BALARR, Melbourne Now, NGV

Commissioned by the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) for Melbourne Now, ILANEL was approached to collaborate with artist Jenna Lee on Balarr (To become light)—a transcultural installation reimagining traditional Gulumerridjin dilly bags as Kyoto-style paper lanterns.

While the lanterns themselves were a collaboration between Lee and the historic Kojima Shōten in Kyoto, ILANEL’s role was focused exclusively on the technical illumination of these delicate forms.

To achieve a light that felt organic and integral to the artwork, we developed two distinct lighting applications. For the basket handles, we utilised neon LED filaments encased in a specialised fibreglass sleeve. This bespoke solution added a fibrous, tactile texture to the light source, allowing the handle to glow while complementing the woven bamboo structure.

Internally, the neon elements were exposed yet carefully concealed from direct view. We engineered the placement to ensure the washi paper was illuminated evenly and beautifully, creating a soft, warm glow from within without revealing the light source.