iGuzzini Urban LED Street Lighting

This is a great video produced by lighting manufactures and designers iGuzzini. Although the video is aimed at the promotion of iGuzzini it explains the importance of urban lighting and how LEDs - light emitting diodes are becoming the new must have luminary, not only for the design world because of the LEDs flexibility. But as a replacement of many standard street and urban lighting. The LED is changing the cities nocturnal perception. Creating better light efficiency a higher quality of light and changing the form of conventional street lighting. The video also explains how Lighting is a tool that changes between cities and cultures changing in forms, contrasts, colours, ideology and movement of an urban metropolis.

Natural Light

Once again I have found inspirational videos on TED. Both videos are based on natural lighting and how it effects all life. The first video is presented by Edith Widder and is based on lighting within the natural underwater world. Although the information in the video is based predominantly on the biology of deep sea creatures I believe all design even lighting design can be influenced by nature. Often nature is the first and finest at creating techniques and methods.

The second video talks about the sleep cycle and how lighting effects us, and how beings have adapted and evolved with internal clocks. These internal clocks are what help us wake and sleep, and as mentioned in the video this internal clock sets itself on lighting. Sleep is one of the most important routines that we have to make. Within the modern context of most large conurbations sleep is being lost due to many factors including poor lighting and light trespassing. With good lighting design the natural cycle of light can be created with minimal impact.

Frosted Incandescent Bulbs

Recent European guidelines have banned the use of frosted incandescent bulbs. These new regulations where set in place on the 2nd of September 2009, but it is still relatively unknown. The ban includes 60 watt pearl bulbs and 25-40 watt opaque golf ball and candle bulbs used for every day use such as desk lamps. It has been made illegal to sell and import the bulbs into Europe. But its possibly not illegal to manufacture them or export them outside of Europe? The incandescent bulb is being fazed out and replaced by the more energy efficient bulbs such as the compact fluorescent bulb. These bulbs can use up to a fifth less energy but don't produce such a brilliant colour and light. Manufactures have already started producing energy efficient bulbs that look like the traditional incandescent bulbs, but without the energy consumption. Many people have been annoyed with the new changes but bulbs are constantly changing and being developed. LEDs are reported to explode on to the market with the next ten years with new technologies and developments. LEDs produce a much better light and colour temperature than fluorescent bulbs, and can last much longer up to 50,000 hours. LEDs a currently still more expensive than the compact fluorescent bulb. But I am sure once fully developed they will replace fluorescent bulbs and incandescent bulbs will soon be long forgotten.

Until then a German designer called Ingo Maurer has launched the Euro Condom. The opaque condom fits over regular clear incandescent bulbs which aren't part of the ban despite reacquiring the same energy consumption. Once fitted the bulb will produce a light similar to that of the frosted incandescent bulb. The Euro Condom is made from a thin heat resistant silicone. Although I would love to see this on the market it was produced mostly to promote the Recent European guidelines.

Images sourced from http://www.dezeen.com/

Eadweard Muybridge

Kingston Museum is currently hosting a exhibition of Eadweard Muybridge’s work. Eadweard Muybridge born in Kingston Upon Thames in 1830 is regarded as one of the greatest photographic pioneers of all time. He ended up emigrating to San francisco where he opens a book shop. He later ends up traveling back to England after having a serious carriage accident. This is where he learns how to become a photographer. With his new skills he travels back to america where he records the development of the great west, and the beauty of Yosemite and Yellowstone. His early work is the area of work that I find the most beautiful and haunting as they show the development of a country, the people building it and those native adapting to the changes. The landscapes are untouched and expansive.

