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DHA Designs

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DHA Designs

DHA Designs are a lighting consultancy founded in 1988 by David Hersey and Adam Grater.

20/08/2025

Featured in the arc magazine - John Rylands Research Institute and Library in Manchester 📚

DHA introduced museum-quality lighting systems without losing the magic of the historic spaces.

Working with talented collaborators Nissen Richards Studio and Donald Insall Associates Architects, DHA re-lit four exhibition spaces and the new entrance, including introducing daylight to the permanent and temporary galleries.

Thank you to Matt Waring at arc magazine for covering this stunning project.

Read the feature here on pages 72 & 73: https://www.arc-magazine.com/issue-147/

Photographer Credit: Gareth Gardner

17/07/2025

John Rylands Next Chapter!

Celebrating 125 years of The University of Manchester Library, the John Rylands Research Institute and Library Next Chapter was a stunning project. Working with talented collaborators Nissen Richards Studio and Donald Insall Associates Architects, DHA re-lit four exhibition spaces and the new entrance, including introducing daylight to the permanent and temporary galleries.

Project designer David Robertson was honoured to light objects including an astonishing 2nd-century fragment of the New Testament, Shakespeare’s First Folio and the Gutenberg Bible. The first temporary exhibition, The Secret Public, shows the history of LGBTQ pop 1955 - 1985. In both spaces, DHA balanced daylight, the stunning decorative lighting, uplighting and case lighting to achieve 50 lux.

The John Rylands Research Institute and Library offers free entry. Plan your visit here: https://www.library.manchester.ac.uk/rylands/visit/plan-your-visit/next-chapter/

Photographer Credit: Gareth Gardner

12/06/2025

Story Explorers, The British Library

Step into a world of wonder! Working with the designer Juri Nishi, DHA helped transform the traditional Paccar 2 Gallery into a fun and engaging space for young families.

Beyond the library shelves, the visitors have the choice of exploring Jungle, Ocean and Space, with fun interactives alongside museum objects.

In their 25-year collaboration, this was the first time DHA had managed to work in a spotlit mirrorball, some water ripple projectors and a glowing cuddly octopus!

Story Explorers is perfect for curious kids aged 2–9. Entry is free: https://events.bl.uk/exhibitions/story-explorers

Photography Credit: David Robertson

05/06/2025

Happy and Glorious

Following the success of their collaboration on MI5: Official Secrets in March, DHA were delighted to return to The National Archives for Happy and Glorious.
Eight leading UK artists - including Hew Locke, Cornelia Parker, Jo Gerrard, and Dale Lewis -were commissioned by the Government Art Collection to reflect on the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla.

As part of a visitor trail through the National Archives, DHA introduced new exhibition-quality lighting throughout the public spaces. They also had the privilege of lighting two extraordinary historical objects:

⚫The first surviving Coronation Roll, from the crowning of Edward II in 1308
⚫The most recent Coronation Roll, from 2023 - the first to be produced on paper and stretching an impressive 21m

The exhibition is free and runs until 2 November: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/about/visit-us/whats-on/exhibitions/happy-and-glorious/

Photography credit: The National Archives

29/05/2025

UNEARTHED at The British Library!

DHA marked 25 years of working with the British Library by lighting their major new exhibition Unearthed: The Power of Gardening.

Showcasing their beautiful collection of manuscripts, photographs and art, the exhibition also celebrates the vital role gardening plays in mental health, environmental wellbeing, and planetary care.

Working alongside designers Studio MUTT, the exhibition begins in a garden shed and guides visitors through the four seasons, enhanced by subtle coloured lighting and projection effects.

Find out more and book tickets here: https://events.bl.uk/exhibitions/unearthed-the-power-of-gardening

20/05/2025

DHA Designs score double win at the Museums + Heritage - leading sector magazine and events 🏆🏆

DHA had a great night at the prestigious Museums + Heritage Awards 2025 at the London Hilton on Park Lane, winning in both the Best Permanent Exhibition and the Best Temporary Exhibition (over £80k) Categories.

Showtown in Blackpool won the Permanent Exhibition award for lead designers Casson Mann Ltd, an exciting and loving retelling of Blackpool’s showbiz history, with dynamic lighting by DHA. The Temporary Exhibition went to Beyond the Bassline: 500 Years of Black British Music at the British Library. DHA worked with Freehaus and JA Projects to realise this exhibition years in the making, transforming the BL Paccar Galleries into an AV-rich, theatrically-lit experience.

