What is the light source in the most amazingly lit spaces you can think of? Natural Light
What is the light source in the most inspirational spaces you can think of? Natural Light
What is the only truly sustainable light source available to us? Natural Light
So, why don't we use it more? A global group of architectural lighting designers has come together to investigate that question and recently explored how using colour may help incentivize designers to creatively incorporate more natural daylight into their work.
In an effort to change the way people and designers think about the use and application of natural light, Light Collective in the UK and Mexican Lighting Designer Magali Mendez, Director of Saas Lighting, formed Day.One – an organization that uses creative exploration, artworks and inspirational talks, to promote the use of natural daylight in architectural lighting design. A Day.One workshop was held in Mexico City last month that was dedicated to exploring the effects of colouring daylight inside the atelier and gardens of Casa Barragan – the house of renowned Mexican architect, and daylight lover, Luis Barragan.
The morning began with a short talk from Light Collective that explained the objectives of the day and gave creative examples of daylight art in order to inspire the attendees. The attendees were split into seven groups, each one dedicated to a colour of the spectrum and each group was given a wooden structure and a selection of Rosco Super Gel color filters to create with. The intention being that each group would cover their structure with colour in order to design an installation that worked with sunlight to create coloured patterns on the surfaces around the structure.
The groups were primarily given colours of their part of the spectrum but some swapping took place and once they had discussed a concept, the gels were laminated in plastic before being affixed to the structures. Each group produced a beautiful colour installation that worked in harmony with natural light showcasing ideas from nature and Mexican culture.
The day ended with a discussion on Daylight Inspiration led by Light Collective and a special installation by Anne Bureau of Wonderfulight from France that allowed participants to experience her beliefs of light, colour and health as they experienced natural light through specialised spectral sunglasses.
From the Day.One Website: “Daylight design is something that should be part of a lighting designer’s skill set and whilst it is for the few, for many others it is a lost art. Throughout history, artists have always represented the sky and the sun in their work, bringing the awesome qualities of natural light down to an appreciable and understandable scale.” The designers that participated in the Day.One colour workshop took their inspiration from this and showcased how daylight can and should be an engaging element of architectural lighting design.
Steve Ramos December 03, 2015 Questions?