Eadweard Muybridge’s most famous work is of the galloping horse. Eadweard Muybridge was commissioned to take this photo by Leland Stanford a railroad tycoon and founder of Stanford university in California. Leland Stanford apparently had a bet whether all four horse’s hooves left the ground at the saw time. So Muybridge was hired to take the photo which was no mean feet. Muybridge ended up setting up a series of cameras with strings attached. When the horse ran past it would catch on the string triggering the cameras. which proved that horses hooves do leave the ground in a series of images. Eadweard Muybridge has become also very famous for developing a projector called a Zoopraxiscope which he created some of the earliest stop motion cinematography with. Muybridge later carried on his work showing the movement and structure of animals and people at the University of Pennsylvania. His work helped inspire many artist such as degas and Francis Bacon.

He later died in Kingston Upon Thames in which he left his own personal collection to the people of Kingston. The collection is on display in collaboration with Tate Britain which is also hosting a exhibition on Muybridge’s work.

Images Sourced form
http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/corcoran/42046/
http://www.histoire-image.org/site/zoom/zoom.php?i=454&oe_zoom=735
http://www.offscreenmagazine.co.uk/?p=35

Landscape Photographer of the Year

The landscape Photographer of the Year exhibition is currently on at the National Theatre in the South Bank. The exhibition doesn't contain every image that you can find in the book that is printed in conjunction with the competition but there is a large selection of great images. The photo above is the overall winner of the landscape Photographer of the Year competition. The image is of Corfe Castle in Wareham, Dorset, England taken by Antony Spencer. The castle was ruined in 1646 during the civil war. But is now managed by the National Trust. The exhibition is free admission and is open Monday - Saturday from 9.30am - 11pm and is on until the 16th of January.

Image Sourced from http://www.whatdigitalcamera.com/news/504382/landscape-photographer-of-the-year-announced.html

Anish Kapoor

Anish Kapoor currently has new instillations in Hyde Parks Kensington Gardens. There are a serious of mirrored sculptures doted around the gardens some of which are surprising hard to find without a map hence my images of one of the instillations. I recommend seeing these sculptures early in the day when there is the best light and also preferably on a sunny day. Although the snow did add a great element to the sculptures surface. Despite the weather and with evening drawing in the beauty of these sculptures is how even a grey cold day can bring the surface to life projecting its context out to the viewer. The sky mirrors facade constantly changed reflecting birds in the sky, and even the grey clouds seemed inspirational when seen from a different perspective.

Barclays Cycle Hire

Barclays Cycle Hire was only introduced to London three months ago but has already seen 1.5 million journeys taken with them in central London and over 100,000 people sign up to the project. Transport for London have recently announced that the project has been such a success that it is going to be extended to surrounding boroughs of central London. These include Tower Hamlets, and North Shoreditch in the Borough of Hackney. An extra 2,000 bikes will be added as well as an further 4,200 docking bays. The final number of rental bikes will be 8,000 with 14,400 bays. The final project will cover 65km2 of central london and is available to any Londoner who signs up. This project is much more successful than I ever imagined as there were many skeptics of the project. With fears of theft and vandalism.

When I visited Barcelona I was very jealous of their bike scheme that has been part of Barcelona for many years and is very successful. But with the newest numbers from Transport for London I am now happy to say that London's seems just as successful. The bikes aren't free to use costing 12 pence a day for access to a bike if you buy the annual membership which costs £45. But with a further charge added on for length of usage which can cost up to £50 if the bike is used for the full 24hours. But I can imagine most Londoners will only use it for and about an hour which costs £1. They are available 24 hours a day all year.

London’s Olympic View Tube

The View Tube is a social and community based centre built upon a small evaluation over looking the London Olympic development. The centre has been built from recycled shipping containers which houses educational facilities, an art space, information points and a café with extensive panoramic views over the development. To access the centre you have to walk through twisting corridors that lead you through parts of the development. The View Tube is a partnership project between Leaside Regeneration, London Thames Gateway Development Corporation, the Olympic Delivery Authority and Thames Water. The View Tube is a must see in london, located by Pudding Mill Lane station on the DLR (Docklands Light Rail). The centre also offers cycle hire allowing you to pick up a bike and cycle along parts of the national cycle network. Providing great views of the site, and of the surrounding areas such as the Lea Valley which the Olympic site is situated in. The Lea valley is a nationally and internationally recognized beauty spot and important nature reserve in London. The river Lea which runs through the Lea Valley connects many nature reserves and reservoirs making it the biggest green network in london stretching 26 miles.

