ARRAS
LOCATION: Vancouver, BC - Canada
COLLABORATION: Shape Architecture
PROJECT TYPE: Commercial
ARRAS is a site-specific, bespoke fixture designed at the heart of an iconic Vancouver event space by Shape Architecture, created to punctuate its majestic, 20-metre-high atrium that boasts vantage points from every angle.
The creative process at Matthew McCormick Studio began with an assessment of the space and the need to fill a grandiose volume, ensuring that the design would directly complement the building’s unique geometries. Also important was to maintain a level of ethereal warmth and sparkle that would resonate with guests at any elevation within the building, capitalizing on the reflection from an encased glass sky bridge where ARRAS was to be installed.
“THE ROWS ON ROWS OF GEOMETRY AND LIGHT CREATED THROUGH THE ARRAS INSTALLATION RESEMBLES THE CRYSTALLINE STRUCTURE OF ATOMS, HELD TOGETHER IN A THREE-DIMENSIONAL ARRANGEMENT,” SAYS MATTHEW. “WITH ARRAS SITUATED AT THE ENERGETIC CENTRE OF THE BUILDING WITH A GLASS REFLECTION FROM ALMOST EVERY VANTAGE POINT, I WANTED THE PIECE TO FEEL LIKE AN INFINITE IMMERSION INSIDE THE ATOMS OF A CRYSTAL – ALMOST LIKE A PATHWAY INTO ANOTHER DIMENSION.”
- Matthew McCormick
Inspired by Matthew’s desire to immerse himself in the narrative behind every design, the technology used for ARRAS was deeply considered in the ideation process.
“The rows on rows of geometry and light created through the ARRAS installation resembles the crystalline structure of atoms, held together in a three-dimensional arrangement,” says Matthew. “With ARRAS situated at the energetic centre of the building with a glass reflection from almost every vantage point, I wanted the piece to feel like an infinite immersion inside the atoms of a crystal – almost like a pathway into another dimension.”
ARRAS utilizes 2,175 programmable, micro-LED diodes sheathed in 65 vertical drops of woven brass sleeves, with light refracting between the mirrored walls in the space and the material sheen of the tubing. The overall effect of the installation is a manipulation of the scale and magnitude within the space itself.
“I am drawn to projects that allow curiosity and creative expression to intersect. The opportunity to play with an interpretation of scale, technology, and my love of the world’s natural phenomena is magic; ARRAS feel like you’re both floating through a pathway of stars and inside them simultaneously,” adds Matthew.
“I AM DRAWN TO PROJECTS THAT ALLOW CURIOSITY AND CREATIVE EXPRESSION TO INTERSECT. THE OPPORTUNITY TO PLAY WITH AN INTERPRETATION OF SCALE, TECHNOLOGY, AND MY LOVE OF THE WORLD’S NATURAL PHENOMENA IS MAGIC; ARRAS FEELS LIKE YOU’RE BOTH FLOATING THROUGH A PATHWAY OF STARS AND INSIDE THEM AT THE SAME TIME.”
- Matthew McCormick
MORE ABOUT ARRAS
The ARRAS project utilizes programmable, micro-LED diodes that offer infinite site-specific iterations based on the dimensional needs within a space. The technology can be specified at unlimited lengths, RGBW colours, and LED configurations, with the ability to program the technology based on the ambient lighting requirements, design needs, and the overall story space is trying to tell.
For more information on ARRAS or your bespoke project needs, we welcome you to contact us.
by Matthew McCormick Studio
A platform where the rules relax and imagination can run untethered, briefcase is the stage where Matthew McCormick comes to play. A means to explore new creative territory through innovation and discovery, briefcase is also a public window into the process and ethos at Matthew McCormick Studio.
The genesis of Matthew’s lifelong passion for collecting inspiration in the everyday, briefcase is a space where fervent curiosities and creative expression culminate beyond the creation of objects alone; it offers an open invitation for collaboration and exploration across disciplines, materiality and mediums - chasing the unexpected, unbound by convention.