C-Word Talks #32: Jason Bruges
Discover what ‘the in-between space of Art, Architecture and Interaction Design’ looks like.
Introduction
This C-Word talk was a special one for me, I’ve been a fan of Jason’s work for quite some time, and as someone who —for a short period of time —studied architecture, I find Jason Bruges Studio’s work fascinating, refreshing, and completely unique. It makes me re-evaluate what you can do with a degree in architecture. And for the readers who are unaware of what Jason’s work encompasses, you can think of it as the in-between space of architecture, art, and interaction design, the latter being a relatively new and lucrative area of design, only recently made possible by advancements in technology. Generally, Jason’s studio uses light as its medium, be it in the form of a high powered array of LEDs, or bespoke light-refractive glass that changes colour depending on the angle you project light through it. The work is gracefully yet industrial, dramatic yet playful, and this is achieved by the combination of beautiful art direction, high-end tech, accompanying soundscapes, and the keystone that brings each experience to life: interactivity.
Jason started off the talk with a Venn diagram showing where his practice stood — at the intersection between art, design and architecture. Dependant on the commission, the projects lean more towards either art or design. Art pieces are generally site-specific installations and interventions, whilst the design pieces tend to be more small-scale and technical in their nuisances, often commissioned to highlight a product, be it a special piece of lighting equipment, or something more domestic — like a perfume. He explained to us he was the son of an engineer and an artist, and so grew up in a household where the arts and sciences had equal footing, which no doubt took him down the path he is on now.
A studio with a flair for the dramatic
The first case study from the talk I want to share is an art-based commission for Illuminating York, titled Light Masonry. This site specific lighting installation made up of 48 high-powered Icon Beam moving head luminaires, which traces the lines of the Minster’s nave, in a computer controlled choreography which explores the use of light as an ethereal expression of architecture. The effect of which creates a contemporary theatre of dancing light, where the theatre’s space plays the role of performer. This is of course the artistic side of Jason’s studio shining through, but the background of Jason’s education — as a fully qualified architect — reveals itself in the attention to detail, which lends to the flawless execution of his work.
The first instances of this classic, nit-picking characteristic of an architect is the fine mist sprayed into the air in York Minister to make the beams of light really appear to have some weight, not so heavy that it detracts from the light show. Or, the fact that Jason wanted the light to correctly trace the lines of the masonry, and when they found the cavernous space had considerable asymmetry — despite its appearance — the studio painstakingly adjusted the entire light show so that the spectacle would match the architecture perfectly. OR — because the experience had to reflect the nature of the space, so the accompanying soundscape was performed by the Ministers resident organists. Even down to the health and safety details, the lights couldn’t remain in one place for too long as they are so strong that they can really heat things up they focus on one spot for a while.
The combination of dramatic flair and precise details sets a fully immersive, epic tone that presents itself as a contemporary architectural mirror of the grandeur and spirituality of York’s grand cathedral. This project was the recipient of a D&AD Pencil in 2017.
Limitations & Deadlines?
As any creative will tell you, all projects are limited by many factors: time, budget, health & safety, space. A good creative will say these factors are only as limiting as you let them be. At Jason’s studio it seems they always managed to find a workaround to make their vision a reality. Take the More4 Rebrand, Jason told us the entire project took a meagre 8 weeks to complete, and with time of essence, something relatively simple needed to be built. Or did it? Instead, the solution was to make a comparatively low-tech installation comprising of several hundred easy-to-build mechanism that flipped through a set of idents, showcasing the vibrant colours of the new branding. And to keep in constraints of budget, students from Middlesex University were invited to help complete the construct, which was done in-house at Jason’s studio. The outcome of the project was footage shot at several locations, including in Iceland, were again the cold could have been an issue in stopping the mechanisms working, so Jason had people inside the More4 ‘trees’ to make sure everything keeps working.
Another example of a creative use of budget in Jason’s practice is the Hull UK City of Culture brief, in which space is a serious issue…because there was so much of it. The site specific interventions had to cover a few square miles in Hull Old Town, and with a City Council budget, it was a great deal of money. The solution was to buy second-hand, decommissioned robots and mirrors to save on expensive lighting, these machines were used to bounce light around the Old Town, highlighting the historic sites of the area, drawing inspiration from the maritime history of Hull (lighthouses, beams of guiding light etcera).
Usually, the robots were used for manufacturing cars, so the studio needed to ‘hack’ them so they could be programmed to run on the necessary computer software — not an easy task when the machines are a decade old. And, as Jason told us, each robot weighed about 3 tonnes, so getting the okay from the health & safety department was a difficulty in it’s one right — to the end that one of the sets of robots in a square had a double fence around them, as if they were lions at the zoo.
Interactivity
Be it with spaces or people — interactivity is the glue that holds Jason’s practice together. It is both an immediate impresser, and a conversation creator. It’s the element which elevates the work from visual entertainment, you walk from it but it stays with you (sometimes literally). And on the rare occasion, it can be used to bring a little bit of light into people’s lives when they need it most.
The project I’m referring to here is Nature Trail, an installation at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, where the studio was commissioned to create an interactive hallway which leads to the anaesthetic room. A hallway where LED-lit woodland creatures react to the presence of the children, dancing and playing with them across the bespoke hospital grade wallpaper. The result is a calming experience and a distraction from what could be an otherwise traumatic experience for the patients of the hospital. And the wall is such a success that it is opened for visitors once a week to see, and Great Ormond Street have reached out to the studio to extend the project to the new hospital building.
In summation…
I hope you can see why I admire the work so much, it is intelligent, purposeful and far more relatable to the general population than most contemporary art is — a problem with art at the moment, but I’ll save that discussion for another article. However the studio’s work doesn’t fall victim to being a gimmick, when you compare it to something like the Amsterdam Light Festival, which lacks (for the most part) narrative and substance, Jason’s Bruges Studio is considered and always delivers something that enriches the viewer’s experience of the space around them.
In terms of Jason’s presentation skills, I also found that to be much like his work, he spoke calmly, moving his hands with purpose as he guided us through the projects. You saw the passion he had for his job when his face lit up talking about special light refractive glass, or programmable lighting. It seemed that he had no set order in which he showed us work from the studio, he read the room and showed more projects of things people appreciated, and less of that we were not as interested in. When he felt we had seen enough, he ended the presentation, which seemed more natural than the usually way of making an audience sit all the way through till the end (a few C-Word speakers may need to take a note of this — naming no names).
With this in mind, I think I’ve written enough; so I think I’ll just leave it at that.
Jason Bruges Studio has become internationally renowned for producing innovative installations, interventions and ground breaking works. This practice involves creating interactive spaces and surfaces that sit between the world of architecture, site specific installation art and interaction design. Considered a pioneer of this hybrid in-between space, Jason has subsequently paved the way for a new genre of design studios, artists and designer-makers.
In 2002 Jason set up his own practice and now works with a talented team of people to develop and deliver interactive projects worldwide. The studio comprises of an experienced team of architects, artists, lighting designers, industrial designers and visualisers as well as specialists in electronics, programming and project management.
If you enjoyed this story, please clap👏 and share to help others find it! Feel free to leave a comment below.
Follow VBAT: Instagram | Facebook |Linkedin |Twitter
written by John Skead, Creative Intern at VBAT
edited by Connie Fluhme, PR at VBAT
