20 years since Moritz Waldemeyer established his eponymous design studio, arc sits down with the German designer, and his partner / Product Designer Nazanin Farahbod, to talk about the growth of the studio, and their unique role as “Art Engineers”.

It is often said that lighting design is the meeting point between art and engineering; bridging the gap between creativity, expression, and science – its ethereal qualities bringing together architecture and interiors in the intangible way that only light can.

This fusion, an almost paradoxical marriage, forms the basis of the work of product designer, lighting experimentalist, and self-confessed “Art Engineer”, Moritz Waldemeyer, who this year celebrates the 20th anniversary of his eponymous design studio.

Across his extensive body of work, Waldemeyer has crafted bespoke creations for the automotive industry, the fashion world, music and live entertainment, with a client list including such star names as Bentley, Swarovski, Jamiroquai, and the Cirque du Soleil. Each time forging unique pieces that beautifully blend art and technology.

This combination of disciplines is something that Waldemeyer believes has been with him since childhood. Speaking to arc at his beautiful home studio in London, he says: “The story starts best with my upbringing; I grew up in East Germany under communism, which was obviously a very different experience to what we have today. You couldn’t really buy anything, you couldn’t travel anywhere, everything was very reduced. And on top of it, we were very aware that we were on the ‘wrong’ side of the fence, because we had Western TV. But within that, I grew up in an artistic family, so there was always a lot of creativity.

“Throughout my childhood, I knew I had to escape my situation. My uncle, who came to London in the ‘80s to work as a designer and architect, became my role model. Following his example, I packed my bags and came to London to study engineering. This blend of art and engineering forms the foundation of everything we do today.”

Once in the UK, Waldemeyer studied Mechatronics at King’s College – an amalgamation of mechanical and electronic engineering, “with a little bit of computer science thrown in for good measure”, that he believes gave him the most complete understanding of “all the engineering disciplines rolled into one”.

It was during his studies that Waldemeyer first started playing with light, experimenting with early iterations of LEDs. This then took him on a path that, at the turn of the century, led him to Signify (then Philips), where he worked as a Research Scientist.

For a man always looking to push the boundaries of what was possible with lighting technology, he refers to this as “the place to be”. “Philips was very much ahead of the game, looking into the future. I was in the research department, so it was all about futurology, figuring out where it all goes, and researching and doing projects. So, that’s where all of these things came together.

“This marked the beginning of the rise of LED technology, and we already knew it was going to be the next big thing while most of the world was still using incandescent lamps. We had graphs and discussions about a ‘Moore’s Law of LED,’ predicting the doubling of output or halving of price per output over specific periods. We knew exactly where the technology was headed.

“They were also doing incredible work in wearable electronics, which later became a significant aspect of my work. It was probably the best place in the world for that kind of innovation.”

Waldemeyer spent four years at Philips, honing his craft, before making the decision in 2004 to establish his own design studio – a decision made in part thanks to a chance collaboration with a big-name client.

He recalls: “There was a moment when an opportunity came about to start working with Swarovski. So, I had to make a decision – did I want to stay at Philips? My project at that moment was less engaging and this opportunity with Swarovski, working in the design world, was so much more exciting.”

Indeed, this first move into the world of design saw Waldemeyer collaborate not only with Swarovski, but with renowned architect Ron Arad, on a custom, interactive chandelier to which viewers could send text messages.

“I met Ron through a friend who was working for him at the time. My friend said, ‘You should meet Ron, I think he would like what you can do.’ And indeed, he did.

“Ron approached me with a project right away, saying, ‘I’ve been asked to make a chandelier for Swarovski. I want to create a text message chandelier. Can you do it?’ I replied, ‘I can certainly try.’

“I had four weeks to complete the project, and it was then showcased at Milan Design Week in 2004. It was presented right next to Ingo Maurer’s latest chandelier, so I got to meet him, Ron, and Nadja Swarovski – the crème de la crème of the design world. Suddenly, I was in the midst of it all.”

Thrust into the upper echelons of the design world right from the start, Waldemeyer explains that while he was first establishing his own studio, it was opportunity, rather than an over-arching mission statement, that drove him forward.

