In the midst of Milan Design Week, Lee Broom has unveiled his latest lighting release in over four years: Divine Inspiration.
9 June 2022
Aleesha Callahan reports from Milan
Inspired by our connections to light and place, Lee Broom has unveiled his experimental exhibition, Divine Inspiration. By finding a relationship between how light is often linked to hallowed places that evoke a sense of contemplation, Broom’s exhibition is a Brutalist spin on cathedral, gothic lighting.
Habitus editor Aleesha Callahan, who’s on the ground for the Milan Furniture Fair, caught up with Broom to discuss Divine Inspiration. “I was initially looking at Brutalist architecture, and all the places that I loved since I was young were places of worship,” says Broom.
The collection within Divine Inspiration celebrates the past 15 years of the brand, Lee Broom, and is an ode to Broom’s inspiration through his journey as a designer. And as the largest exhibition in Milan this year, spread over a series of dramatic rooms, it reflects the impact that religious architecture has had throughout history.
“Delving deeper, my attention became engaged with Brutalist places of worship,” says Broom. “This led me on a fascinating journey to researching cathedrals, temples, and churches from antiquity to mid-century, to the present day.”
As a lighting collection, the concepts of Brutalism and Modernism shift through the various rooms where light plays off simple but elegant wooden features. “Carved wooden pieces hold the same kind of flutes that you would get on Mid-Century Modern alters, and part fonts and views – all quite architectural,” says Broom. Every room touches upon a different era, the combination of furniture and lighting reminiscent of these periods.
“I wanted to create a lighting collection that invoked that same sense of awe and mysticism as those buildings and their interiors,” says Broom. “This is not a religious collection, but a reflection on the impact religious architecture, interiors and artefacts have had on the psyche as well as the history of art and architecture.”
Lee Broom is carried by Singapore by Space Furniture
Photography by Luke Hayes
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