Reflecting on the Holiday Season

PREIT and Macerich’s Fashion District Philadelphia opened its doors on September 19th, just before the 2019 holiday shopping rush.  The new shopping center is located in the heart of downtown Philadelphia at 9^th and Market Street.  For the holiday season, Fashion District is decking their halls with a program called Reflections at The District, a multimedia sound and light show, developed as a gift to the City of Philadelphia.

Matthew Schwam Design Solutions was tapped to design and build an iconic and customized holiday experience. Matthew’s approach takes the public on a reflective journey from the outdoor public plaza to the inside 75-foot glass roof center atrium with an unparalleled and everchanging multimedia experience.  This unique design assignment occurs as PREIT is redefining the shopping experience by combining architecture, style, dining, entertainment, art and special events.  Matthew has been at the forefront of uniquely expressive custom urban holiday design for the past 20 years. 

The must-see holiday event in the City of Brotherly Love features the 45-foot tall floating tree constructed of stainless-steel orbs and programmable RGB LED’s, hanging as the centerpiece of Reflections at The District, fully activated as a multimedia event to the sounds of Philly Pops.  In collaboration with Philadelphia’s renowned orchestra, Schwam directed the re-composition of the orchestra’s most prestigious holiday tunes.  Schwam says “The opportunity to program our light show to the sounds of Philly Pops was a chance of a lifetime”.  Scheduled events of the multimedia sound and light show will be free to the public every day, every half hour, from sunset to closing.    

Schwam says “We programmed the floating tree to come to life, infusing our own brand of contemporary design and interpretive lighting juxtaposed with the classic holiday music of Philly’s most famous orchestra.”  The floating tree construction is one of the largest temporary hanging mobiles in the world including 600 stainless steel orbs and 1,100 multi-color programmable RGB LED lights hanging from 1.5 miles of steel cable and just a few pounds less than the Liberty Bell which is made mostly of copper weighing in at 2,080 pounds. 

As the public enters the exterior Cube Plaza entrance, a field of oversized stainless-steel orbs, from 4 feet up to 7 feet in diameter, provides a unique, zen-like environment allowing for artistic, nostalgic reflection and photographs by the public.  The Cube Plaza orbs will be part of a second lighting event on the premises in sync with the architectural glass façade lighting at the main entrance on Market Street.

“The design evokes the feeling of inclusion with every glance as everyone and everything around us reflect back in the mirrored orbs, providing instant everchanging feedback and environmental context.  The reflections vary with every step we take around the orbs, creating a sense of constant movement, fitting with the pulse of vibrant downtown Philadelphia” says Schwam.  “We started our design process with fresh high-end materials that responded well to the modern architecture, the pace of the City and the need to create a uniquely branded experience made for moments an memories.” 

“We are thrilled to be a part of bringing this new and exciting holiday experience to Philadelphia and hope that Philadelphian’s stop by to celebrate and reflect at The District.  This unique multi-media experience is destined to become a treasured holiday tradition for the people of Philadelphia and it’s 44 million annual visitors from around the world.”

About Matthew Schwam Design Solutions

MATTHEW SCHWAM’s design solutions are driven by a deep passion to articulate a unique story and a distinctive point of view. Matthew builds a singular, synchronized experience built on branded design principles with FOCUS on ARCHITECTURE, MATERIALS, CREATIVE DIRECTION and BRAND IDENTITY. The New York-based company is an INTERDISCIPLINARY in leading the contemporary three dimensional design conversation with experiential ACTIVATIONS in SHOPPING CENTERS, RETAIL, AND PUBLIC SPACES.