The Red Room by Apparatus forms theatrical lighting presentation
New York lighting brand Apparatus has enveloped its showroom in red to present a new modular version of Cylinder pendant series during NYCxDesign.
The Apparatus showroom in Manhattan's Garment District has been transformed once again, as part of the brand's continual evolution of its spaces and product lines.
The Red Room was created to showcase the brand's updated Cylinder series, which first debuted in 2014 and has now been extended into a customisable modular system.
The central room of the fourth-floor space is decorated in a dark oxblood hue across the walls and floor, with furniture pieces upholstered to match.
To contrast the old-world glamour of the red decor, illuminated lightboxes overhead and gunmetal-lined portals into the room lend a more futuristic tone.
Apparatus, led by artistic director Gabriel Hendifar, described the setting as "Ms Vreeland's 'Garden in Hell' meets Mr Kubrick's Space Odyssey as imagined by Mr Fellini".
On an elongated pedestal in the centre of the room sits a bronze statue of Phaethon, the son of Helios in Greek mythology.
"The boy is struck down by Zeus with a bolt of lightning after he scorched the earth with his father's Sun Chariot – the source of all light itself," said the Apparatus team.
The Cylinder System comprises Canopy and Lamp units that can be combined in various stacks and as double pendants, as demonstrated in The Red Room.
"The light is soft-edged, warm, diffused, and can be directed to find the object of its affection," said Apparatus of the products.
The brand frequently updates its showrooms in New York, Los Angeles and London to present new or updated collections, which it refers to as "Acts".
For example, Apparatus updated its Los Angeles showroom to include a "modernist grotto" earlier this year.
"We believe that our work is to create a stage for the human drama of life," the team said. "We adopt the language of theatre and literature as a structure, with work organised in Forewords and Acts, each with their own exploration of form or narrative."
The evolution of the Cylinder Series is one of several to be expected from the brand this spring, as it revisits several from its catalog and introduces new ideas to existing pieces.
Dezeen's US editor Ben Dreith hosted a discussion with Hendifar at the showroom on Tuesday 21 May 2024, about the role of design in renewal and transformation.
This was one of over 10 events we co-hosted during NYCxDesign, which took place across the city 16-23 May 2024.
The photography is by Matthew Placek.
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