Week 4 – Lecture notes
Allegory and Coloured Light
Source of light:
1. Natural light
Natural light is provided by the sun. It is unpredictable, cannot be easily controlled and we must build our environment around it.
2. Artificial light
Artificial light has evolved as a technological response to the need to illuminate our world after dark. Conversely, we can create and control it. We can
design both the source and the subject.
Lighting concepts:
Lighting Designer Richard Kelly (1910-1977). Richard Kelly lighted some of the most iconic structures of the twentieth century. His design concept was
deceptively simple, yet incredibly effective. His language, notably his concept of three separate types of lighting: “focal glow, ambient luminescence,
and play of brilliants,” is still used to define the conceptual underpinning for several lighting systems today.
1. Ambient Luminescence
The Luminescence in the Ambient is unfocused. The specifics are unknown. It is a relaxing light that makes us feel at ease. The effect of this kind of
light is to reduce the influence of the subject on the whole environment. So I think this light has a wide range of lights that can affect the overall tone
and atmosphere.
A snowy morning in open country,… Or inside a white tent at high noon… . It minimizes the importance of all things and
all people. It fills people with a sense of freedom, Of space and can suggest infinity… .
“The Elegance of white light.” – Elie Tahari retail showroom, Newyork
2. Focal Glow
Focal Glow is the direction of space. It helps you get around. It’s the spotlight of the artist that help you focus. This is focal Glow. It’s a different light from
Brilliant but has a similar theme-emphasizing feature. Focal Glow is described as more of a guided focus. Rather than Brilliant’s small, centered effect, the
light is more like a beam of light, drawn from a focal point that directs the visitor’s eye toward the surface of an object, focusing on where the beam ends
rather than where it begins.
The sunburst through the clouds, and the shaft of sunshine….commands attention and attracts interest. It fixes the gaze,
concentrates the mind, and tells people what to look at.
Martins Lane Hotel, London
3. Play of brilliants
Play of Brilliants is the decoration, the icing on the cake. It’s an addition to the architectural environment. This light is more like the focal point of the
whole picture, with the effect of highlighting key parts of the picture or conveying the theme.
The Aurora Borealis…Times Square at night…it can be distracting or it can be entertaining….
Martins Lane Hotel, London
Luminance contrast
How we perceive the brightness of an object depends on the luminance of the object and the state of the adaptation of the eyes, as well as the luminance
of the surrounding of the object. The same object can appear very bright when looked at in a dark environment or rather dark when put against a well lit
background.
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