Representing the studio were (left to right) architect Ajmir Kandola, lighting designer Nick Cheung,  studio manager Jessica Pekin, and director Dominic Harris.

While the ground floor may bear some familiarity to other Itsu restaurants, it is the upstairs “Butterfly Bar” that comes as the unexpected element.     The interior has an eclectic and mesmerising feel to it, and features many truly unique elements.   And of course, towards the front of the store and visible from most of the Notting Hill high street, there is Cinimod’s “Butterfly in Flight”, this time in alluring warm sunset colours.  

Cinimod Studio wish the Itsu Notting Hill team the best of luck with this new venture, and are confident that it will become a staple Notting Hill destination.

Dominic Harris will be speaking along industry leaders including Mike Simpson (director of Philips), Carl Brooks (sustainability director for Hammerson) and Ian Trent (project engineer for Land Securities).   The talk by Harris will focus on recent projects by Cinimod Studio that demonstrate the innovative approach to LED-based lighting as applied by the studio in both retail/commercial settings as well as art projects.  Tickets for this event can be purchased on-line.

Flutter consists of a linear array of 88 vertical double-sided video fins projecting from a mirrored surface. Butterflies flash through these screens on virtual flight paths, visible for fleeting moments as the light irridesces off their wings.

The sequenced form of the installation references animation ideas first developed in the zoetrope, and its later successor, the praxinoscope. However, in a developmental move away from the linear time-sliced nature of these devices, the introduction of interactive control in ‘Flutter’ makes the ephemerality of the encounter influence its semiotics.

The butterfly has different meanings in different cultures, from being a symbol of life or death, luck or tragedy, nervousness or happiness. ‘Flutter’ explores these notions through cutting-edge interactivity – the movement of the viewer around the piece determines the scale of the butterfly’s flutter. By reaching out your hand a flying butterfly will respond, either by landing near you or by being scared away. In playing with the butterflies more intricate behaviours will be uncovered.

Acquiring Flutter:

Flutter was first unveiled at the Kinetica Art Fair 2010 in London.  It is on sale as a limited series.  For further information please contact the studio.

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Cinimod Studio has developed a sculptural lighting installation inspired by the area’s history of dressmaking and silk trading.  The studio’s proposal is up for public vote as part of the 2010 Spitalfields Sculpture Prize.   Please support this competition by taking the time to vote for your (our?) proposal on their website!

The influx of the Huguenot refugees to Spitalfields in the late 17^th century established the area’s long associations with the silk industry, as the French immigrants brought with them the weaving skills that would distinguish the fabrics and clothes produced in the area. Irish immigrant workers arrived to contribute to the booming business and the resulting tensions and incidents, such as the 1769 Spitalfield Riots, serve as a reminder to portray how important the industry was to the day-to-day life of the community at the time. Despite the decline of silk-weaving in the late 19^th century, Jewish tailors and the current Bangladeshi communities have continued the region’s attachment to the textiles industry. Today, the market and the quarter surrounding Brick Lane are honeypots for local independent designers to make their mark on the fashion on London’s streets.

The sculpture is composed of three elements – 2 needle-like structures towering over a concrete ‘cocoon.’ The needles serve separate purposes – the taller yellow needle provides light. Using energy efficient super-bright LEDS, it provides a spotlight at night, in the otherwise unlit square. The smaller blue needle intermittently provides a burst of mist, initially conceived to discharge on the hour. The sculpture is an interactive piece working at two time cycles. When combined, the light is refracted and reflected off the back of the water droplets of the hourly mist – the effect created is an ‘artificial’ rainbow. On a more continual cycle, light from the primary needle and the sun is refracted through crystals embedded in the eyes of both needles, to produce streaks of diffracted colours on the fabric of Bishops Square.

The rainbow describes the basic visual phenomenon we enjoy every time we look at a piece of silk – the brilliant sheen that characterizes the fabric. It is the triangular prism-like structure of silk fibres that allows it to refract light at different angles, producing its unique appearance. Rainbows are a natural optical phenomenon, but require the correct environmental conditions for it to be viewed, and as a result, is not often seen in the setting of central London. However, they can be effortlessly recreated at home with a spray of water on a sunny afternoon. The sculpture attempts to recreate this event, and with precise construction, will provide a regular opportunity for people to gather and view it.

The rainbow is able to be enjoyed from the vantage point created by the sculpture’s seating centrepiece – taking the form of a silkworm cocoon, which acts as the starting point of the production line. It is finished in white concrete and textured, and a clear lacquer provides it with a shine to match the silk fibres it describes. The cocoon is also envisioned as an interactive piece – with embedded fibre-optics providing location-specific coloured lighting, activated by pressure sensors. The cocoon glows, and appears to have a heartbeat. It attracts people and changes colour when they sit on it.

As a practice, Cinimod Studio has a track record of producing high-quality and reliable interactive lighting installations. From previous experience with similarly ambitious projects, we are confident that the piece is appropriate for the budget and the time constraints suggested. Aware that its interactive nature is its main attraction, the design is kept intentionally simple, and its intervention on the square’s framework is kept relatively minimal.

We believe that the sculpture will be enjoyed by all visitors to Spitalfields, during the day and night. The phenomenal aspect of the piece will hopefully astound viewers, whilst proving educational in relating to them a small piece of history of the borough. The attraction to people of all ages, we feel, is an important to aspect of the sculpture, and to the Spitalfields area as a whole. We envisage that the sculpture will provide an opportunity to remind people of the area’s significant historical contribution to the city, to counterbalance the financial district’s recent growth into the area.

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Vote on-line for this proposal : http://surveys.clarityinmarketing.com/vote

With special thanks to Tetsuro Nagata

Cinimod Studio will be unveiling their newest artwork ‘Flutter’ at the Kinetica Art Fair 2010.  This interactive artwork explores the viewer’s encounter with a flutter of virtual butterflies. Set within a striking architectural framework and making use of cutting edge technologies developed with White Wing Logic engineers, the artwork is a product of our on-going fascination with the motion of a butterfly’s flight and the iridescent reflections and scattering of light by the scales on a butterfly’s wing.   More details and photographs to be posted soon.

Cinimod Studio have had a record three projects shortlisted for the upcoming Lighting Design Awards 2010.   These are the Snog (Soho) shop, the Itsu (Fleet Street) shop, and the UFO project over Rio De Janeiro.   We would like to thank all those who have supported us and made these projects possible, and are keeping our fingers crossed for a good evening at the Awards in March 2010.

Jessica Pekin as full-time Studio Manager

Jonathan Mizzi, previously at Foster & Partners, as 3d designer and parametric form-finder

Ben Gander, previously at Nokia, as industrial designer