While the concentrated, sharp beam of a spotlight compels us to take center stage and demands our undivided attention, the soft, diffused glow of a shaded lamp invites us to decompress, exhale, and settle comfortably into our surroundings. Through his compelling new collections, Touch and Strut, John Sorensen-Jolink, founder of the contemporary design studio Coil + Drift, is exploring how these fundamentally different types of lighting can dramatically affect both the mood of a room and the emotional state of its inhabitants. Presented together in a cohesive and thought-provoking new exhibition titled Lookout, currently on view at Colony in New York City, the body of work contrasts intentional, focused illumination with a warm, atmospheric glow.
As a contemporary dancer turned designer, Sorensen-Jolink brings a deeply embodied, physical understanding of light to his furniture and lighting creations. Whether he is guiding an audience’s focus across a stage, capturing the dynamic energy of physical movement, or establishing a subtle domestic ambiance, he recognizes intimately how lighting shifts people’s actual lived experience of a space. He explores this complex relationship in both Touch and Strut, working closely with a specialized team of in-house artisans to translate his sophisticated understanding of spatial choreography and movement into tactile, sculptural lighting objects.
Reimagining the Theatrical Spotlight for the Home
The Touch collection reimagines the high-contrast spotlight as an everyday domestic object, drawing direct inspiration from Sorensen-Jolink’s early, formative encounters with theatrical lighting during his youth. Growing up in a family home that had been painstakingly renovated by a theater worker, he found himself constantly surrounded by dimly lit interiors where recessed fixtures and track lighting cast sharp, concentrated pools of illumination across the rooms. Though he was initially resistant to this dominant, somewhat impersonal light source during his younger years, Sorensen-Jolink has ultimately returned to the concept of the spotlight, approaching it with a renewed, hands-on sensibility for the Touch collection.
Constructed primarily from enduring materials like brass and steel, the pieces within the Touch series feature adjustable, cylindrical shades and slender, graceful stems. These engineering choices allow users to physically pivot and direct the beams of light precisely where they are needed, while warm wooden accents emphasize a sense of tactility and human warmth. Rather than remaining static or fixed in a single position, Touch allows light to actively shift in response to the evolving needs of the room, successfully balancing mechanical precision with the intimate warmth of human contact.
Reflecting on the psychological and spatial impact of these forms, Sorensen-Jolink explains the core philosophy behind the work: “When you’re in a pool of light, you’re on, you’re performing. When you step out, you can sort of disappear.” This duality captures the tension between visibility and refuge that the collection navigates so fluidly.
Translating the Quiet Utility of Fire Lookouts
While the Touch collection is designed to foster heightened focus and intentional action, its counterpart, Strut, introduces a much quieter, more contemplative ambiance intended to seamlessly support the gentle, everyday rhythms of home life. The inspiration for Strut stems from an unexpected architectural source: the exposed wooden structural frameworks of historic fire lookout towers scattered across the rugged landscapes of the Catskill and Rocky Mountains. The collection translates this quiet, rugged utility into sophisticated wooden lighting fixtures characterized by subtle metal detailing and a very intentional, thoughtful use of negative space.
Furthermore, Strut incorporates elongated linen shades, which draw inspiration in part from Sorensen-Jolink’s personal collection of vintage, cloth-shaded lamps. These fabric elements emit an enveloping, soft glow that is powerfully reminiscent of a glowing ember or a crackling campfire at dusk, wrapping the room in a sense of security and natural calm.
Together, the two collections embody two distinctly contrasting approaches to interior illumination, both deeply informed by the constantly changing natural light surrounding Sorensen-Jolink’s studio in the Catskills. Through their distinct physical forms, meticulous craftsmanship, and carefully chosen materials, Touch and Strut manage to successfully balance focused illumination with softer, ambient light, ultimately introducing the organic, shifting rhythms of sun and shade directly into the modern interior.
Lookout is on view until Oct. 21 at Colony Gallery in New York City.
