Photograph of Chris Wood's colorful artwork

Art and culture

Chris Wood: an artist inspired by light

February 11, 2019

For our next art installation at 45 Park Lane, Light Pattern, we’re taking an exciting exploration of light, colour and shadow, with internationally renowned artist Chris Wood. Known for her clever use of light and reflections, it’s sure to dazzle.

Bespoke design

Being invited to exhibit at 45 Park Lane was a great opportunity for me to create a new body of work. The light at the hotel is abundant, varied and constantly changing. I’ve aimed to draw attention to this by creating pieces that change colour throughout the day, not unlike the enduring appeal of a kaleidoscope. For me, the exhibition showcases what a truly amazing phenomenon is light.

Close up shot of Chris Wood's artwork details at 45 Park Lane Hotel

Let there be light

The central theme of all my art is light, as it’s something that never fails to surprise me. I work with a range of high and low-tech optical materials to harness patterns of light that suggest transient moments in the natural world. For this exhibition, I’ve have created works that harness and exploit the many opportunities the light in this space presents.

All about hue

Another great example of the way I work is the collaboration I did for Fendi. I developed a series of window displays for all their stores entitled Hues of Light. It created a wonderfully colourful background to Fendi’s collections and was shown in Paris, Florence, Milan, New York, Hong Kong and London.

Photograph of a Chris Wood's artwork placed around a Fendi bag, on the occasion of the collaboration of Fendi with the UK artist

Close up shot of Chris Wood's artwork at 45 Park Lane Hotel

Art inspiration

My very first project was to design a light fitting and this opened my eyes to the potential of using light as a material. I began to explore the physical and visual qualities of glass, and went on to specialise in this at the Royal College of Art in London. I later moved to East Anglia where the fenlands had a major impact on my work, especially the strong lines of the distinctive landscape.

Smoke and mirrors

Over the years I’ve worked with a variety of optical elements such as mirrors, lenses, water, smoke, steam and haze, to help enable me to manipulate light. For this exhibition I worked with a material called dichroic, which was originally developed by NASA. It’s a colourless yet intriguing material because it filters and reflects different wavelengths of light, producing a huge variety of rainbow coloured shadows and projections.

Close up shot of Chris Wood's artwork details at the 45 Park Lane Hotel

See for yourself

I think now is the ideal time of year for this exhibition, just as the days are starting to get noticeably lighter for longer. Light has such as positive and uplifting effect, which is why I’ve worked on several art installations for hospitals. I trust people will appreciate the playful nature of my work and see changes at different times of the day. Let me intrigue and uplift you with the incredible power of light.

Light Pattern is presented in association with Juliet Bowmaker and Ackerman Studios. The exhibition is on display in the Lobby Lounge and BAR 45 at 45 Park Lane until April 29. All artworks are available for sale.

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