Ready Steady Light 2021

We are excited to announce that the Michael Grubb Studio team, Isabelle Lane, Giulia Brighi, Chloe Salvi, Anna Freiesleben, and Daniela Rendon won the 2021 Technical Award at this year’s Society of Light and Lighting Ready Steady Light (RSL).

Ready Steady Light is one of the Society of Light and Lighting’s flagship events. Each year, lighting design teams put their competitive hats on and compete against each other to design and set up temporary exterior installations – all in three hours.

On the 19th of October 2021, RSL returned (after a pandemic-induced hiatus) in partnership with Rose Bruford College.

The location: the college’s leafy Sidcup campus.

As tradition dictates, three awards were up for grabs.

This year, the competition was fierce. Fifteen teams were supplied with six light fittings each (donated by manufacturers), colour filters, cables, and tape.

Each team was given a random location on campus to light.

Students enrolled in Rose Bruford College’s Lighting and Design BA course supported the event, allowing them to see lighting professionals working in this unique environment.

The Michael Grubb Studio design took ecology and the local environment into account, using the contours of the existing tree on the site to create a dramatic lighting installation, with focussed beams of light and an intense display of blue, pink, and orange.

The concept, named ‘Rebirth’ combined the natural elements of the site, to symbolise the challenge of recent times. The isolation phase was recognised by bringing a ray of light to the individual, whilst the challenge of what is deemed to be ‘normal’ and the differing perspectives, connotated via the two sides of the tree trunk. Beyond this, there is the collective warmth, unity and empathy symbolised by the tree, which represented ‘togetherness’ and ‘community’.

A panel of expert judges, including Sharon Stammers and Martin Lupton of Lighting Collective, and Mark Ayers (who originally founded RSL with Martin) decided the winners of the Technical and Artistic Awards, supported by the IALD, with the coveted Peer Prize decided by the contestants taking part.

Judges commented that they were surprised that some of the same fittings were being used twenty years ago when they took part and hoped it would provide an eye-opener for manufacturers donating.

The Michael Grubb team is already looking forward to next year!