While the concentrated, sharp beam of a spotlight compels us to take center stage and command immediate attention, the soft, diffused glow of a shaded lamp invites us to decompress, exhale, and settle comfortably into our surroundings. Through his compelling new lighting collections, titled Touch and Strut, John Sorensen-Jolink—the visionary founder of the design studio Coil + Drift—deeply explores how radically different modalities of light can fundamentally affect a room and the emotional states of its inhabitants. Presented together in a cohesive and thoughtfully curated new exhibition titled Lookout, currently on view at Colony in New York City, these works establish a striking dialogue between intentional, highly focused illumination and warm, atmospheric glow.
As a contemporary dancer turned multidisciplinary designer, Sorensen-Jolink brings a deeply embodied, physical understanding of space and light to his craft. Whether he is guiding a viewer’s focus, capturing the fluid mechanics of movement, or establishing a nuanced ambiance for an interior, he understands firsthand how lighting dramatically shifts people’s spatial experience. He explores this dynamic relationship intimately in Touch and Strut, working closely with a specialized team of in-house artisans at his studio to translate his comprehensive understanding of choreography, movement, and physical space into functional yet undeniably sculptural lighting fixtures.
The genesis of Touch lies in Sorensen-Jolink’s personal history, reimagining the theatrical spotlight as an everyday domestic object inspired by his early encounters with dramatic stage lighting. Growing up in a home that had been meticulously renovated by a dedicated theater worker, he was constantly surrounded by dimly lit interiors where recessed fixtures and adjustable track lighting cast concentrated, intentional pools of illumination. Though he was initially resistant to this dominant, somewhat impersonal light source during his youth, Sorensen-Jolink ultimately returns to the spotlight in his mature design practice, adopting a hands-on, highly tactile approach with the Touch collection.
Constructed primarily from durable, rich materials like brass or steel, the pieces within the Touch collection feature adjustable, cylindrical metal shades and slender, graceful stems. These thoughtful engineering details allow users to freely pivot and direct the beams of light wherever needed, while integrated wooden accents emphasize human tactility and warmth. Rather than remaining static or fixed in place, Touch empowers light to shift fluidly in response to the changing needs of the room, successfully balancing mechanical precision with the comforting intimacy of human touch.
Reflecting on the psychological and spatial impact of these focused beams, Sorensen-Jolink explains the core philosophy behind the collection. "When you’re in a pool of light, you’re on, you’re performing," Sorensen-Jolink notes, acknowledging the theatrical weight that concentrated illumination carries. "When you step out, you can sort of disappear." This push-and-pull between visibility and privacy forms the emotional anchor of the collection, offering users a sense of agency over their immediate environment.
In stark contrast to the performance-oriented focus of Touch, the Strut collection introduces a quiet, steady ambiance designed to seamlessly support the organic, everyday rhythms of home life. The inspiration for Strut draws heavily from the raw, exposed wooden frameworks of historic fire lookout towers scattered across the rugged terrain of the Catskill and Rocky Mountains. The collection successfully translates this rustic, quiet utility into elegant wooden lighting fixtures, which are enhanced by subtle metal detailing and a deeply intentional, thoughtful use of negative space.
Furthermore, the elongated linen shades found throughout the Strut collection—inspired in part by Sorensen-Jolink’s personal archive of vintage, cloth-shaded lamps—emit an enveloping, gentle glow that feels remarkably reminiscent of a glowing ember or a warm campfire on a quiet night. This soft radiance prioritizes comfort and psychological ease, providing a counterbalance to the sharp focus of the theatrical spotlight.
Taken together, these two distinct collections embody contrasting approaches to domestic illumination, both heavily informed by the shifting, natural light that surrounds Sorensen-Jolink’s studio in the Catskills. Through their distinct physical forms, careful craft, and rich material palettes, Touch and Strut manage to successfully balance focused illumination with softer, ambient light, ultimately introducing the organic, timeless rhythms of sun and shade directly into the modern home.
Lookout remains on view to the public until October 21 at Colony Gallery in New York City.
