Illuminated River launches virtual exhibition in partnership with Art UK
(UK) – Virtual exhibition curated by Illuminated River artist Leo Villareal
Illuminated River has partnered with Art UK to produce virtual exhibition The Thames Bridges in Light and Colour.
Illuminated River artist Leo Villareal joins a long tradition of artists who have been inspired by the Thames and its bridges – his light compositions mimic the ever-changing movement of the river, using shifting hues drawn from the London sky during sunset, through nightfall and under moonlight.
In this exhibition, Villareal selects paintings of the next bridges to be illuminated, from artists whose approach to light and colour has resonance with his own. Featuring pieces by Canaletto, Monet and Whistler, to contemporary artists like Frank Bowling.
Speaking of Alfred Daniels’ Parliament and Lambeth Palace, London, Leo Villareal said: “We are up height at an interesting eye level that the artist could not have physically experienced in this stylised painting. The precise geometric strokes that mark Lambeth Bridge in red correspond nicely to the iconic double-decker buses. All of this occurs within a generally muted and pastel environment. Westminster and its surroundings are painstakingly rendered. I am most interested in the water and the way the currents are depicted by arching forms. The reflection of the bridge is fascinating in its brown and almost pointillist strokes.”
The exhibition can be viewed on the ArtUK website here.
Illuminated River is a free public artwork transforming the Thames at night. Site-specific lighting artworks have been installed on the river’s central bridges in the longest public art project in the world. Light installations are currently visible on the first four bridges – London, Cannon Street, Southwark and Millennium.
LEDforum.20 shares highlights from digital conference
(Brazil) – Online conference welcomed 600 global attendees.
As with several lighting conferences around the world, Brazil’s LEDforum was transformed into a digital event this year. The resulting LEDforum.20 was held on 6th November, welcoming more than 600 attendees from around the world.
During the online conference, LEDforum.20 hosted eight speakers, who each presented current and industry relevant topics, related to their research, case studies and light art.
Opening the event was Pascal Chautard, whose presentation A Single Gesture revealed details of his award-winning lighting project for the sculpture Su Vertical Nos Retiene.
Case studies were also presented by German architect and engineer Thomas Schielke, who discussed the evolution and inspiration behind the design concept of Apple stores around the world.
Amongst the more technical lectures, Brazilian researcher and educator Mariana G. Figueiro presented results from her recent research on the impact of light during the Covid-19 pandemic. Elsewhere, Brazilian architect and lighting designer Mariana Novaes, together with engineer and researcher Vicente Scopacasa, presented What About Flicker, where they highlighted the phenomena that can be produced by LED light sources.
Meanwhile, Brazilian architect and lighting designer Fernanda Carvalho shared her knowledge and admiration for the works of American artist Dan Flavin, the subject of her Master’s theses. The American artist and educator Chris Fraser also shared moments of pure emotion with his amazing site-specific installations, presented in the lecture Luminous Bodies.
The event concluded with a keynote presentation from Fisher Marantz Stone’s Charles Stone, who presented The Light Outside: Vast and Intimate, part of his series of lectures on post-pandemic outdoor lighting design.
The LEDforum.20 was preceded by digital workshops held in partnership by AsBAI and LEDforum. The Sunrise & Sunset sessions took place on 3-4 November, and addressed themes related to literature, scenography, painting and cinema. In addition, the seventh edition of the International Light Week Workshop (WISL) adapted its format to the current situation, being transformed into an online course. As such, the workshop Lighting for Historical Buildings, given by Prof. Jan Blieske, kicked off on 5 November, and will last for 10 months, culminating in the presentation of its results at LEDforum.21.
LEDforum.20 closed with a friendly invitation from speakers who are confirmed for the 2021 edition, including lighting designers Rafael Leão, Ricardo Hofstadter, Prof. Jan Blieske, Mary-Anne Kyriakou and Wim aan de Stegge; British artist Liz West, and award-winning Dutch artist and architect Daan Roosegaarde as keynote speaker.
Registration for LEDforum.21 is open, and space is limited, as 80% of tickets have already been allocated.
