tim derrington's 'AN.AURORA' uses ubiquitous fluorescent light to create beauty through color

designer and architect tim derrington has repurposed the once-ubiquitous 48″ t12 fluorescent light, wrapping the outer shell in segments of colored film. entitled ‘AN.AURORA’, the project springs from derrington’s long standing interest in the inherent and under appreciated beauty of industrial objects.

derrington, who is principal of derrington building studio, cites the strange appeal of the functional, the mechanical as a source of influence in creating the AN.AURORA. ‘there is something about the utility and universal accessibility that curiously hides them in plain sight. it’s not a new idea,’ he explains.

the designer was influenced by philip johnson’s 1934 MoMA exhibition ‘machine art’ where ball bearings and industrial objects were exhibited, and by dan flavin’s experiments with fluorescent lighting in the 60s. ‘after seeing his work in europe and far-out places here in the states, I came to appreciate the capability of light and color.’

the project is a reimagining of the once-ubiquitous 48″ t12 fluorescent light
image by peter molick

by wrapping the tube with differently sized colored film, derrington subtly distorts the color and luminosity of the light. the shadows typically present on objects in space are absent, causing the eye to see the cylinder as spatially flat or two dimensional. each color’s wavelength consistency and luminous output distorts its relative size — some bands seem to choke or bulge across the length of the bulb. shadows cast by objects near the light are edged by subtle color variations and the overall environment is washed in an ethereal, calming glow. 

this is not the first time tim derrington has experimented with the effects of light and color. he previously worked with texas studio studio east side collective to create an arching portal of light over a creek bed in the city of austin.  

derrington cites the strange appeal of the functional + the mechanical as a source of influence
image by peter molick

by wrapping the tube with differently sized colored film, the color and luminosity of the light are subtly distorted
image by tim derrington

the shadows typically present on objects in space are absent, causing the eye to see the cylinder as spatially flat
image by craig washburn 

each color’s wavelength consistency and luminous output distorts its relative size
image by scott wade

some bands seem to choke or bulge across the length of the bulb
image by scott wade

shadows cast by objects near the light are edged by subtle color variations
image by peter molick

the overall environment is washed in an ethereal, calming glow. 
image by tim derrington

precision is down to the 64th of an inch 
image by stephanie fraide

each piece of film is cut to size by hand
image by joyce hanlon

‘not only is it something you can look at, but when you stop looking at it it’s still affecting your space’
image by tim derrington

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: peter corboy | designboom