http://www.theviewtube.co.uk/home.html

Miwa Matreyek's glorious visions

Video sourced from http://www.ted.com/talks/miwa_matreyek_s_glorious_visions.html


I found this video whilst searching on TED and I thought I would upload and share it as I found it really inspirational to watch. The performance is by Miwa Matreyek a performance and animation artist from Los Angeles California.

I am studying lighting at the moment within the context of landscape architecture for my dissertation, and am therefore very interested in the applications that lighting can be applied to. I felt the performance showed the adaptability of lighting projectors for performance and its ability to change perception of a space, person or object. Watching Miwa Matreyek performances makes me wonder how landscape could be very different if lighting was used more elaborately for changing the realization of a space and the factors surrounding it, such as a wall within or enclosing a space. Or the paving on which we walk on. The space could almost become a digital facade hiding and manipulating what is truly there.


Miwa Matreyek website with more performances http://www.semihemisphere.com/performance.html

Tiger Stone by Vanku b.v.

Video sourced from http://www.youtube.com/user/vankubv

The Tiger Stone Machine developed by in the Netherlands by machinery specialist vanku b.v. is a automatic brick paving layer. The machine is available in in 4,5 and 6 meter widths and the operators are able to lay almost 1000 square meters per day. It was developed to be more Ergonomic for the operators allowing them to be able to stand with comfort whilst placing the bricks into the machine without needing to bend and kneel in uncomfortable positions. It was also developed to have a higher productivity, whilst still achieving very high standards. The machine certainly appears that it will be able to transform residential street development especially as the developers would like to see it being produced for smaller functions in the future for rental purposes. But with its retracted size its hard to see it as a primary tool for large urban developments, but defiantly as a time and money saver for certain roles.

Guerrilla Lighting

Guerrilla Lighting in Douglas on The Isle Of Man. Buildings are lit by groups waving torches and mobile lights with colour filters at five separate buildings.

Sourced from http://www.youtube.com/user/GlennWhorrall

Find a Guerrilla Lighting to attend at http://guerrillalighting.net/

Guerrilla lighting is a group set up for “war on bad lighting, guerrilla lighting is a protest against wasteful use of light but most of all, guerrilla lighting is about having fun and raising the awareness of the power of light.”Guerrilla lighting aims to act against the uniformity of standard architectural lighting.

I agree strongly with with Guerrilla lighting as lighting for many buildings appears to be a statement carried out in a negative grandiloquent way, with not much considerations upon its surroundings. Lighting is a wonderful design tool that can make a space become a place that people can socialize in where their dreams and aspirations can be released. Guerrilla lighting is aiming that this can became a realization with every nocturnal landscape and building. The Guerrilla methods used involve organizing groups of people with hand held torches and coloured filters to illuminate areas with inadequate lighting. Creating very temporary lighting inspirations that can only be seen with a fleeting glimpse as the activists move to the next target.

“architectural lighting is not a competition – brighter is not better”

Kew Gardens in Autumn

I made this short slide show as I had far to many pictures I wanted to share of kew gardens but these pictures really don't show its beauty during this time of year.

Access by Marie Sester

Video sourced from (http://www.youtube.com/user/scottmahoy#p/u)

Access by Marie Sester is a interactive lighting project that involves pedestrians within a space but also you at home can have play with their light environment. If you access the website for Marie Sester project you can actually choose who the light falls upon and watch their reaction from the web cameras. At the moment the project is based in SFMOMA San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in the USA from October 30, 2010 - April 17, 2011 and in ZKM Center for Art and Media In Karlsruhe, Germany which is a Permanent installation launched November 19, 2006. The project is really amazing to be involved in when in the comfort of my home I can change and play with different peoples experiences within in a space. It is particularly exciting when you can get a reaction from someone making them stop and look up at the light or change their direction to see if the light will follow them literally putting people in the lime light.

