“My job is to create atmospheres”—Interview with lighting designer Amanda Szabó

The design community knows her for being a lighting designer, however, she prefers to be called a storyteller who creates atmospheres. She’s travelled the world from New York to Cape Verde with each trip serving as creative inspiration. The idea of her recently launched ready-to-wear brand was born on one of her journeys too. We talked to Amanda Szabó about her professional milestones and the ideal creative space.

The article originally appeared in issue two.

There are only a few lighting designers in the region who’ve made it to the international scene. What brought you to this profession?

After studying Media Design at Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design, I moved to Coppenhagen to work on opera productions and create video mapping installations. It was while travelling in Scandinavia, that I first realized lighting design can step out of theatres and become an integral part of architecture...and that the future lies in universal art projects anyway.

Then, I enrolled in the Lighting Design Master’s programme of Hochschule Wismar Architecture. Back in the day, during my BA classes, my teachers used to ask me, “what’s the story behind your projects?” In Copenhagen, two things finally dawned on me: I tell stories with light and lighting design as a profession does have a rightful place in the creative industry. I believe that beauty is created when the right balance is found between different art mediums.

What does a lighting designer do, what projects are you working on?

My main profile really is lighting design, however, with eight years of experience behind me, I’d rather call myself a creative director specializing in lighting design and creating atmospheres. Whether I’m working on a theatre performance, a building or a commercial, my job is to create atmospheres—I am given a specific platform and a certain medium to evoke emotions with. I gained experience in all these three fields: I designed stage lighting for director Nicholas Tolkien’s off-Broadway piece;building and interior lighting for Hard Rock, Four Seasons and Kempinski hotels in Budapest;and also collaborated with film director Hakan Can on production lighting for BMW and Hyundai commercials. At the moment, I see my future in commercials.

The focus of your work is creating atmospheres, however, we know little about what particular spaces inspire you during your design process. What kind of environment makes your creativity flow?

For me, an aesthetic, inspiring space and silence are key. I believe that creative minds shut down in a busy and loud office. The visuals of the space, even the color of my outfit that day might influence the outcome of my design process. While I write down the story behind the lighting or the phases of creating the atmosphere, I listen to monotonous electronic music or frequencies for hours on end. Meditative spaces and situations are also important to me, these are the themes I explored in my Zohar Concept art project which is based on the frequencies of light, on colors. When you walk into the installation, the combination of colors accompanied by noises and scents stimulate your brain and transport you to a meditative state. These principles are also easily translatable to commercials.

Besides your lighting design projects, you are about to launch your swimwear line and your ready-to-wear brand Lil Bedu already has two collections. What made you try yourself in fashion?

I’m a big fan of ancient cultures, their traditions of handmade goods, the story-telling power of a piece of clothing or an item. I first fell in love with women’s clothing in Arabic cultures. I wanted to create a modern piece that invokes the charming movement of wrap dresses. The first collection of my brand Lil Bedu was inspired by this feeling with a hint of inspiration from silhouettes of kimonos and modern kaftans. My time spent in Cape Verde this summer inspired the Hammock skirts. My brand truly has a heart and is constantly evolving through my travels. My goal was never to design an endless number of pieces and countless collections, but to create something timeless and sustainable that you can wear in many ways and that oozes the feeling of the lifestyle, travel experiences and cultures that made it come to life.

Photos: Ádám Földi & Géza Talabér & Amanda Szabó

Amanda Szabó | Instagram

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