Designed by Studio Drift partners Lonneke Gordijn and Ralph Nauta, featured in a
2012 Architectural Lighting profile, Shylight is inspired by the principal of
nyctinasty, whereby certain types of flowers close as night for self-defense and to preserve their resources. Studio Drift interpreted this natural phenomenon in the design of the silk-wrapped, luminous hanging sculptures by exposing a motorized drive at the top of the lantern so that they open and close to various degrees as the fixture moves up and down its cable structure. The installation is on display in the museum’s Philips Wing.