When added together, this high-tech presentation combines the curation of art, jewelry, design, and lighting into a truly awe-inspiring exhibition.

“What we really wanted to focus on is how across time, media, and geography, artists are inspired to create new ideas,” says Schleuning. “They’re always in pursuit of the most modern ideas, and that’s personified by Cartier in the show. What you see are articulations, kaleidoscopes for creativity...and we shift that idea throughout the installation. I hope what people walk away with is this incredible idea of what it means to be inspired.” ■