The website with the interactive display is http://www.accessproject.net/index.html

KMA

video sourced from (http://www.youtube.com/user/tlw999)

KMA (Kit Monkman and Tom Wexler) is a UK based digital media design team, their main aims their work promotes conveys the use of movement, function, play and interaction within a public space. Their main media for achieving these aims is the use of lighting that reacts with pedestrian movement. The light projected onto the floor often links strangers together with strands of light. The installations are modeled upon natural events such as swarm and large masses of animals, creating a moving digital sculpture. Although none of this could be achieved without the interaction and activity within the public spaces. KMA’s most well known instillation was in London’s Trafalgar Square. The instillation known as Flock took place in February 2007 transforming the 625 meter squared space into a ballet stage. The instillation projected ballet dancers on to the ground that would dance on the spot. The instillation was a great success as many of the pedestrians would dance with the ballet dancers throughout Trafalgar Square.

Total Cost: £45,000
Duration: 3 weeks
Lightings used: Christie Roadster s+20k-sxga+20000
lumen 3-chip DLP digital projector

John Pawson plain space design museum

John Pawson speaking on his ideals of plain space
second video sourced from (http://www.youtube.com/user/PhaidonPress)

This exhibition at the Design Museum celebrates the work of london based architect John Pawson. The exhibition is showing a great amount of John Pawson’s work through out his career highlighting his very minimalist approach to design. There are many models all at different sizes and stages of design development, the exhibition even houses a 1:1 room designed especially for the exhibition for the visitors to understand his approach in a even clearer detail. The whole exhibition is really quite refreshing to walk through particularly after walking along the cluttered london streets. Everything feels designed for functionality and it has a pure beauty to the models and images.

The exhibition is open until the 30 January 2011

James Turrell Gagosian Gallery kingscross

video sourced from (http://www.youtube.com/user/KunstmuseumWolfsburg)

The Gagosian Gallery in Kingscross, London is currently hosting a small exhibition by James Turrell unfortunately photography isn't allowed but I have linked this video of the Wolfsburg gallery presentation of James Turrell’s work. This exhibition was truly inspirational the space started with models and drawing of his roden crater, then the exhibition led down a darkened corridor which passed a room containing a brightly lit square image on a wall with steps leading to it and people sitting at the bottom of it.

The corridor then entered a room exhibiting a single glowing rectangle with intense beautiful colours but this isn't what I appreciated the most about this image it was the perfect straight, crisp edges and the contrast between the white emulsion wall and the light. The light seemed so contained in the image unable to pass over the edge. The room contained only one other instillation which was a large opaque sphere containing a bright blue light. You could lie inside perfectly sealed in this sphere alone with the light for up to 30 minutes but unfortunately this needs to be booked in advance, but when talking to people who had been inside they said that they had experienced hallucinations and visions.

The next room was the one seen from the first corridor at the begin with the large brightly lit image. I stood viewing this image for a while when I saw someone walk up to it and then up the stairs and then step inside the picture which blew me away. Inside the perfectly edged picture was a world with no edges or corners full of intense light and colour and it felt as if the space went on for infinity.

This exhibition is incredible and I highly recommend it.

gagosian gallery OCTOBER 13 - DECEMBER 10, 2010

Berkeley Street and Dover Street short cut

The short cut by Jason Bruges Studio utilizes a well used alleyway in between Berkeley Street and Dover Street. The short cut consist of a short (8 Meters) and narrow (2 meters) passageway that appears dimly lit until one passes through the space when the rows of dimly lit up lighters light your presence chasing you through the alley. The project makes good use of the very intimate and hurried space, if walking through this space alone the lights act as a comforting ambience. But when the space is being well used the space becomes very well light with chasing lights crashing into one another.