Lume Melbourne
The LUME Melbourne, Victoria
LUME Melbourne is a venue composed almost entirely of projected light.
The venue was designed by Decibel Architecture and built by Lexon Group for Grande Experiences, and Lucretia's lighting for the exhibition spaces works to Decibel Architecture's design. Its galleries are held in near darkness so the artwork can occupy every surface, and any addition of physical light carries consequence. Within this environment sit the exhibition's physical spaces, an interpretive gallery and a working drawing studio, each of which must be lit, and lit well, without disturbing the darkness around them.
When Lucretia was engaged, these spaces sat at odds with the venue. Illumination was flat and undifferentiated, with no hierarchy between subject and surround. Light levels bore little relationship to the adjoining projection halls, making each transition abrupt. The quality of light itself, its temperature, its control, its precision, fell short of what a cultural setting asks for.
The interpretive gallery, lights off and on
A scheme built on hierarchy
In the interpretive gallery, museum-grade LED track projectors now frame each panel individually, their beams shaped precisely to the edge of the subject so that each appears to hold light within itself.
- 605 lxPanel surface
- 45 lxBackground wall
- 460 lxEasel surface, drawing studio
A second, quieter layer of wall washing sits behind, circuited separately and held low, lending depth to the room without diluting its drama.
The drawing studio asked for something different: genuine task lighting, comfortable for an hour at the easel, yet consistent with the atmosphere of the wider exhibition. Zoomable track fittings provide that flexibility, their beams and colour temperature adjustable on site as the space changes use.
At the entrance, a single gobo projection carries the LUME mark onto the floor, marking the threshold between the everyday and the exhibition.
The interpretive gallery
Verified before work began
The existing conditions were measured and assessed room by room. The proposed scheme was resolved through shadow studies and full photometric calculation, and verified against gallery-appropriate contrast ratios before work on site began.
The result is a set of spaces that feel inevitable, panels that glow against darkness, transitions that ease rather than jolt, and light that serves the exhibition without ever announcing itself.
Assess, design, verify, deliver.
This is the discipline Lucretia brings to museum and cultural projects.
Specified in this project
Photographs from the exhibition
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