Spread the Light: Light and Communication - Tapio Rosenius & Katia Kolovea
In part five of Stir's Spread the Light series of interviews, filmed by Linus Lopez at PLDC 2019, Tapio Rosenius, CEO of Skandal Technologies and Founder of LDC, and Katia Kolovea, lighting designer and Founder fo Archifos have an insightful and probing conversation on the ways in which light can be used as a tool for communication.
In a multi-faceted approach to understanding the power of light in communicating ideas and emotions, the two designers also discuss challenges they have faced and solutions they have come up with. Negotiating artful communication is a result of careful dialogue with a clear end focus and holds huge potential in a technology driven world.
The Spread the Light series is presented by Wipro Lighting in collaboration with PLDC.
Video: Linus Lopez, courtesy of STIR
Nulty: The Light Lunch Series - Speculative Lighting Design
In part four of Nulty's Light Lunch Series - Speculative Lighting Design: The Future of Light and Lighting - Emilio Hernandez and Seraphina Gogate conduct a thought experiment on speculative design, debating the merits of innovations such as Edison, Tesla and OLED and culminating in a wider discussion on the future of lighting and beyond.
Video courtesy of Nulty.
Atelier Rang: Superstrings
In this beautiful short video, Wolfgang Rang envisions oscilating watercolours of light that dance across the Frankfurt skyline, soundtracked by Nils Frahm's ethereal Says.
IALD to host International Lighting Design Awards online
(USA) – Awards to be live-streamed on Thursday 18 June 2020.
The IALD has announced that its 37th annual International Lighting Design Awards show will be hosted online on Thursday 18 June 2020.
Originally due to be held during LightFair International in Las Vegas, the move marks the first time that the IALD’s awards programme will be open for the world to view.
The IALD International Lighting Design Awards aim to recognise lighting design that “reaches new heights, moves beyond the ordinary, and represents excellence in aesthetic and technical design achievement”. The 2020 instalment, presented by Cooper Lighting Solutions, will announce more than 20 award-winning projects, with special citations, Awards of Merit, Awards of Excellence, and the highly coveted Radiance Award – the highest honour in the awards programme.
“The IALD’s awards are truly representative of the growth and appreciation of excellence in lighting design around the world – with entries from lighting designers and projects across nearly every continent,” said Marsha Turner, IALD CEO. “We are tremendously excited to host the awards online this year, giving us an opportunity to reach, engage and inspire more lighting designers, architects, interior designers and partners in the industry than ever before.”
IALD Awards co-chair Morgan Gabler added: “Over the years, we have seen incredible advances in the overall quality of lighting design in projects submitted for the IALD awards; this year is no exception. We celebrate lighting design projects that are emotionally evoking, push creative boundaries, and show reserved sophistication to create spaces that are distinctive. We look forward to celebrating and honouring all of the 2020 award winners.”
The event will be broadcast live at 5pm CDT (11pm BST) online and across multiple social media channels.
For more information, visit iald.me/2020awards
Clerkenwell Design Week postponed until 2021
(UK) – Event will next take place on 25-27 May 2021.
Following careful consideration, and working to explore all possible options, organisers of Clerkenwell Design Week (CDW) have announced that the event has been postponed until 2021.
The event, initially moved from May of this year to 14-16 July, will now take place 25-27 May next year.
“This has not been a decision taken lightly, though above all else, the health and safety of CDW’s visitors, exhibitors, clients and staff, remains the number one priority in light of these unprecedented times,” the event organisers explained. “CDW wants to ensure the festival can be delivered safely and with everyone’s best interests at the core of its approach.
“Postponing to next year secures the future of the festival, allowing time for the design industry and its community to come together and deliver an even better festival in 2021.”
[d]arc thoughts: Episode 2 | In Conversation With: Paul James, [d]arc media & Mark Major, Speirs + Major
[d]arc media presents the second instalment of our online TV series. Hosted by Managing Director Paul James, he discusses the world in lockdown and some career highlights with Mark Major from Speirs + Major.
Video edited by Assistant Editor, Sarah Cullen.
Music from bensound.com
SunLike - Wellbeing
In this short video, Seoul Semiconductor briefly explain how humans have interacted with light throughout history, and the ways that such light impacts on our biological and circadian rhythms. Its SunLike technology provides a light that closely matches sunlight, and can be used to mimic its daily variations to more closely align with natural human circadian rhythms.
Women in Lighting: Dismantle the Default
Women in Lighting, in association with the Institution of Lighting Professionals and the Society of Light and Lighting, host this Oubaitori session, in which eight women from the SLL and the ILP sharing their inspirational lighting stories.
Video courtesy of Light Collective.
Nulty announce Light Up Your Lockdown winners
(UK) – Photo competition asked participants for “inspirational moments of light”.
Light has often been cited as a symbol of hope with the power to unify people. At a time when we’re all searching for ways to be optimistic, Nulty encouraged us to look to light for inspiration, launching a photography competition on Instagram called “Light Up Your Lockdown”.
The architectural lighting consultancy invited people to seek out and capture inspirational moments of light through a camera lens, whether this be a beautiful shaft of light across the wall or floor in the home, or the way that light filters through a tree on a daily walk, the idea was to share personal experiences of light, together.
