Luminapolis

Kategorie: International News

  • Emre Güneş organisiert den Architectural Lighting Day in IstanbulEmre Güneş Organizer of the Architectural Lighting Day Instanbul

    Dieses Jahr ist Istanbul eine der Europäischen Kulturhauptstadte mit einem umfangreichen Programm. Eines behandelt auch das Thema Lichtdesign: Der Architectural Lighting Day Istanbul 2010 (ALD), den Emre Güneş (PLD Türkiye) am 25. Oktober organisiert. Wir trafen Emre Güneş während der Luminale in Frankfurt am Main.

    Luminapolis: For the first time an Architectural Lighting Day is organized by Emre Güneş from PLD Türkiye in Istanbul. What is the idea to do this?

    Emre Güneş: Seeing the success of PLDC which is organised by our partner Via-verlag and PLDA, we decided to take a similar initiative in our geography. Turkey, like many countries in the world, is a geography where it’s hard to say that lighting design profession is well recognised. To establish that, we have been organising “lighting design” events since 2007 locally. In result of 10 events, we have a growing community interested in light. This was one of the factor which encouraged us to take another step forward with a “regional” event. Our target area is Turkey and near geography like Russia, Ex-soviet Unions, Middle East, South Europe etc… And without any doubt, this is an area where the “market” is interesting and growing.

    Luminapolis: Istanbul is a global city between East and West. This year Istanbul is one of the European Cultural Capitals. What are the traditions of lighting in the islamic world and the western world?

    Emre Güneş: I’d like to have a clear answer for that. That’s why we have a dedicated Pecha-kucha night during ALD Istanbul with the theme “Lighting Design and Culture”. We have speakers from Chile, Italy, Holland, Turkey etc who will try to give an answer to that. It’s very clear that lighting design is very much related to architecture so it’s hard to speak of a clear difference between lighting traditions. In a quick reflex, I would say that understanding and usage of colors will be the first thing to look at. Green would definitely have different meanings. Islamic world would be closer and familiar with less color, I guess. Also because of geography, we are used to have sun light more than modern world. This fact should definitely have an effect on the lighting design approach too.

    Luminapolis: You have invited a lot of international experts to hold a lectures. What is the most important subject you are interested in?

    Emre Güneş: It would be hard and not fair for me to tell you a specific speaker that I am looking forward to hear. All of our speakers are well known and very successful lighting designers. Our keynote speakers are two young and very young generation star architects with a specific interest in light. We are doing our best to have a wide range of subjects with a professional approach. So I can just assure anyone who attends ALD Istanbul will listen very professional, satisfying presentations.

    Mehr über ALD>

    This year Istanbul is one of the European Cultural Capitals with several interesting activities. One of them on the topic of Lighting is the Architectural Lighting Day Istanbul 2010 ( October, 25th), organised by Emre Güneş from PLD Türkiye we met during Luminale in Frankfurt/M.

    Luminapolis: For the first time an Architectural Lighting Day is organized by Emre Güneş from PLD Türkiye in Istanbul. What is the idea to do this?

    Emre Güneş: Seeing the success of PLDC which is organised by our partner Via-verlag and PLDA, we decided to take a similar initiative in our geography. Turkey, like many countries in the world, is a geography where it’s hard to say that lighting design profession is well recognised. To establish that, we have been organising “lighting design” events since 2007 locally. In result of 10 events, we have a growing community interested in light. This was one of the factor which encouraged us to take another step forward with a “regional” event. Our target area is Turkey and near geography like Russia, Ex-soviet Unions, Middle East, South Europe etc… And without any doubt, this is an area where the “market” is interesting and growing.

    Luminapolis:     Istanbul is a global city between East and West. This year Istanbul is one of the European Cultural Capitals. What are the traditions of lighting in the islamic world and the western world?

    Emre Güneş:     I’d like to have a clear answer for that. That’s why we have a dedicated Pecha-kucha night during ALD Istanbul with the theme “Lighting Design and Culture”. We have speakers from Chile, Italy, Holland, Turkey etc who will try to give an answer to that. It’s very clear that lighting design is very much related to architecture so it’s hard to speak of a clear difference between lighting traditions. In a quick reflex, I would say that understanding and usage of colors will be the first thing to look at. Green would definitely have different meanings. Islamic world would be closer and familiar with less color, I guess. Also because of geography, we are used to have sun light more than modern world. This fact should definitely have an effect on the lighting design approach too.

    Luminapolis:     You have invited a lot of international experts to hold a lectures. What is the most important subject you are interested in?