“In the beginning, it was about following curiosity and seizing opportunities. It was incredibly exciting because I was likely the only person with this unique skillset, and I somehow managed to enter at the top level.

“Suddenly, I had requests and opportunities to work with remarkable people – something I could never have foreseen or even dreamt of. Initially, I was simply following this momentum. Over time, I was able to refine my direction and decide where I wanted to take it and where it would lead.”

Where it did lead was for Waldemeyer to coin the term “art engineer” as a way to better describe the kind of work that he does, while also inspiring the studio’s philosophy.

Nazanin Farahbod, Waldemeyer’s partner, and Product Designer within Studio Waldemeyer, explains: “Our philosophy is to ‘create new emotions’ by developing concepts that tell relatable stories while using new technology in surprising ways. It’s about merging these two elements seamlessly.

“When we call ourselves ‘art engineers,’ it’s because we truly engineer the art. What sets our studio apart is our in-house capability to bring concepts to life without relying on external teams.

“While others may need separate groups to realise their ideas, we handle everything ourselves. We can iterate, prototype, and refine quickly. This ability to control the entire process is why we are art engineers.”

Waldemeyer adds: “A major advantage of combining art and engineering is that our ideas are always feasible because this practicality is ingrained in our thinking. We’re very efficient in our creativity. While we do R&D, we usually conceive ideas with a clear understanding of how to execute them, making the process from concept to presentation quite straightforward with minimal adjustments.

“In our earlier years, we pushed boundaries and sometimes went a step too far. Now, we better understand the importance of aligning with the client’s perspective and expectations. We educate them on what is feasible and what they can realistically expect.”

This is something that Farahbod believes sets the studio apart, although it can sometimes lead to slightly more difficult requests, as she explains: “For example, in 2017, Cirque du Soleil approached us to create a dress that could change colour without using LEDs. We conceived a dress adorned with flowers that open and close revealing a red blossom on a white background. This allowed for animations that controlled the dress’s colour. The technology was embedded in each flower, but the focus was on evoking emotion.

“Similarly, we recently met with Philippe Starck, who asked us to create something never seen before, trusting us to bring the vision to life.

“Balancing the artistic and engineering aspects is crucial in our work. We undergo extensive R&D to achieve our desired outcomes. It’s a matter of intuition; there’s no set formula for balancing emotion and technology – you just know when it’s right. We aim to avoid appearing too tech-heavy, instead, we focus on wonder, magic, and storytelling.”

That being said, Studio Waldemeyer does go to great lengths to ensure that it is at the forefront of lighting technology, and fully aware of any new advancements that are emerging.

Waldemeyer continues: “We go to a lot of different kinds of events, not just lighting. We go to electronic fairs; I’ve been out in China to the Shenzhen Market, literally to the source. I’ve been to see the company that we work with that makes the LEDs we use to look at the process and understand how I can use this technology to do what I want.”

One such example of the studio’s tech-centric approach to design has been in its LED “candles”. Used to great effect in Waldemeyer’s landmark large-scale installation, Mythos Mozart exhibition in Vienna, the candles produce a strikingly lifelike, flickering flame, composed entirely of LEDs.

“We took apart the LEDs to their bare components, and then reassembled them into the candle module,” Waldemeyer explains.

“It’s a single component, with some chips integrated between LEDs, making them invisible. This dives deep into LED technology. Achieving this is a significant milestone because such technology is typically inaccessible to designers like us. Most lighting designers wouldn’t understand when I mention we’ve created a COB candle – I have to explain the entire process for them to appreciate it.

“Chip on board (COB) technology is gaining traction. It involves working with the individual components of LEDs and reassembling them into new shapes and forms that weren’t possible with traditional electronics.

“This is just one example showing our passion for animated light. Most artificial light has been static since Edison’s time, whereas natural light is always changing. We strive to reintroduce this dynamic quality into artificial lighting and living environments.”

Studio Waldemeyer used 1,500 of these COB candles in the Mythos Mozart exhibition, as part of an incredibly dramatic, and emotionally stirring, light show.

