Case Study: Bespoke Acrylic Lighting with Dan Heap
Creating sculptural pendant lighting through cast acrylic embedment
When lighting designer Dan Heap approached Midton with a concept for a collection of bespoke pendant lights, the ambition was to create something that worked as much as a piece of art as it did a functional light.
Designed initially to hang amongst trees above the terrace of a private residence, the pendants needed to interact beautifully with both natural daylight and artificial light. Dan’s concept centred around encapsulating carefully selected natural objects inside crystal-clear acrylic, turning each pendant into an individual sculptural piece.
For Midton, the project was an ideal application of our experience in cast acrylic embedment, combining specialist manufacturing with creative lighting design.
The Brief
The challenge was to transform Dan’s creative concept into a beautifully finished and practical lighting product.
Each pendant needed to deliver exceptional clarity while preserving and showcasing the natural material encapsulated within it. The design also needed enough flexibility to accommodate different objects and pendant sizes, allowing individual pieces to have their own character while remaining part of a cohesive collection.
The result needed to be visually striking during the day and take on an entirely different character when illuminated at night.
Using Acrylic Embedment to Capture Nature
Cast acrylic was selected for its combination of clarity, strength and light-reflecting properties.
Midton worked closely with Dan to develop and refine the concept, carefully testing the natural objects to understand how they would perform during the acrylic encapsulation process. Once the prototypes had been perfected, the components were transformed into finished pendants designed to integrate seamlessly with the lighting source.
A polished finish was chosen to maximise optical clarity and draw attention to the organic materials suspended inside the acrylic.
Rather than simply sitting on the surface, the natural objects appear captured within the pendant itself. Light passes through and around the embedded material, creating changing reflections, shadows and details depending on the viewing angle and surrounding environment.
Designed Around Light
One of the most striking aspects of the finished design is how differently the pendants behave throughout the day.
In daylight, the highly polished acrylic catches and reflects natural light, highlighting the materials encapsulated within each piece.
At night, an LED light source concealed within the top of the fitting illuminates the acrylic and embedded material, transforming the pendant and creating pools of light beneath it. Dan describes the pieces as hanging like “jewels” by day, before becoming illuminated features after dark.
This interaction between light, acrylic and natural material is what makes the collection so distinctive.
Have an idea for a bespoke lighting project?
From one-off statement pieces to larger lighting collections, Midton can work with designers, architects and lighting specialists to explore what can be achieved through cast acrylic and specialist embedment.
The Finished Bespoke Lighting Collection
The collaboration resulted in a collection of bespoke acrylic pendant lights available in different sizes, each combining Dan Heap’s creative direction with Midton’s acrylic casting and embedment expertise.
The finished pieces combine:
- Cast acrylic embedment to encapsulate natural objects
- High-polish finishes for exceptional clarity
- Bespoke sizes and embedded materials
- Concealed LED illumination
- A design that changes character between daylight and night-time illumination
The hemp-covered cables complement the organic materials within the pendants and form part of the overall aesthetic of the finished collection.
Where Lighting Meets Art
This project demonstrates what becomes possible when bespoke lighting design and specialist acrylic manufacturing come together.
The finished pendants are more than functional light fittings. The combination of clear cast acrylic, embedded natural materials and carefully considered illumination turns each piece into a sculptural object in its own right.
It is also a strong example of the versatility of acrylic embedment. The technique can go far beyond awards and memorabilia, allowing designers to permanently encapsulate objects and materials within optically clear acrylic for lighting, interiors, art installations and architectural applications.
Midton continues to collaborate with Dan Heap Lighting on exploring new bespoke lighting ideas, materials and designs.
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