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Floral artist Hamish Powell created an installation for ABASK’s booth at Salon Art + Design in New York, marking the first U.S. presentation of one of his signature breathing installations. The display brings together lighting by 13 makers and 1,500 repurposed corn husks, reflecting Powell’s approach of working with natural materials as they change over time.
Floral artist Hamish Powell has created an installation for online homeware platform ABASK at Salon Art + Design in New York, bringing together lighting from 13 makers with blooms, sculptural greenery and 1,500 repurposed corn husks. The presentation is the first U.S. outing for one of Powell’s signature “breathing installations,” according to Livingetc, and accompanies the launch of ABASK’s debut lighting category.
Powell’s installation uses plant material to respond to the distinct designs and materials of the lamps, rather than giving the collection one uniform floral treatment. The works shown include hand-painted, butterfly-shaped lamps by Yuxuan Huang, colorful glass designs by Danish studio Helle Mardahl, and Murano glass pieces by Kickie Chudikova. The wider assortment spans materials including wood, metal, shell, leather and marble.
The corn husks were a new material for Powell, who first experimented with them while working on an earlier ABASK shoot. For a desk lamp by Kilzi founder Jorge Suárez Kilzi, he arranged the husks as a frame. Powell told Livingetc that the effect became clear when the lamp was switched on: “It was only when we turned on the lamp and saw the gorgeous layering of light through the corn husks that it blew my mind.”
Other parts of the work draw on different natural references. Powell used nori sheets attached to wire armatures around Huang’s Spring Flower Lamp, which he said reminded him of an underwater creature. The installation also includes work by makers whose designs already draw on organic forms, including Helle Mardahl Studio’s Mushroom lamp and Chudikova’s octopus-like Pulpopolis series.
How Plants Change the Lighting Display
The installation puts a focus on how lighting and botanical materials affect one another, rather than presenting lamps as objects to view in isolation. Powell described flowers as a way to make objects feel less static, while acknowledging that their appearance can shift under artificial light. That approach links the collectible lighting to the temporary, changing qualities of plant matter.
The display also gives a second use to an abundant natural material. In this case, repurposed corn husks become a visible part of the presentation, filtering and layering light around the lamps. The project’s significance is mainly in its design approach: it treats the installation as a composition that changes with illumination, not just as a static arrangement of products.
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From ABASK Shoot to New York Fair
The New York installation follows an autumn collaboration in which Powell worked with ABASK on a shoot for the platform’s first lighting category. Livingetc reports that the collection is live, and that Powell then travelled from London to join the retailer at Salon Art + Design. The fair presentation extends that earlier work into a larger display bringing together designs from 13 of the 20 lighting makers whose work contributed to the line.
Powell is known for floral work with fashion houses including Hermès and Loewe, and for a wedding bouquet associated with Charli XCX that gained viral attention, according to Livingetc. The report describes the Salon presentation as his first U.S. showing of a signature breathing installation. It does not provide a fuller history of the installation format or details of earlier presentations.
Powell’s stated interest in plant materials that continue to change after their peak condition helps explain the use of dried arrangements and repurposed husks. He told Livingetc: “Sometimes it’s more interesting to work with the flow of nature than against it.” The statement describes his approach to the materials; it is not a claim that the organic elements will remain unchanged throughout the fair.
““Because the lamps had their own material language and personality, I wanted to approach each one uniquely, rather than imposing a singular style.””
— Hamish Powell, speaking to Livingetc
Installation Details Still Unreported
The source report does not specify the fair’s exact dates, how long the installation will remain on view, or whether the corn husks will be reused after the event. It also does not provide details on the installation’s construction, maintenance, or the quantities of other plant materials used. Those points should not be inferred from the description of the display.
Powell’s comments about light describe the visual effects he observed, including color shifts and shadows; the report does not supply technical measurements of lighting levels or material performance. It is also unclear whether ABASK plans further collaborations or additional presentations of the installation after Salon Art + Design.
The Collection After the Fair
ABASK’s debut lighting category is already live, according to Livingetc, so readers can view the collection beyond the New York fair presentation. The immediate next step is the public showing of Powell’s work alongside the participating makers at Salon Art + Design. The source does not announce a later tour, repeat installation, or a follow-up project, so any plans beyond the fair remain unconfirmed.
Key Questions
What did Hamish Powell create for ABASK?
He created a botanical installation for ABASK’s booth at Salon Art + Design in New York, combining lighting with blooms, sculptural greenery and 1,500 repurposed corn husks.
Which lighting designers are represented in the installation?
Livingetc names work by Yuxuan Huang, Helle Mardahl and Kickie Chudikova, among others. The display incorporates designs from 13 makers in the ABASK lighting line.
Why did Powell use corn husks?
Powell had experimented with corn husks during an earlier ABASK shoot. He said the layered light through the material became apparent when the lamp was switched on, giving the husks a role in the visual effect as well as the framing.
What does Powell mean by making two compositions?
He told Livingetc that a floral arrangement can look different with a lamp off and on. Backlighting may reveal a petal’s veins, flatten some flower shapes, or change how colors appear.
Will the installation tour after Salon Art + Design?
The report does not say whether the installation will travel to another venue or return in a later presentation. Any plans after the New York fair have not been confirmed in the source material.
Source: livingetc.com