Entrants were asked to take a photograph of light that expressed how they felt, and share it on Instagram using @nultylighting and #lightupyourlockdown. Entries were then judged by the Nulty team, and the three successful participants were announced this week. Below are the winning entries, along with Nulty’s comments on the images.
Winners
“The team loved this photograph because it encapsulates a child playing with light in a pure and innocent way. It instantly stood out as a winner for us because it’s a really personal moment with light, but also because children have missed out on so much during lockdown by not being able to go to school or play with friends.”
“We were all in agreement that the composition of this photograph is incredible, especially the way that the photographer has captured a visual spectrum of light. The shot is even more impressive when you consider the added symbolism of a rainbow and light as a unifying medium."
“Outside space has been so precious to us all during the lockdown, so the way that this photographer captured the magnificence of daylight in all its splendour really resonated with us all. It’s a wonderful example of someone sharing a personal moment with light during the lockdown.”
The three winning entrants all received a Mathmos Lava Lamp.
For more information on the competition, click here.
New dates for GILE announced
(China) – The 25th edition of Guangzhou International Lighting Exhibition (GILE) to be held on 30 September – 3 October 2020.
Following an announcement earlier this month that GILE was to be postponed due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, organisers have this week announced that the show will now take place later this year, on 30 September – 3 October.
The fair’s organisers cited a “commitment to the industry to create business opportunities within the current season,” as the reason for holding the event later this year, while many other shows are cancelling until 2021 at the earliest.
Lucia Wong, Deputy General Manager of Messe Frankfurt (HK), explained: “This year, GILE celebrates its 25th anniversary, and over this quarter-century, the fair has become an integral part of the lighting sector. While the industry is going through a uniquely challenging time, we believe that it is important to ensure the fair still goes ahead this year to support all our stakeholders and provide a chance for the industry to rebound.
“This is also what the sector has been feeding back to us, therefore the two fairs will move to the end of September, and we will be doing all we can to provide opportunities for the industry to move forward.
“We encourage our lighting industry peers to embrace the opportunities presented by this unique situation, and take responsibility to build a forward-looking and sustainable lighting ecosystem. Looking forward to this year’s fair, we sincerely hope that we can facilitate active communication throughout the industry so as to enhance the progress within the lighting sector together.”
www.guangzhou-international-lighting-exhibition.hk.messefrankfurt.com
Biennale Interieur postponed to 2021
(Belgium) – The event, due to be held this October, has been rescheduled for next year.
Biennale Interieur has become the latest event to postpone due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
Citing “its impact on the international design world and the fair and events sector, and the challenging organisation of major events”, organisers of the event have decided to postpone the 2020 edition until the autumn of 2021.
“The impact on a large-scale, festive event with 50,000 visitors is too strong to guarantee a successful edition,” a statement from the organisers read. “What no one thought possible has become a reality in just a few weeks’ time. What initially looked like a pause has turned out to be a bigger than anticipated reset.”
Jo Libeer, CEO of Biennale Interieur added: “The impact of the Coronavirus is immense. Uncertainty reigns and investments big and small are being postponed. As an organisation, we have to take up responsibility both towards our exhibitors as towards our visitors.”
The event, scheduled to take place from 22-26 October in Kortrijk, Belgium, will now be held from 21-25 October 2021.
Although the event has been postponed, Biennale Interieur will still, for the 15th time, honour and select a Belgian designer of the year. This prize will be awarded in the autumn, in collaboration with Knack Weekend and Le Vif Weekend.
Libeer is also hopeful that despite having to postpone the event, Biennale Interieur will return stronger in 2021. “We know the market through and through, and our team stays informed and up to date on a daily basis, staying in contact with international furniture manufacturers, leading designers and thought leaders. We cannot ignore the signals that reach us, and will deal with the situation in a flexible, open way.
“We remain hopeful for the future and will use this extra year to work on a strong, content-driven event for 2021.”
ILP and International Nighttime Design Initiative announce friendship agreement
(UK) – The agreement will see the two organisations share knowledge on urban nighttime issues.
Commensing on 16 May 2020, the International Day of Light (ILP), the Institution of Lighting Professionals (ILP) and International Nighttime Design Initiative (NTD) announced that they would work in a spirit of collaboration on their mutual aims regarding urban nighttime issues: lighting and design knowledge sharing, advocacy and education, and Continuous Professional Development.
The NTD and ILP have plans to bring together experts in lighting and nighttime design to further their work, and lead to outcomes that will be of benefit to the public.
The first activities developed as a result of the friendship agreement will include a round table discussion session focused on ‘the relationship between lighting and the nighttime economy: past, present and future’, which will be published in Lighting Journal magazine, and a book list collaboration, to be launched with a free webinar open to everyone.
Leni Schwendinger at the NTD said: “During a research session at the British Library some years ago, I serendipitously encountered the British phrase ‘Public Lighting Engineers’ from the 1920s. This led to some soul searching about public vs. urban, and engineer vs. design. NTD looks forward to continuing a dialogue with ILP about significant contemporary issues in our shared world of light and cities.”
Graham Festenstein, Vice President Architectural at ILP, added: “Public lighting is at the core of the ILP’s DNA, and we are delighted to enter a collaborative relationship with NTD. We look forward to expanding the conversation around public lighting and the urban realm and hope to learn much through our exploration and partnership with NTD.”
www.theilp.org.uk
www.nighttimedesign.org