Farahbod explains: “The museum is located precisely where Mozart died. We were given two rooms: one to visualize his brain and the other to evoke the emotion of his final moments. We installed 1,500 individually controllable candles, allowing us to manipulate their brightness and movement, or even let them act randomly. We created an eight-minute experience that moved viewers to tears. We were told that people sit down, cry, and become deeply emotional during this experience. Our goal is always to use technology to create emotion.”

Another emotionally stirring highlight from the studio was a piece created for London Design Festival 2023, entitled Halo. Situated at St Stephen Walbrook Church, the piece was a celebration of the work of Christopher Wren – the architect who rebuilt the city after the Great Fire of London – 300 years after his death. Seen as a precursor to St. Paul’s Cathedral, the St Stephen Walbrook Church is considered by many as Wren’s best work, “because of the scale, and the way it works with the light, and the airiness of the architecture,” according to Waldemeyer. One of its defining features is the circular Henry Moore altar, which sits at the church’s centre. For Halo, Waldemeyer installed a hanging, illuminated pendulum that gently rotates around the circular altar.

He continues: “The aim was to put people into a meditative state. The architecture is designed to remove you from your daily experience, encouraging introspection and meditation. We wanted to offer this to everyone, regardless of their faith, providing a new way to experience this architecture.

“The pendulum, thanks to its length, circles slowly, taking about nine seconds for a full revolution. When you sit and watch it, it draws you in, which was our intention. This blend of technology and meditation shows how a pendulum’s swing is governed by pure mathematics. It also reflects how Wren perceived himself – primarily as a scientist, with architecture being a side discipline to his larger scientific interests.”

Elsewhere in a remarkable back catalogue of projects, Waldemeyer has worked with iconic fashion brands, big name musicians, and in the automotive industry, working with the likes of Audi, Hyundai, and most notably Bentley, where to coincide with the brand’s 100-year-anniversary, he collaborated on its EXP 100 GT concept car.

As a self-confessed “Petrolhead”, Waldemeyer says that, across his body of work, the automotive projects stand out as favourites. “There are a couple of reasons for it,” he explains. “First, I personally really love the topic. It probably harks back to my upbringing in East Germany, because I grew up in a Trabant [an East German car, colloquially known for its poor design and operation], so it’s a very exciting industry.

“Additionally, it’s a very professional environment. Unlike the fashion or music industries, where things have a quick turnaround, the automotive industry has well-educated expectations and a highly professional way of interacting and collaborating.

“When proposing a complex technical project to an automotive engineer, there’s a precise understanding of what to expect and deliver due to their engineering education.

“In contrast, in the fashion and music industry the expectation of extremely fast turnarounds at very low cost in itself provides a sometimes insurmountable challenge.”

Because of this, although he has a lengthy, star-studded client list, there is one name that Waldemeyer still has on his Bucket List of collaborators.

“Gordon Murray, the South African car designer, is someone I repeatedly mention. We’ve found interviews from over 10 years ago where I still talk about him, but he hasn’t called me yet. He probably never will, as his mindset goes in a very different direction. When we work on cars, we bring drama with light, while he derives drama from the engine and car dynamics, adhering strictly to the principle of form follows function.

I’ve seen him discuss lighting, and for him, it’s purely functional. He prefers round lights for their timelessness. So, a collaboration is unlikely, but I still admire his pure approach, even if our styles don’t really align.”

Similarly in the music world, while he has worked with some huge stars, including creating a custom bass guitar for U2, an animated, moving headpiece for Jamiroqai, and a light-up jacket for Will.i.am during the Black Eyed Peas’ Superbowl Half Time Show, he is still holding out hope for one act in particular. “I’d love to work with Rammstein. They’re total pyromaniacs!

“The most impressive use of light on stage I’ve ever seen was by their singer, Till Lindemann. He had his cheek pierced to insert a fiber optic light into his mouth, so when he sings and opens his mouth, it’s fully illuminated. That is total commitment!”

While these two examples have yet to come calling, Waldemeyer and Farahbod reveal that the studio has several exciting works in progress at the moment (none of which he can talk about as the studio is “constantly signing NDAs”). Given the extraordinary output from the studio over its first 20 years, expectations are high, but no doubt these expectations will be met, and exceeded.

www.waldemeyer.com