Paper Cranes on London School Staircase

White paper cranes drape along the banister of a steep staircase inside a London school laboratory. A rectangular projector beam cuts through the predawn darkness, illuminating the folded wings and casting sharp shadows against the dark brick walls. Cool light falls across the rough plaster surfaces, while a brass lamp rests in the lower corner, pooling warm yellow light at the base. Early winter darkness presses against the high windows at the top of the stairwell. The handrails create leading lines that guide the view upward toward the faint silhouette of a laboratory door at the landing, where the projector light fades into the gloom.