Bentley Meeker

Bentley Meeker’s Light X Design: 20 Years of Lighting is a wonderfully educational and beautiful coffee table book (11.25 in x 14.25 in). The book is filled with interesting descriptions of venues and photographs of event designs created by his company, Bentley Meeker Lighting and Staging. For twenty years, Mr. Meeker has designed the environments for major events such as weddings, corporate meetings, awards shows, musical performances, modeling shows, club parties, and museum galas.

The book begins with Bentley’s detailed explanation of his personal relationship with light as a spiritual force, a literal and figurative illumination of his life. This relationship started by chance but developed with his creative activity.

By chance in New York City, Bentley took jobs slinging lights in theater productions. These jobs were largely free lance so he was able to maintain a good level of independence. At first, he saw and lit only objects and backgrounds on stage. Over time, he began to see the light itself, not just lit objects, as a key element to any event. Illumination is something that creates an environment and is more than light reflections glancing off of objects. Bentley realized he could use light to not only create illusions on stage but also allusions to beauty, insightful perception, and immediate unfiltered experience. Light could help create experience for the soul.

As the reader turns the pages of the book, one line descriptions and beautiful photographs of light designs are presented. The single page may focus on one design or multiple space views creating shifting moods in the observer. We can vicariously experience the event, entering the hall, ballroom, museum, club, or atrium and know how it felt for the people attending it. You can attend the wedding of Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones at the Plaza Hotel, visit museums like the Whitney from the outer reception area to the inner sanctum, see a comparison of Mr. Meeker’s many different lighting designs of the Plaza Hotel Grand Ballroom, and follow the creation of varied environments in Gotham Hall.

As you continue through the pages, you begin to pick out details that are as beautiful as the total space: a wonderfully lit table set with glasses, flowers and candles, an area of rug with an intricate pattern of colored light, a unique chandelier suspended in light to mark a theme. The themes vary from simple and direct to abstract and surreal coordinated in details and total environment.

As you move from weddings to birthday parties to major fashion shows to gala society events, you visit some of New York’s most exclusive venues. In addition to the Plaza Hotel and Gotham Hall, you can visit 110 East 42 Street, 55 Wall Street, unique lofts, outdoor settings, tents, clubs, and other great venues.

In the Forward, Preston Bailey describes the talent of Bentley Meeker and discusses their collaboration on many successful events. If you recall some of the events that you have attended in your life and see in Light X Design how the entire experience could have been enhanced by lighting, you will appreciate the brilliant work of Mr. Meeker and wish that sites of some of your own significant events had been designed by him.… (plus d'informations)