Speirs + Major to present VR experience at ILP summit
(UK) – VR experience speculates on future of London’s public realm lighting.
Speirs + Major will present a unique Virtual Reality experience entitled Third Age of Light at the ILP Professional Lighting Summit, held on 12-13 June at the Life Science Centre in Newcastle, UK.
Alongside this, Mark Major will be hosting a talk on the ideas considered in the experience at Rawthmell’s Coffee House at London’s Royal Society of the Arts, where the experience is also currently installed. The talk will take place on Friday 28 June at 1pm as part of Rawthmell’s Friday Conversations.
The experience aims to examine how London’s public realm might be experienced after dark in the near future. Following a successful debut in Paris in November 2017, the content has been fully updated to respond to a number of questions as to how societal attitudes and emerging technologies might change our nightscape.
Those attending the ILP Summit or visiting the Rawthmell’s at the RSA are invited to explore three virtual areas of London in the near future – the South Bank, King’s Cross, and Primrose Hill. Specific themes within each area provide deeper insight into issues such as augmentation, networks, communities and the environment.
Mark Major, Principal at Speirs + Major, said: “As designers working with light, we challenged ourselves to speculate on how London may be illuminated in the near future. We believe that technologies and behaviours are emerging in the field of lighting that will impact the way we experience the public realm after dark in the future.
“The themes we explore aim to create awareness of these possibilities, allowing us to think ahead to the social, economic and environmental opportunities and challenges we may face. Our ideas are not necessarily offered as solutions, nor intended to be a comprehensive review, but we sincerely hope that our efforts will provide visitors with an enjoyable, interactive experience that will provoke further thought and discussion.”
The Third Age of Light experience will be available throughout the ILP Summit from 9.30am on 12 June until 4.30pm on 13 June.
The experience can also be accessed Monday-Friday, 8.30am-9.00pm via Rawthmell’s Coffee House, RSA House, 8 John Adam Street, London, until Friday 28 June.
