Shift is a bold, site-specific light installation commissioned by the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. Drawing inspiration from the myth of the Phoenix, the work reimagines the college’s iconic Brutalist staircase as a symbol of transformation - turning its sharp lines and raw concrete surfaces into a kinetic canvas of colour, motion, and light.

Using precise architectural projection techniques, Shift maps dynamic visual patterns directly onto the staircase, accentuating its geometry and texture. Waves of light sweep through the structure in cycles of intensity and stillness - rising into vibrant crescendos before descending into minimalist calm. This visual choreography mirrors the Phoenix’s continual cycle of death and rebirth, inviting viewers to witness a space that appears to rebuild and reinvent itself in real time.

Rather than disguising the industrial character of the architecture, the installation embraces it- amplifying the drama of abrupt transitions and stark forms. In doing so, Shift becomes both a tribute to Brutalist design and a poetic reflection on resilience, change, and creative renewal.

By transforming a functional structure into a moving symbol, Shift invites audiences to see the familiar differently - celebrating the potential for reinvention in even the most rigid of forms.