Client: Greggory Hockenberry

Overview

The chandelier is made of 350 wine glasses, cut from their stems and drilled. Thirty-five of them have light bulbs, arranged in a nebula spiral, which then illuminate the chandelier from within. The glasses are hung by steel cables from a steel elliptical plate that is nine feet in its larger dimension. It is the centerpiece of the dining room.

Goals

The restaurant, Varietal, was first of all devoted to wine. The chandelier celebrated the drinking of wine. The dining room was square, with the chandler at its center. From the perimeter of the room, the chandelier seemed free form in shape and light, but sitting or walking beneath it you discovered it was a round dome with a nebula of light that centered the room.

Process

While we drew the plan of the chandelier beforehand and had the steel plate laser cut ,the restauranteur, Greggory Hockenberry, allowed us to sculpt the chandelier in situ as we hung each light and cut each cable to a different length. This was very brave of him. Daniel Bailey fabricated the steel plate and in the process collaborated on how to stiffen it and then hang it with ease.

Additional Information

We also created a "flight" of champagne stems over the bar, which is the last picture. These glasses were fused together with airplane window glue and hung from fishing line.