Fata Morgana,
Clerkenwell Design Week 2023
A Mirage Sculpted with Light & Bio-Material
At Clerkenwell Design Week 2023, visitors were drawn into an immersive installation where light acted as both physical medium and storyteller. Fata Morgana, designed by Jestico + Whiles in collaboration with Studio Fractal, transformed an urban space into a shifting optical mirage inspired by the thermal inversions and atmospheric illusions seen above calm seas.
At the core of the installation were Architape Opaline M RGB luminaires, whose compact form factor and homogenous light output made them ideal for backlighting the delicate Notpla seaweed paper canopy. Their smooth, dot-free diffusion allowed colour to flow seamlessly across the surface, enhancing the paper’s natural translucency and giving the entire pavilion a soft, breathing aura.
Dynamic Chromatic Illusions
The Opaline M RGB system turned the lightweight pavilion into an active canvas, delivering:
- Continuous Rich Spectrum: High-saturation RGB colour mixing with zero chromatic aberration.
- Seamless Integration: Low-profile architectural profiles embedded invisibly into the slender timber frame.
- Exceptional Uniformity: Diffusing light evenly through seaweed fibers to simulate shimmering waves.
Seaweed Paper Meets Intelligent Light
Made from seaweed-processing by-products, the Notpla paper presented an organic translucency that reacted exquisitely with Architape Opaline luminaires.
Fata Morgana also marked the beginning of a remarkable sustainability journey: these exact Opaline luminaires were carefully recovered, stored, and redeployed in subsequent years for PLUS (CDW 2024) and LUMEN DRIFT (CDW 2025).
Products Specified in This Project
IP67
IP67 Flexible
Heavy Duty
Designing a temporary pavilion, art installation, or bio-material structure?
Our engineering team specialises in ultra-uniform backlighting, bespoke diffusion matching, and sustainable circular lighting hardware.