IALD Enlighten Europe 2020 draws more than 500 attendees
(Europe) – Conference moved online due to Covid-19 pandemic
The first ever digital IALD Enlighten Europe conference, held online on 18-19 November, welcomed more than 500 lighting professionals – including designers, architects, students, educators, manufacturers and suppliers – from around the world.
The event, originally scheduled to take place in Oslo, Norway, was moved online because of the Covid-19 pandemic, but representatives from the IALD are delighted with the resulting digital event.
“While we all wish we could be together in person, our online Enlighten conferences still give us the opportunity to gather together as a global community,” said IALD President Douglas Leonard. “This year’s Enlighten Europe showcased a strong line up of lighting luminaries from all over the world. The topics were engaging and forward-focused, reminding us that lighting design is an ever-evolving profession, and our passion for the study of light and its applications.”
IALD CEO Marsha Turner added: “2020 has been a year of many ‘firsts’ for the IALD. And bringing our Enlighten conferences online this year has been another first for us. In addition to the strong educational content, our Enlighten events are for connecting and reconnecting – to catch up with long-time friends, meet new colleagues, be inspired and have a bit of fun. As a result, we created interactive events that focused on connecting and networking virtually.”
The conference opened with a leading international panel on How Have You Adapted and Remained Inspired Throughout Your Career by this Ever-Changing Field of Lighting Design? In this session, Kaoru Mende, Claudia Paz and Kai Piippo shared stories from their lighting design careers, revealing the moments, people and principles that have inspired them throughout their careers.
The topic of lighting for darkness was a prevalent theme during the conference, as Helga Iselin Wåseth from the University of South Eastern Norway and Darío Nuñez of Verkis each held presentations on the mindful application of light, and not trying to eradicate darkness.
Elsewhere, Enlighten Europe offered more thought-provoking content on What Inspires You and How is it Different Now than When You First Started Lighting Design? Here, lighting designers Gustavo Avilés, Mônica Luz Lobo and Andreas Schulz shared their inner thoughts and wisdom about inspiration during the events closing session. From mindful observations and finding meaning from the things around us, to discovering the inspiration from people and the stories behind projects, and unleashing creativity through founding your own company, each designer shared their path to inspiration.
The IALD hope to resume physical conferences with IALD Enlighten Americas, scheduled to take place in Banff, Canada in October 2021.
[d]arc night 2019 highlights
A year on from the 2019 [d]arc awards party, [d]arc night, we look back at some highlights from the evening, including all of the 2019 [d]arc awards winners, and some special prizes for the best installation, and best dressed attendees.
Entries for the 2020 [d]arc awards are still open. All information about the awards and how to enter can be found at the [d]arc awards website.
Video courtesy of Light Collective.
LEDucation rescheduled to August 2021
(USA) – In-person event moved to August, virtual conference still slated for 16-17 March.
Due to the continuing uncertainty of the Covid-19 pandemic, along with New York State and City restrictions on assemble, the LEDucation committee has announced that the in-person 2021 LEDucation trade show and conference will be rescheduled to 17-18 August.
The in-person event is slated to be held at the New York Hilton Midtown, and will continue to include multiple exhibition halls featuring a broad scope of manufacturers and suppliers from across the industry, as well as a dynamic conference programme.
“In a post-Covid-19 environment, LEDucation will continue to prioritise the health and safety of all attendees and will be run in accordance with official government and local authority guidance, as well as New York Hilton Midtown health protocols. This will include enhanced cleaning, non-contact registration, physical distancing, on-site medical staff, personal protective equipment, screening measures, and adapted conference rooms and sessions,” a statement from the event organisers read.
“LEDucation remains committed to keeping the lighting industry connected and will include a virtual component across multiple channels during the August show. Additional information will be available in the coming months.”
Originally scheduled to take place on 16-17 March, a virtual LEDucation conference will still take place on these dates, offering a variety of accredited webinars, all with a focus on solid-state lighting. A virtual online marketplace will also begin on 16 March that will enable registered attendees to review the latest products and technologies from exhibitors, free of charge.
Stoane Lighting launches ReNew division
(UK) – Division established to help deal with increased interest in repair or upgrade requirements.
As part of a concerted effort to be more sustainable, Scottish manufacturer Stoane Lighting has introduced ReNew, a new division that has been set up to help deal with increased interest in repair or upgrade requirements.
