Prize(s) Winners in Event Lighting Installation / Stage Lighting
Lighting Design/Product Company studioEVM.
Lead Designers Eby Vincent Mathew
Other Designer's names Rashi Malik
Client 70 EMG, Sabyasachi
Photo Credits 70 EMG
Other Credits Event Designer: 70 EMG, Show Lighting Designer: Nabhir Sheikh
Completion Date 25.01.2025
Project Location Mumbai, India
Entry DescriptionThe project sought to evoke the nostalgia of old-world Calcutta within the context of a modern fashion show for a global audience, interpreted through the lens of Sabyasachi, a luxury house rooted in the city’s rich heritage.
Research guided the lighting approach, including visits to heritage homes in North Calcutta and a study of archival imagery. Lighting in that era was eclectic: affluent families acquired fixtures during overseas travel, creating a blend of materials and forms, unified by the warm glow of halogen and incandescent light.
The venue became a replica of traditional courtyard homes called 'rajbaris', down to switches and electrical hardware. The lighting design rested on three pillars: the warmth of 2700K incandescent lamps evoking a bygone glow; careful sourcing and artisanal ageing of fixtures to suggest timeworn elegance; and a layered lighting composition across interiors, corridors, facades, and streetscapes, ensuring historical fidelity.
Custom ageing techniques introduced controlled patina, surface wear, and selective breakage. Dimming strategies mimicked organic lamp degradation. While largely static, lighting cues synchronised with intro music for transitions, creating a lived-in, timeworn ambience that fused technical precision with emotional resonance.
Sustainability ApproachKeeping in mind that this was a limited time event, we made sure all the light fixtures were sourced locally to minimise carbon footprint.
Afterlife of the fixtures used was of primary concern to us. Hence the fixtures that were in good condition after de-install were given to the event production crew to be reused on their future projects; and the ones that showed wear and tear due to our intentional ageing techniques were sold to secondary markets for upcycling/recycling.
Company DescriptionstudioEVM is a boutique lighting design practice lead by Principal Designer Eby Vincent Mathew based in New Delhi. After a few years of study and practice in New York, a decisive moment brought him home to India where he started studioEVM in 2022, a contemplation on the intersection of light, design, art, and technology. The studio merges artistic creativity with technical expertise to deliver captivating visual experiences across architecture, exhibitions and installations.
