SGM Rail Lights at London Science Museum

	The Making the Modern World gallery at the Science Museum in London. Photo: James Mackenzie

White Light (WL) was recently chosen to oversee a custom lighting installation in the Making the Modern World gallery -- one of the flagship galleries at the Science Museum, London. The gallery features some of the museum's most remarkable objects, and iconic artefacts, such as the Apollo 10 Command Module and the first-ever Apple computer, are now illuminated by SGM's R-2 Rail Lights.

"I was looking for a source that could fulfill a range of functions, including daytime exhibition lighting and event lighting. As a result, I needed a fixture that allowed full remote control of color and intensity," explained WL's lighting designer, Jason Larcombe, in regard to choosing SGM's R-2s.

WL was asked to deliver a system that would keep the museum's existing look during the day, yet have the ability to be transformed at night for special events.

"I treated the design in a very theatrical way as I wanted the exhibits to look and feel realistic. We programmed a range of colored scenes, which can be recalled via an iPad, and offer the in-house event teams the opportunity to easily change the color of the gallery for their individual events," commented Larcombe.

For this particular project, it was important to provide a long-term lighting solution alongside an installation that was sympathetic to the exhibition. "At all stages, we were looking to provide the most affordable solution to the museum, which meant minimizing infrastructural work. SGM's R-2's integral wireless option and ability to be track-mounted did just that," explained Larcombe.

WL drew on the full-color R-2 Rail lights for the Lower Level of the museum as they provided the exact flexibility that Laracombe was looking for.

"The units are compact, bright, and, due to very flexible fittings, perfect for the accent lighting of exhibits. I like the fact that you can simply retrofit existing exhibition fittings, providing a wealth of creative opportunity," explained Larcombe.

"I often use SGM products for rental projects, but this was the first time I've used R-2s on this scale, and I was very pleased with the final look and feel of the gallery in the museum. It now has an extremely rich and highly flexible system that offers new sales potential," concluded Larcombe.