Congrulations to all!

Read more here > https://dhadesigns.com/dha-designs-score-double-win-at-museum-and-heritage-awards-2025/

15/05/2025

DHA are excited to announce that David Robertson’s first novel is now available as an audiobook 🎧

Writing under Cameron Grant, Death of a Dame is read by the brilliant Scottish actress Mhairi Morrison and is available on all major audio platforms.

Purchase and download here > https://www.amazon.co.uk/Audible-Death-of-a-Dame/dp/B0F5ZG979W/ref=tmm_aud_swatch_0

08/05/2025

Morris Mania at the William Morris Gallery!

DHA were very happy to work on Morris Mania, a fun immersive exhibition showcasing the reach of William Morris on the designed world. From Loewe fashion to food packaging and Nike trainers, his unmistakable style has reached every corner of the globe.

DHA has a long-standing relationship with the William Morris Gallery, having designed the full lighting scheme for the Grade II* listed, Art Fund Prize-winning gallery back in 2012. For Morris Mania, we collaborated with Sam Jacob Studio on the design, which includes some of Morris’s iconic lampshades.

The exhibition is free and runs through September. Find out more here: https://www.wmgallery.org.uk/event/morris-mania/

Images: William Morris Gallery

30/04/2025

Fixing Our Broken Planet Gallery 🌎

DHA’s latest collaboration with the Natural History Museum, London (NHM) was the Fixing Our Broken Planet Gallery, NHM's first brand new permanent gallery in ten years.

Promoting scientific solutions to climate change using the natural world it required clever lighting to complement the daylight and sustainable materials.

Teaming up with Record Lighting, DHA developed a thoughtful and sympathetic lighting scheme to allow the objects to tell this story against the stunning architecture.

The Fixing Our Broken Planet gallery is free to visit. Learn more here > https://www.nhm.ac.uk/visit/galleries-and-museum-map/fixing-our-broken-planet.html

17/04/2025

Secrets of the Thames – Now Open!

The UK’s first major exhibition dedicated to mudlarking, Secrets of the Thames, is now open at the Museum of London Docklands. This is DHA’s latest collaboration with Sam Jacob Studio.

Telling the story of 400 years of mudlarking, the immersive exhibition showcases extraordinary objects, all found on the riverbed.

We created a dramatic night-time first space lit in blue, with spotlight objects, before moving into the morning and a three-dimensional recreation of the Thames riverbank. Miniature spotlights, hidden behind cases, capture the excitement of torchlight revealing embedded finds.

The journey continues into the afternoon, featuring offices and labs where finds are examined, then moves through a Roman hoard. The experience concludes back at night, beneath a spectacular installation of Luke Jerram’s moon.

The exhibition runs until 1 March. For more information and to book tickets, visit: https://www.londonmuseum.org.uk/whats-on/secrets-thames/

Photography credit: © London Museum

04/04/2025

A groundbreaking exhibition, opening tomorrow!

As lighting consultants to The National Archives, UK, DHA were thrilled to be involved with the fascinating exhibition MI5: Official Secrets. With many objects never before seen (or known about), this exhibition charts the 115-year history of MI5.

Working alongside production designer Sophie Becher and set dresser Tom Rea, DHA helped create vignettes for the Cabinet War Rooms and notorious spy Anthony Blunt’s apartment. The exhibition is set in a recreated labyrinthine archive, highlighted by raking lighting across the box files.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to learn the secrets of Britain’s Security Services.

This exhibition is on until 28 September, find out more here > https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/mi5-official-secrets/

📸 Cabinet War Room

28/03/2025

Opening tomorrow... The first UK exhibition of Mexico’s much-loved artist, José María Velasco.

Continuing our collaboration with The National Gallery, we’re delighted to have designed the lighting scheme for this new exhibition.

This is the first-ever exhibition dedicated to a historical Latin American artist at the National Gallery and celebrates the 200th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Mexico and the UK. It honours Velasco’s legacy as one of the great 19th-century landscape painters.

The exhibition runs from 29 March – 17 August 2025, so make sure to visit> https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/exhibitions/velasco

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London
SE14

Opening Hours

Monday	9:30am - 6pm
Tuesday	9:30am - 6pm
Wednesday	9:30am - 6pm
Thursday	9:30am - 6pm
Friday	9:30am - 6pm

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+44 20 7939 0920

Website

http://www.dhadesigns.com/contact-and-download

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