Take me to church.

Food can be a religious experience, and it’s tough not to make the connection at Cathédrale, Tao’s latest restaurant located at the East Village Moxy Hotel. We were thrilled to work with the team on the entire project (to be featured in a future post), but this aspect of it was especially inspiring.

Fillmore, the permanent art installation by Edoardo Tresoldi, is a nod to the Fillmore East Concert Hall. Informed by classical architecture and art, it absolutely soars within the sunken dining room’s towering ceilings. It was constructed on site by the artist and team entirely of metal chicken wire. The effect, once illuminated, is of an ethereal floating cathedral.

Working with Rockwell Group, Tao Group, and the Tresoldi team, we crafted a lighting approach that respected the artwork but also provided the signature ambiance of a Tao Restaurant.

A perimeter of custom track lighting was suspended just below the sculpture, incorporating two dozen dynamic white LED accent lights. Most of the fixtures were set to their warmest color temperature and house warm theatrical filters to create the incandescent glow. Each fixture was carefully aimed to highlight the volume of the sculpture without spilling light onto the ceilings above or perimeter walls.

Rockwell Group added rich blue swags of drapery to the perimeter which were highlighted from the track with custom blue filtered accent lights. The saturated perimeter provides a soft, dramatic backdrop to the sculpture, complimenting the amber light.

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It was important the piece be 100% up lit. The sculpture and the space are designed to look up and through them. From each table and entrance into the space. Table lighting was achieved with portable rechargeable LED lamps and perimeter decorative fixtures designed by Rockwell Group. Banquettes are backlit with warm LED up lights to capture the textures of the raw concrete, plaster walls and metal screen accents.