Let there be light!

'Sensationalist, biased articles in national newspapers, token switch-off ceremonies and misguided legislation have made it even more important that sustainable lighting design is promoted positively to the public… The fact remains that, despite what some hysterical reports say, we need light in our night-time urban environment. Accident prevention, reduced crime and a reduction in the fear of crime and promoting the use of streets after dark thus enhancing peoples' freedom to interact and be mobile after dark are all extremely important factors… Although we understand that energy use is a 'burning issue', we need light to live and as our lifestyles evolve, the benefits of good urban lighting are undeniable. The perception is that architectural lighting leads to wasted energy and light pollution. However, the majority of the lighting industry continually strives to tackle the issue of energy. From luminaire design that avoids light pollution to the promotion of lower energy and more efficient sources, the lighting industry is well educated in recycling, waste issues and the misuse of our natural resources… an opportunity to use light to educate the public and newspaper journalists alike[, i]t is essential to illuminate better, not less’.

Paul James, editor of architectural lighting magazine mondo*arc and director of London lighting festival Switched On London summarises well the need for better lighting in our urban environments. Improved illumination of urban spaces can contribute towards energy efficiency and a better social environment. The 2008 Switched on London festival contains many examples of such places that are not usually the beneficiaries or effective illumination, such as:

London Bridge:

'Jason Bruges Studio [created] a temporary installation of autonomous lights, which silently watch for pedestrians as they cross London Bridge. On the pavement where people leave only footprints, for the duration of the festival they will leave coloured light 'shadows' as evidence of their passing. The light artwork intends to reawaken commuters and to encourage them to be aware once more of the marvel of crossing the Thames on the way to and from work'.

Hay’s Galleria:

'For hundreds of years the site of Hay's Galleria was the first welcoming port of call for tea clippers and trading ships arriving from all corners of the globe, arriving to replenish what was heralded as the "Larder of London" and feeding London society's hunger for teas, spices and textiles from the New World and Asia. Arriving at the wharf the well-traveled merchants and explorers would see the warmly lit alcoves and be instantly reminded of the joys of sharing hearty ale on English soil by the fires. This historic scene will be replicated through the lighting display, recalling the times when much of the world remained a mystery and celebrating the enrichment these explorers brought to our city. Immersed in the history of the Galleria visitors will be forgiven for imagining that the air is filled with the chink of beer glasses and the huddled chatter of sailors'.

Potters Fields Park 'London in Words':

'The words, relating to London, for the projections in Potters Fields Park are chosen by the Mayor of London's office:

"One of the magic centres of the world; One of the world's dreaming places" Ben Okri, Lines in Potentis (this poem adorns the walls of City Hall)

"London was beginning to illuminate herself against the night" E.M. Forster, Howard's End

"When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life" Samuel Johnson'.

Inevitably, all the lighting projects that made up Switch On London 2008 have artistic flare – just like any aspect of urban design or architecture – but, of course, there is a difference between those which succeed and go with innovative ideas, and those that don’t - sticking to formulaic convention and function. The wide realm of Switched On London projects managed to reanimate space that would otherwise lie bland and dormant in either socially detrimental darkness or environmentally detrimental over-exposure. They harked back to history and/or resonated in the present of the spaces they accompanied – with some (such as the London Bridge project) creating fleeting narratives as each pedestrian walked past. Further, one project ‘Shadow Play’ went as far a moving from mere meaning and sensuality towards developed plot – employing narrative on a traditionally theatrical and temporally developed scale:



'Having established the historic context of the site, it became evident that the idea of shadow play would not only intrigue, but moreover bring about a unique atmosphere drastically different from that of the day, and educate the public about the history of their immediate surroundings. With that in mind, a theatrical setting [was] proposed, using 'old' techniques with luminaires and objects to cast ambiguous images of ships and waves onto a neighbouring building, telling the story of the forgotten past... A 'stage' [was] …set up on the roof of the Southwark Playhouse that…include[d] shadow casters such as cut out boards that represent[ed] sceneries and ships [hung] from a track above that facilitates movement. Scenes [were] put in place to allow story telling, whilst general lighting levels from road lanterns and floodlights [were] dimmed for stronger contrast of shadows and light on the projected wall'.

Of course, lighting does play the functional as well as artistic role – but better lighting, and by that lighting that is both more effectively functional and perhaps artistic could well prove to play a central role in urban spaces that are aiming to achieve purple flag status. Indeed well-though out lighting would play a key part in the delivery of the recommendations of the Civic Trusts NighVision report. Further, the reduction in light pollution that results from the more appropriate and contextual illumination of urban spaces would please the likes of the International dark sky association and Dark Sky Scotland - in that it would serve for a better conservation of urban 'dark infrastructure', preserving the necessary pockets of darkness a built environment needs at night.

If the Switched on London projects turn out to be continuing annual occurrences, and champions of the benefits of sustainable lighting design continue to fight their cause, then perhaps we will be seeing the likes of the Festival Arbres et Lumieres apear in the UK and further afield!

Bastilles-Dérives

I was in Paris last week and came across a gallery exhibiting and selling new work by artist Gérard Fromanger: ‘Bastilles-Dérives’.

I only speak very basic French - so despite having the guide to the works I can only really interpret them based on how I visually perceived them…

For me they resemble maps and routes that melt into streetscapes and then back into the transport infrastructure of Paris. The bright bold colours mimic those used for metro lines and bus routes and the paintings seem to reflect the never-ending motion of a city. The blocks of colours are destinations – offices, homes, theatres, parks. Your want to travel along the lines in the paintings whilst simultaneously engage in the scenes in-front of you.

I’d not seen work by this artist before and really enjoy it – it conveys a sense of ‘urban existence’ that is so familiar but not all-to-often successfully mediated. For a few moments you can just stare at one of these pieces and loose yourself in the metropolis.

Legible London‏

I had the pleasure a week or so ago of indulging in my growing interest in urban iconography and sat in on a meeting with some of the team working on ‘Legible London’ – a scheme aimed at improving way-finding across the UK's capital through improved signage and maps. Essentially research seems to show that London’s streets are too cluttered and have confusing and incorrect signage…

‘…study found that a major problem was presented by the 32 different pedestrian way finding systems used within the central Congestion Charge Zone. As a result, walkers tended to rely too heavily on the Tube map, a schematic representation of the London Underground system, which distorts the real distances between stations making people think they are too far to walk.

However, finding ways to encourage people to travel by foot would reduce pressure on the public transport infrastructure, stimulate the local economy, encourage a more vibrant street life, and even improve personal safety on the streets of London’.

I’ve lost count of the number of times I have seen someone get on at Embankment tube to alight at Charring Cross – you can see one from the other! But, in defence of those less familiar with the geography of London – it’s not exactly sign-posted or clear, and you would only see the sign for the other station if you knew exactly where to look… as the below image from Legible London shows there are a fair few tube stations where it’s better to walk that head underground:


An interesting aside from their work on the feasibility and the potential impact of introducing a coherent and visually consistent signage system around London is in it’s overlap with the relevance of London’s ‘urban villages’… particularly through mental maps (as highlighted in their report). It’s a reminder of how every person perceives and interprets the built environment in a different way – and starts to touch upon issues of equality and diversity in the urban landscape.

As with almost all other work in the built environment field, this work is specifically relevant and has almost endless interlinks with other aspects of the ‘urban composition’… Legible London’s full, very interesting, report is on their website.