Mark Ridler of BDP Lighting on the V&A's Fashion Galleries and working with Rafael Vinoly

For the refurbishment of the V&A’s Fashion Galleries we are lighting a massive dome that was previously painted black and un-lit but balancing this carefully with lighting the objects themselves and low light levels elsewhere. We’re using three very simple, minimal lighting rings that relate to the geometries of the space.

In our work for Nike we’re using bespoke decorative lighting in the form of various Nike products. In the V&A the contrast will be quite gentle (approximately 3:1) in Nike, much more dramatic (approximately 10:1).

We’ve also recently completed lighting Rafael Viñoly’s Firstsite gallery in Colchester. Viñoly is intuitive in his manipulation of daylight and the building was a joy to illuminate.

The lighting articulates the building’s axial geometry with curving lines of cold cathode that provide ambient illumination, softly washing walls and ceilings and supporting the sense of journey, while drama is provided by bespoke accent lighting.

Here, the curators will be able to control the lighting to create contrast ratios appropriate to the art pieces displayed.