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Mike Brannon

Mike Brannon

San Antonio, TX, US

 

About 

Light is everything. 

Light is both perception - how we see everything we experience - and how we remember the moment.  

It's how we experience color, texture, dimension and even mood. It's how we sense and record the environmental ambience or 'feel' of a space.  It provides that X-factor. It's either there or it isn't.

With this in consideration we bring our lines of ambient lighting that enhance their environment in various ways, allowing one to control color, texture and intensity while achieving a philosophical balance between the the natural and industrial worlds.

The Lightlink Lighting collection - described as 'Zen/Industrial', 'Illuminated sculpture' or 'Euro-Texan art lighting' - was inspired by Mike's passion for light and an interest in how it can be manipulated to create a uniquely pleasing ambience while maintaining Green values and sustainability throughout design and implementation.

With Lightlink in its 19th year, Texas lighting designer Mike Brannon is achieving critical and commercial success around the country with his latest collection of Texas made original art lighting.

"I've always been drawn to the myriad effects of light, both upon a subject and as a subject of its own."

"I wanted to find a way of transforming the traditional shape of a shade into an integral part of the light itself, so I experimented with various transparent materials which have natural light-enhancing properties."

"The juxtaposition of industrial, natural and Zen features gave me the result I was looking for: the perfect elemental balance of high-tech design with Zen aesthetics. The overall effect is organic and atmospheric and is a very pleasing, integrated way to light contemporary interiors."

His work, which fuses industrial components and natural fibers into ambient illuminated sculptures, is currently on display in galleries and private collections in numerous major markets including : London, New York, Los Angeles, San Diego, Seattle, DC, Boston, Houston, Miami, San Antonio and Austin.

Lightlink specializes in creating modern, minimalist, interactive, ambient art lighting suitable for any contemporary setting, including Spas, resorts, hotels, lobbies, atriums, public & private areas, bars, restaurants, airports and offices, as well as, residential interiors. The pieces have echoes of Zen, Asian and industrial design through a particularly organic design sense coupled with the use of such diverse materials and techniques as dichroic & negative space mirroring, touch dimming, fluorescent acrylics, perforated metals, bamboo veneers, reclaimed hardwoods and hand-made art papers.

Among our values and design considerations at Lightlink are that each piece be inspired and inspiring, unique, environmentally enhancing, interactive and of predominantly green design. In that pursuit all materials used have high recycled content, as much as 90% of hardwoods are reclaimed, the bamboo is sustainable, only eco-resin is used and almost all metals used are also from reclaimed or recycled sources.

Though originally and currently a guitarist/jazz recording artist, I've designed and built custom, green/sustainably designed, 'Zen/Industrial' architectural art lighting since 1997 which has shown in galleries, museums, at TEDx, AIA, ASID, IIDA, DCA, CMPBS and IYL (UN's International Year of Light 2015) events and in private collections in major cities throughout the US and UK, as Lightlink Lighting.

Lightlink has won 18 ADEX Awards - 7 Platinum | 4 Gold | 7 Editor's Choice - for their lighting design work in 2016. In 2015 we received 'Best of 2015' product awards from both Design Journal and EnLIGHTenment magazine, the top lighting journal in the US.

Mike Brannon's work for Lightlink has been published in over 40 publications to date, including : Enlightenment, Eco-Structure, Organic Spa, Natural Home, Architect, Architectural Products, CLAD (AU), Hospitality Design, FORM, LD+A, Apartment Therapy, Inspire, Residential Lighting, Eco-Building Pulse, Design Journal, Metal Architecture, Innovative Home. Austin Home, Austin Urban HOME, Brilliant, Spa Business (UK), Leisure-Kit (UK), The Houston Chronicle, Phoenix Home & Garden, San Antonio Magazine, The San Antonio Express-News, NHome Texas, Wooloo, CODAWorx, Core77 etc.

Latest press : www.enlightenmentmag.com/designers/lighting-designer-brannon

     www.apartmenttherapy.com/mikes-creative-1932-craftsman-bungalow-house-call-217886

Latest  CD's : 'Later' - www.cdbaby.com/synergy2   /   'Barcodes' - www.cdbaby.com/synergy

                                                             'Off the Map'  -  ETA 2015

 

Interests include - architecture, lighting design, guitar, recording, music, repurposing, travel, movies & modern art 

Elsewhere:

Employment 

Lightlink Lighting, San Antonio, TX, Owner / lead designer

Lead Designer of Lightlink's green-designed, sustainably built, 'Zen/Industrial' art lighting designs.

Jan 1997 - current
 

Education 

Berklee College of Music, Boston, MA, US, Music Performance

Music / Guitar performance and composition B/Music

Jan 1988 - Jun 1992
 

Awards 

ADEX Award 2017 - Gold, 2nd Place

Design Journal / Archinterious has awarded Lightlink Lighting a Platinum ADEX Award and a Gold ADEX award for their product design excellence in 2017

2017
 

ADEX Award 2017 - Platinum, 1st Place

Design Journal / Archinterious has awarded Lightlink Lighting a Platinum ADEX Award and a Gold ADEX award for their product design excellence in 2017

2017
 

ADEX Awards 2016 - Platinum (7), 1st Place

Lightlink Lighting was honored to be included in EnLIGHTenment Magazine's 'Best of 2015' Lighting Products Awards

2016
 

ADEX Awards 2016 - Gold (4), 1st Place

Design Journal / Archinterious has awarded Lightlink Lighting 7 Platinum ADEX Awards for their product design excellence in 2016.

2016
 

ADEX Awards 2016 - Editor's Choice Awards (7), 1st Place

Design Journal / Archinterious has awarded Lightlink Lighting 7 Platinum ADEX Awards, 4 Gold ADEX awards and 7 Editor's Choice awards for their product design excellence in 2016.

2016
 

Enlightenment Magazine 'Best of 2015' Lighting Products, Award

Lightlink Lighting was honored to be included in EnLIGHTenment Magazine's 'Best of 2015' Lighting Products Awards

2015
 

Design Journal 'Best of 2015' Products, Award

Lightlink Lighting was honored to be included in Design Journal's 'Best of 2015' Lighting Products Awards

2015
 

Areas of Specialization 

Skills