Exhibition Design and Lighting Design for Thomas Child’s Qing Dynasty

Thomas Child was a well-known British photographer. His work recorded China’s Qing Dynasty and captured the beauty and cultural wealth of this critical moment in Chinese history. The Qing Dynasty was known for its art, culture, and architecture, and Child’s images vividly portray these significant qualities. His work exemplifies the power of photography as a vehicle for chronicling history and culture, and his photos continue to be a vital resource for historians and art lovers.

The China Exchange is located in the centre of London’s Chinatown. Their team contacted our lighting design firm to provide guidance on the lighting of sensitive photographic images for a forthcoming exhibition. This exhibition lighting design NY project was for 32 original photographic images of life and architecture. These extraordinary images were taken approximately 120 years ago during the Qing Dynasty in Peking (today named Beijing).

The China Exchange was working on behalf of the curator in New York. Following our site visit, the curator approached our lighting designers directly to brainstorm potential lighting design possibilities. The China Exchange only has ambient lighting, which is unsuitable for lighting art. Therefore, it was indispensable to install a cost-effective lighting system, keeping in mind that it was for an exhibition that would last only seven days.

China Exchange only has ambient lighting, which is unsuitable for lighting art. Thus, installing a cost-effective lighting system for an exhibition that would only be temporarily available was indispensable.

Various options were provided to the exhibition curator. A system of low-voltage wires was installed above the visitors’ heads, disappearing among the air handling units and ducting. Many movable and focusable LED light fittings were adjusted to give a low light level between 60 and 65 lux. Adopting this solution enabled visitors to see the incredible detail of the photographs on display. When the exhibition was closed to visitors, the photos were covered in blackout cloth to minimise exposure to harmful light and any loss of information.

Later in the project, our team delivered the curator and art collector a possible exhibition design layout. We overcame the limitations of the space by allowing the images to be seen in their finest form.

Instantly, we forged a good relationship with this reputable New York client. In addition, over the next couple of months, the client relied on our design know-how for advice on almost all aspects of the exhibition, including lighting, layout, graphics, and marketing materials. Sir David Tang opened this extraordinary exhibition. The exhibit was well-visited by scholars and the public, and they enjoyed a unique art exhibition that was aesthetic and beautifully illuminated. Furthermore, it was created in the shortest timeframe and on the smallest of budgets. For more snapshots of this exhibition design project, visit our portfolio.