The northern lights, or aurora borealis, resemble veils of light floating in the sky. In 2012, Chris Kabel designed Cortina Borealis in cooperation with TextielLab to capture that same effect in curtains for Fogo Island Inn. A special glow-in-the-dark yarn woven into the fabric creates a ghostly visual echo of the natural phenomenon outside.
Since 2012, Borealis has formed a functional backdrop in the meeting room of the Fogo Island Inn. The inn is located on Fogo Island, a small Canadian Island close to the Arctic Circle where the northern lights are visible. Kabel tried to imitate the effect of the northern lights in curtains.
During the day, the windows offer a view to the north. When the conference room lights are turned on, the glow-in-the-dark yarn is recharged. When the lights are turned off for a presentation, the fabric emits a soft light. In the darkness, the woven pattern seems to float in space, producing a realistic impression of the northern lights.
The fabric uses a special glow-in-the-dark yarn. A new technique to create fluent transitions between delicate gradients in the fabric was also invented.
Kabel (1975) graduated in 2001 from the Design Academy Eindhoven. In 2002, he founded his design practice in Rotterdam. He works for and with design labels, architects, cultural institutions and design galleries. He is also a professor at the Ecole Cantonale d’Art in Lausanne (ECAL), Switzerland. His work can be found in a number of collections, including the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, MoMa New York and the TextielMuseum.