“Our focus for a long time, as a manufacturer, has been our impact on the environment,” the manufacturer states. “Since day one, we have believed that a product should be built to last. We continue the same ethos today and are developing product ranges with the Circular Economy front and centre – nearly all kit sporting a five-year warranty and further 20-year duty of care.”
Through the ReNew service, Stoane Lighting provides general repair, deep cleans and electrical safety checks on luminaires, as well as possible repainting, if needed. The division will also replace components that are nearing end of life, such as drivers and LEDs, and will also provide efficacy improvements in LEDs, drivers and optics. If the fittings are to be used in a new area, or the existing space is undergoing a change in use, ReNew can offer a different mounting method or light technical performance (such as colour tuning), if needed, alongside the addition of on-board wireless control.
Once fittings have been repaired or upgraded through ReNew, they will start a new five-year warranty period, and any unwanted parts will be recycled.
“The current global situation has helped us learn some valuable lessons on how we can do things better, ReNew is just one,” Stoane Lighting added. “We’ve opened ourselves up to scrutiny, looking at our standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability. We have helped bring into being an open forum on the subject, welcoming input and questions from all corners of the industry, with the intention of learning and accelerating progress towards a Circular Economy.”
This open forum, the GreenLight Alliance, is due to go live shortly, and will act as an informal CIC intending to move the topic forward. Through this, Stoane Lighting has been working to arrive at a robust set of metrics and guidance to incorporate all aspects (raw components and luminaires, through to specification and deployment) within the Circular Economy. More information can be found at www.greenlight-alliance.com.
Stoane Lighting has also released a detailed paper, showing how its ZTA range has been designed with the Circular Economy in mind. This is available to view on the Stoane Lighting website here.
Light Collective: The Perfect Light Project
A film by Light Collective: “Is LED the Perfect Light Source? About 3.5 years ago we realised that 90% of our lighting design projects had moved to LED’s as the main source of electric light. Unlike any light source development before, LEDs have superseded and replaced most other sources and potentially rendered them obsolete. We decided to ask a number of lighting designers if LED was, therefore, the Perfect Light? Were we in the middle of the greatest revolution since the invention of the light bulb?
“We finished the film about 3 years ago and showed it first in London, Paris, Berlin, New York and Milan. It has since been shown in 16 other countries at private events. We have decided to put the film on-line now and ask the question – what has changed? Have things moved on in the last 3.5 years and LED has started to become the dominant source in our homes as well as commercial lighting. Do you think LED has improved or has it stagnated, is LED the perfect light source and what do you want to see in the future? Please share this film with your friends and colleagues – we want the debate to be all inclusive.”
Lyon Light Festival Forum moved online for 2020
(France) – Online event to be held from 7-9 December.
This year, the Lyon Light Festival Forum (LLFF), organised by LUCI Association, in collaboration with the city of Lyon, has been transformed into a fully online event.
Held from 7-9 December, LLFF will include a range of panel discussions, pecha kucha sessions and one-to-one networking opportunities for creative lighting professionals.
Spread across three days, sessions include ‘The evolution of creative lighting to reimagine cities’, where Sarah Gaventa, Director of the Illuminated River Foundation, alongside Sylvain Godinot, Deputy Mayor Heritage and Ecological Transition for the City of Lyon, and Jess Scully, Deputy Lord Mayor of Sydney and co-Chair of the Nightlife and Creative Sector Advisory Panel, will discuss how cities can use creative lighting in a unique and interesting way to refresh their nightscapes.
Elsewhere, representatives from GLOW Eindhoven, Fête des Lumières, Ghent Light Festival and City of Light in Jyväskylä, Finland will discuss how light festivals have changed in the wake of the global Covid-19 pandemic in a discussion entitled ‘The transformation of light festivals to adapt to the new normal’.
Registration for LLFF is now open – registration is free, but spaces are limited. More information on the event programme and registration can be found here.
Speirs + Major announce new name, brand identity and website
(UK) - The lighting design practice to be renamed to Speirs Major.
Speirs + Major has announced that as of Tuesday 24th November, it has undergone a rebrand, and will now be known as Speirs Major. The move reflects an ongoing evolution in the studio's design approach and company structure. The practice has also launched a new website: www.smlightarchitecture.com.
