Full beam

Flynn Talbot on his ethereal light installation for the Victoria and Albert Museum

By Rosa Bertoli
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Australian lighting designer Flynn Talbot ethereal ‘Reflection Room’ is the first London Design Festival project to take over the Prince Consort Gallery. The immersive installation is made up of a contrast of orange and blues: nodding to his native Perth, these colours have long been at the core of Talbot’s practise. ‘The most powerful thing about humans is the ability to remember back and feel,’ explains Talbot. ‘I think colour is a very powerful medium to achieve that.’

The fluctuation between warm and cold hues is created through 56 custom-made black Barrisol panels, which fragment the dramatic colour strips throughout the 35m-long vaulted space. Talbot chose Barrisol for its ultramodern properties; the designer explains he wanted to create ‘the most futuristic version’ of the 30,000-strong textile collection that was once housed in the Prince Consort Gallery.

‘Reflection Room’ in on view until 24 September. Film courtesy of Zetteler Films

Rosa Bertoli

Rosa Bertoli was born in Udine, Italy, and now lives in London. Since 2014, she has been the Design Editor of Wallpaper*, where she oversees design content for the print and online editions, as well as special editorial projects. Through her role at Wallpaper*, she has written extensively about all areas of design. Rosa has been speaker and moderator for various design talks and conferences including London Craft Week, Maison & Objet, The Italian Cultural Institute (London), Clippings, Zaha Hadid Design, Kartell and Frieze Art Fair. Rosa has been on judging panels for the Chart Architecture Award, the Dutch Design Awards and the DesignGuild Marks. She has written for numerous English and Italian language publications, and worked as a content and communication consultant for fashion and design brands.

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