May 17, 2018

Bec Brittain Launches Limited-Edition Lighting Collection With John Hogan’s Glass Pieces

Bec Brittain has launched a new lighting system, Aries, that features glass pieces by John Hogan, on view in her Manhattan showroom during NYCxDESIGN. Photography by Lauren Coleman.

New York–based lighting designer Bec Brittain has always admired how glass artist John Hogan’s work interacts with and transforms natural light. “We gravitate towards each other out of an aesthetic appreciation and because we each do something so different from the other,” says Brittain, known for intricate lighting fixtures that explore dark and celestial themes. Despite their different approaches, the two find common ground by referencing the stars, which inspired a new limited-edition run of Brittain’s much-anticipated Aries system.

Photography by Lauren Coleman.

Hogan added various glass pieces—spheres, spears, and bent cylinders—to Aries, which was inspired by Olafur Eliasson’s set design for the ballet Tree of Codes. But for the system to support each different piece, Brittain was faced with transforming the constellation-like fixture into an architectural system that incorporates trusses and scaffolding. “The weight of John’s glass forced me to readdress my formal language and how I put Aries together,” Brittain says. “I engineer systems from machined metal and light, and John manages to craft precise pieces out of a material that has to be harnessed and coaxed more than told what to do. In that way, it’s a great complementary pairing.”

Each piece will be offered in an edition of 10 and can be seen during NYCxDESIGN at Bec Brittain’s Manhattan showroom (27 West 20th Street, #110) until May 25. 

Photography by Lauren Coleman.
Photography by Lauren Coleman.
Photography by Lauren Coleman.
Photography by Lauren Coleman.

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