Senior Partners Keith Bradshaw and Mark Major issued this joint statement: "Founded initially as an atelier practice 25 years ago, we have evolved into a unique team that has been responsible for creating hundreds of award-winning projects in more than 40 countries around the world. Our new name reflects this broader organisation, in which the design teams in our London and Tokyo studios are steered by our Partners, under our creative leadership.
"We are delighted to announce that Clementine Fletcher-Smith and Carrie Donahue Bremner are joining us as Partners, and Benz Roos, Philip Rose, Iain Ruxton and Hiro Toyoda as Associate Partners.
"Light Architecture underscores our ethos, rooted in our fascination with light, form, space and time. Our approach is to progressively and responsibly use light to improve the experience of the built environment, promote wellbeing and generate a unique sense of place."
The new website includes a full explanation of the practice's approach, alongside in-depth coverage of its wide-ranging portfolio of work, including many images and sketches that have not previously been publicly available. The site is also home to a journal page that is intended to act as a repository of inspirational content on the subject of light architecture.
Lightfair 2021 postponed to Fall
(USA) – Show rescheduled from May to 25-29 October 2021.
The IALD, IES and International Market Centers (IMC) have announced that LightFair 2021 has been postponed until October.
The event was initially scheduled to take place from 16-20 May at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York, but has been moved back to the Fall, with new dates now falling on 25-29 October. The show will still take place in New York.
“Participation at LightFair is critical to advancing innovation in the industry, so we are dedicated to presenting the most advantageous tradeshow and conference experience possible. In 2021, that means moving to the fall,” said Dan Darby, LightFair Show Director. “When our industry reconnects physically after more than two years, we are committed to delivering a memorable and safe experience for everyone with incredible discovery, networking and learning opportunities.”
“LightFair would not be the vibrant community it has grown to be over the past 32 years without the support of our industry,” added Timothy Licitra, IES Executive Director. “We are grateful for their support as we weathered the challenges of 2020 and look forward to thanking them with an even better LightFair experience next fall.”
“Staging LightFair in October 2021 allows us to facilitate a safer and more successful event that will best serve attendees and exhibitors,” explained Marsha Turner, IALD CEO. “In making this decision, we factored in various aspects of the impact the pandemic has had on our industry and our members’ businesses and decided waiting five months would alleviate most of those concerns.”
Organisers feel that postponing LightFair until October will give exhibitors and attendees more time and flexibility to allocate budget and resources for the show and will allow more time to flatten the curve, stabilize, recover and return as close to normal as possible. Additionally, staging the tradeshow in 2021 allows specifiers to place orders to alleviate pent-up demand before the next scheduled LightFair in late Spring 2022.
LightFair anticipates a strong tradeshow based on the date change and plans to present the same floor plan as designed for May 2021. Exhibitors who had committed to the May 2021 tradeshow are able to keep their locations for the October 2021 staging. Additionally, a new “Ease of Mind” cancellation policy ensures exhibitors’ investments are protected, if conditions do not improve in 2021.
DALI Alliance: What can DALI do? Lighting quality and control meets intelligence and connectivity
In an in-depth webinar, presented by Scott Wade and Paul Drosihn of the DALI Alliance, in association with arc magazine, viewers can learn about the benefits and features of DALI, and how dimming and colour control can improve productivity and wellbeing.
Discover how data available from DALI drivers and luminaires delivers further intelligence to sensor-rich lighting networks; find out how DALI-based tunable-white colour control can be harnessed to enhance your next project; and discover directly from the DALI Alliance, how its collaborations with organisations such as the Zigbee Alliance, Thread Group and Bluetooth SIG, are aiming to standardise the way that DALI lighting controls can be integrated with wireless networking and IP-based systems.
IALD: 2020 IALD College of Fellows Presentation
Each year, the IALD College of Fellows recognises the outstanding achievements of designers as individuals and honours model architectural lighting designers who have made significant contributions to the international design and build community. Fellowship acknowledges exceptional contributions to the IALD as an association.
The 2020 College of Fellows presentation, hosted online, saw David Ghatan, Maureen Moran and Kevin Theobald inducted into the IALD College of Fellows.
