Decorative Arts in the
Geoffrey Bawa Collection



Virtual Exhibition  |  26 May – 5 June 2020


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Lights



Light plays a very important role in Geoffrey Bawa’s architecture. The spaces he designed often come alive through an interplay of light and shadow, and he carefully controlled the way daylight entered each room. Bawa also designed many of the artificial lights for his buildings; allowing him to control the way the fixture could be seen in the space and the quality of the light it emitted.



This is a recreation of one of Bawa’s most ingenious designs; a sardine can retrofitted to serve as a spotlight. The original version of this light can be seen at Lunuganga in the corridor leading from the entry foyer to the dining room; positioned to light the face of the Romanesque statue of a Boy Bishop from France. Image courtesy Lunuganga Trust




Brass Reading Lamp: This lamp is a classic example of the iterations that developed an object from one project to the next; the original design for this likely stemmed from Anura Rathnavibushna, who worked with Bawa at Edwards Reid and Begg for many years, and was adapted by Bawa in to materials including brass, steel and aluminium, and used both as a standing lamp and one that was mounted on the wall. A version of this lamp was used at the Kandalama hotel. Ena Stair Lamp: It is unclear whether this lamp was designed by Geoffrey or Ena de Silva; perhaps it was a joint effort. Used in the stairs at the Ena de Silva house designed by Bawa from 1960 -1962, this lamp recalls the perforated ceramic designs with floral patterns that were used in many homes in Sri Lanka as lampshades and decorations, but with a novel shape enabled by the change in material. Gutter Lamp: This lamp is another ingenious design where the simple shape of the lampshade provides a column of reflected light. This specimen is from Bawa’s dining room at Number 11, he also used this fitting in the dining space at the Druvi and Sharmini de Saram house. Perforated GI Lantern: The origins of this lamp are not known, but it is likely an adaptation of a paper lantern acquired by Geoffrey from Harrods’ in London in the 1960s. This fitting was displayed in the Guest Suite at Number 11, a blue version resides in the front terrace at Lunuganga. Slotted Mild Steel Lamp: This prototype, now resting in the Guest room at Lunuganga, was never developed as fixture. The structure, which is made of slotted and painted steel fragments, is an important example of the innovations and iterations that brought about the designs seen in this display: a possible inspiration for this light is Danish designer Lars Schiøler’s plastic butterfly lamp, designed in 1968 and produced by Hoyrup. Rotatable Reading Lamp: This is the steel version of the Brass reading lamp also in this room, adapted to be mounted directly on the wall and be rotatable. This last feature makes the lamp a perfect bed-side lamp for reading. Triangular lamp: This was one of Bawa’s favourite lighting fixtures; the simple shape allowed for a pleasing pattern of light and covered the light source; an important aspect of any light fixture for Geoffrey. This specimen is on loan from Bawa’s home in Colombo, but the fitting was used ubiquitously by him and still endures as a frequently used light fixture in contemporary Sri Lankan architectural projects. Baldacchino Lamp: Recalling a canopy at a church altar, this design combines simple shapes to create an under-lit cover over a sculpture on the light’s metal base. This version of the light comes from Number 11 in Colombo, a version without the base was used at the Triton hotel Wave Light: This light, now in aluminium but originally a simple tin curve, works elegantly to shield the source of light while blending the fixture in with the wall. A painted tin version still remains in the stairway at Number 11, Bawa’s home in Colombo. Cone Lamp: This was designed in 1993 for the Kanchana lounge at Kandalama. The Hotel didn’t have the funds to include the designs in the original design, but they were finally added in 2005. This example is a sample Bawa made with Dunstan, a metal worker from Kalutara with a stone from Geoffrey’s collection and the horse, a gift from Minal Modi, whose house in Delhi Bawa was designing at the time.




© 2020 Geoffrey Bawa Trust. All rights reserved. You may not reproduce, distribute, display or create derivative works of any of the text, images or other content appearing on this website, nor may you use any of the trademarks, without written permission from the Geoffrey Bawa Trust.
Photographs by Luka Alagiyawanna
In-situ Exhibition Photographs by Ruvin de Silva
Light Design Drawings by Christopher Silva

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© 2020 Geoffrey Bawa Trust. All rights reserved. You may not reproduce, distribute, display or create derivative works of any of the text, images or other content appearing on this website, nor may you use any of the trademarks, without written permission from the Geoffrey Bawa Trust.