The Amph performance space at Little Island. Photo courtesy of Little Island
Lighting Little Island
LD Herrick Goldman applies a clean aesthetic at New York’s unique island oasis by Elation Lighting
A
n island oasis in the Hudson River west of Manhattan, Little Island @Pier55 is receiving praise as a unique arts area and green getaway from the hustle and bustle of urban life. Made up of 132 pot-shaped planters positioned above the water, the park’s topography holds a lush landscape of rolling hills, walking paths and open lawns. Nestled among the island’s more than 390 species of flowers, trees and shrubs are performance spaces outfitted with Elation Professional IP-rated automated luminaires.
project to help in designing and specifying the lighting systems. Goldman, Founder & Principal Designer at Evoke Collaborative was asked to provide a lighting design that met the demands of a client who placed extreme value on aesthetics. “Mr. Diller did not want anything to distract from the beauty of the project, so we paid very specific attention to keeping a very clean look,” Goldman says. “My job was to not only navigate that but also provide the tools necessary to anyone performing in the amphitheater.”
Designed by Heatherwick Studio and landscape architecture firm MNLA, the 2.4-acre artificial island park, funded by the Diller-von Furstenberg Family Foundation, is a new public park with performing art as an integrated component. A 687-seat amphitheater with views across the Hudson, a smaller stage for 200 visitors, and an open plaza, are all designed to host a range of programming.
Goldman worked with Little Island Production Manager Kelsey Martinez and Audio & Lighting Supervisor Patrick Lachance to create both useful and visually pleasing looks with focus points, presets and palettes that incoming designers or park lighting technicians could have at their fingertips. All lighting for Little Island was supplied through WorldStage.
Providing tools, respecting aesthetics
The amphitheater, nicknamed The Amph, sits at the western end of Little Island. The architects designed six masts into the park around the amphitheater, which has a thrust stage 35 feet wide
Early in 2020, just before COVID-19 struck, Josh Weisberg of Navolo Audio-Video brought Herrick Goldman onboard the 20
Finding the perfect plot
inparkmagazine.com
