When architecture firm Montroy Andersen wanted a dramatic light sculpture for the atrium of Wilmington Trust on Madison Avenue in New York City, it turned to Fire & Water Lighting designer David Bergman. An architect in his own right, Bergman has branched out into light fixture and furniture design.
One of Fire & Water's most popular lines is the Calla Lily series of pendants, sconces, and table and floor lamps of copper mesh flowers on long, graceful stems.
"Fire & Water designs are characterized by the compositional use of contrasts," explains Bergman. For the Wilmington Trust project, "It started out as a composition of rods, very austere, almost a bamboo garden of metal rods. In the base of the fixture there's an array of copper pipes in a strict grid, coming up out of a bed of glass pieces." The 28 stems rise up 20' (6m) through the staircase. "The rigid geometry of the base becomes sensuous and organic at the top. We took the basic copper mesh flower shape and enlarged it, then added to the design by putting in more layers. Within the copper mesh we added brass mesh and also a shoji-type paper liner," which diffuses the light from the 13W CFLs.
This is not the first time Bergman has adapted his Calla Lily line to a custom architectural project. The Nordstrom Court in Circle Centre mall in Indianapolis features 48 Calla Lily fixtures which wind their way up 50'-tall (15m) columns, as if they are vines wrapped around trees.
Fire & Water strives to combine aesthetics with environmentally friendly design, through the use of recycled materials and non-toxic manufacturing methods.