Benni Allan suspends glowing canopy in the Norfolk woodlands for Houghton Festival

Benni Allan, founder of London studio EBBA Architects, has created an installation named Pulse for this year's Houghton Festival, which lights up in response to the surrounding trees.

Situated in a forest clearing at the festival, which took place in Norfolk from 7 to 10 August, the Pulse installation featured sound and lighting displays that aimed to connect visitors with the woodland setting.

A square platform with slanted edges made from black-stained softwood and plywood, which festival-goers could sit on, formed the base of Pulse.

Overhead, a canopy suspended from the surrounding trees mirrored the platform's chamfered square shape.

Informed by tetrahedral kites created by scientist Alexander Graham Bell, Pulse's canopy was made from plywood sheets arranged in a waffle-like structure, which was wrapped in translucent waterproof fabric.

Allan's main intention when designing the installation was to create a relaxing space where festival-goers could be immersed in nature through different senses.

Sound recordings were taken from trees surrounding the clearing, which were translated into vibrations in Pulse's base and a soundscape designed by composer Kevin Pollard.

The tree recordings also informed the light display in the canopy, which glowed white in the day and displayed pulsing colourful lights at night.

"The intention was to help create a feeling of connection with the context and to create something specific to the site," Allan told Dezeen.

"Houghton shares a deep connection with the forest and the surrounding environment, and I envisioned the idea of making something that would help to translate the vibrations from the surroundings," he added.

"We chose four mature trees that were in a perfect grid in relation to the clearing, and it helped to give the concept for the sound and haptics a clear rationale, helping to connect the sound and haptics with the relationship of where you were placed on the installation."

He hoped that the installation would function as a space for reflection.

"As a complementary experience to the rest of the festival, the installation was intended to be an oasis away from the music and a space that offered a place for both reflection and relaxation, yet also a moment to bring all the senses to the fore," Allan said.

Pulse was designed to connect festival-goers with the surrounding nature

The base of Pulse will remain a permanent fixture in the woodlands, and the canopy will be disassembled and reinstalled for next year's Houghton Festival.

"The installation was designed so that the base could be kept as a permanent element, while the installation in the trees is easily demountable and disassembled so that it can be stored," said Allan.

"The exciting part of the entire project was the experimental nature and how we will develop the concept as we learn about how people use it."

Allan founded EBBA Architects in 2017. Other projects by the studio include the Space Talk listening bar in London and a metal-frame home extension informed by Victorian design.

The photography is by James Retrief unless stated.

Houghton Festival took place in Norfolk from 7 to 10 August. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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