A complex play with light and shadow: ERCO LED lighting tools in the new f22 foto space Hong Kong

Numerous small and large art galleries have established themselves in the milieu of the renowned Art Basel Hong Kong fair in the metropolis located on Victoria Harbour. The new f22 foto space presents contemporary photographic art in atmospherically dense rooms - ideally showcased with LED lighting technology from ERCO.

The former lawyer Douglas So, who has been running the F11 Photo Museum in Hong Kong for several years, has created gallery spaces for young photographic art in the form of the new f22 foto space in the Wan Chai district. The two-storey exhibition areas are complemented by a photo book store ("libro 22"), a Leica camera boutique ("camera 22") and a café (“café 22"). Like the name f22, the elaborate interior design of the gallery is also inspired by camera elements such as apertures and lenses. The project has been awarded the IF Design, Red Dot Design and Golden Pin Prize. The designers and engineers at LAAB architects + Carlow Architecture & Design play with the contrasts of black and white as well as light and shadow in their interior design concept to match the theme of photography - and place their trust in ERCO's many years of experience in the museum and gallery sector for perceptual lighting.

An optimal combination of highly professional ERCO LED lighting tools brilliantly showcases photographic art

The entrance area of the f22 foto space with a revolving door in the form of an abstract, walk-in lens is located on floor five of the multi-storey office building, as are the bookshop and camera store. A spiral staircase of black lacquered brass, the shape of which references a camera's aperture, connects this gallery level with the one above it on the sixth storey. The staircase is effectively illuminated by a single white Quintessence surface-mounted luminaire produced as a special luminaire. Thanks to narrow spot light distribution, the visitor's attention is specifically drawn to the logo 22 inscribed in the foot of the staircase. The wall surface behind the spiral staircase is uniformly illuminated by four Quadra lens wallwashers equipped with 16W LED modules.

Light Board from ERCO as a strong partner for an efficient lighting concept with high visual comfort

In the exhibition areas of the f22 foto space, flexible ERCO LED lighting tools prove that they ideally meet the most diversified of lighting requirements within a gallery context - with uniform, glare-free general lighting on the one hand and crisp accentuation of the exhibits on the other. The light is precisely implemented and controlled. The efficient lighting concept, requiring few luminaires and low energy consumption, creates good, impressive contrasts. Light Board lighting tools, as with all ERCO track spotlights, feature interchangeable lenses. The lighting can be adjusted without tools in accordance with the exhibition design: Light Board lens wallwashers provide perfectly uniform vertical illumination for wall-mounted photographic work. Light Board with oval flood light distribution create glare-free illumination of the exhibits in showcases. Light Board with flood Spherolit lens bring the photographic works displayed on the pillars in the space optically into the foreground. The alignment of all luminaires pays homage to the so-called museum angle, considered ideal for accent lighting with pictures: the 30 degree angle of incidence avoids glare for observers that might be caused by reflections on paintings or photo works mounted behind glass.

Project data

Project: f22 foto space, Wan Chai / Hong Kong
Client: private
Architecture: LAAB architects + Carlow Architecture & Design
Photography: Jackie Chan, Sydney / Australia

Products: Quintessence, Quadra, Light Board
Photo credits: © ERCO GmbH, www.erco.com, photography: Jackie Chan