    Emre Güneş:     It would be hard and not fair for me to tell you a specific speaker that I am looking forward to hear. All of our speakers are well known and very successful lighting designers. Our keynote speakers are two young and very young generation star architects with a specific interest in light. We are doing our best to have a wide range of subjects with a professional approach. So I can just assure anyone who attends ALD Istanbul will listen very professional, satisfying presentations.

    More about ALD>

  • Jürgen Meier: Lichtfestival zum Gedenken an den 9. Oktober Juergen Meier: The Lightfestival as a Memorial Event

    Luminapolis: Juergen Meier, October 9th is a historical day in german history. The day of the demonstration in Leipzig that makes the wall to fall down. Last year you started a very special light festival in Leipzig as a memorial event. Can you explain the main idea of this festival in a few words?

    Juergen Meier    : Central theme of the Leipzig Lightfestival 2009 was the occupancy of the Leipzig urban space by it’s citizens in the autumn 1989. The visitor to the festival followed the route of the demonstration in 1989 in which 70.000 people took part. Twenty art installations transformed the memory of this event into a contemporary statement and turned the centre of the city into a temporary work of art.

    Luminapolis    : For me this festival shows the social function of lights as a media to build a community. A festival that involves the artists as well as the public. After the big success of 2009 what is the concept in this year?

    Juergen Meier    : From 2010 until 2013 the Leipzig Festival of Light will take place on the Augustusplatz. In 2014 it again will be extended to the inner ring. This year we will perform a sound-, light- and video installation using classical and contemporary music as well as laser and videoprojection. We are then going to look at the European dimension of the peacefull revolution and start by focusing on Poland in 2011.

    Luminapolis    : What are your personal experiences with light? How did you come in contact with professional lighting?

    Juergen Meier    : I studied art in Münster and London and startet my first media projects in the early 90ies. All works such as the mobiles from 1992 or the mediafacades from 1998 involved actions and reactions of the viewer. Light has turned out to be the constituting element in all of my projects. Light is a medium for communication on the receptionist side and also a craft on the production side.

    Luminapolis    : What is the most important project you realized in the last ten years?

    Juergen Meier    : „KLT 14“ is an installation in the German city of Bochum, which I completed last year. It sets standards for the use of interactive technology in urban space: a camera sensoric counts the users of the subway Wittener Straße at Bochums main train station and displays the total amount on digital counters at the entrances to the subway. User profiles are translated into light szenarios, which are constantly updated by the sensoric system.

    Luminapolis    : What do you think are the challenges for professional lighting designers in the near future?

    Juergen Meier    : Light and video are following convergent trends and will unite in the near future. This means cultural, social and political tasks will be central for lighting designers and communication and participation will be the mayor aim of public lighting.

    Luminapolis    : What is your next project?

    Juergen Meier    : I am looking forward to finishing the project „Modellprojekt Innerer Ring, Leipzig“ next year, focussing on intelligent lighting for the inner city of Leipzig. I am also looking forward to the realisation of Lichtschwarm lights, a concept which I startet in 2005 and adresses the communication between luminaires by means of light.

    Information about Leipziger Freiheit

    Juergen Meier
    Seumestraße 34 B
    04249 Leipzig
    t +49 341 479 15 00
    f +49 341 480 72 02
    www.digitalehaut.de
    Luminapolis: Juergen Meier, October 9th is a historical day in german history. The day of the demonstration in Leipzig that makes the wall to fall down. Last year you started a very special light festival in Leipzig as a memorial event. Can you explain the main idea of this festival in a few words?

    Juergen Meier    : Central theme of the Leipzig Lightfestival 2009 was the occupancy of the Leipzig urban space by it’s citizens in the autumn 1989. The visitor to the festival followed the route of the demonstration in 1989 in which 70.000 people took part. Twenty art installations transformed the memory of this event into a contemporary statement and turned the centre of the city into a temporary work of art.

    Luminapolis    : For me this festival shows the social function of lights as a media to build a community. A festival that involves the artists as well as the public. After the big success of 2009 what is the concept in this year?

    Juergen Meier    : From 2010 until 2013 the Leipzig Festival of Light will take place on the Augustusplatz. In 2014 it again will be extended to the inner ring. This year we will perform a sound-, light- and video installation using classical and contemporary music as well as laser and videoprojection. We are then going to look at the European dimension of the peacefull revolution and start by focusing on Poland in 2011.

    Luminapolis    : What are your personal experiences with light? How did you come in contact with professional lighting?

    Juergen Meier    : I studied art in Münster and London and startet my first media projects in the early 90ies. All works such as the mobiles from 1992 or the mediafacades from 1998 involved actions and reactions of the viewer. Light has turned out to be the constituting element in all of my projects. Light is a medium for communication on the receptionist side and also a craft on the production side.

    Luminapolis    : What is the most important project you realized in the last ten years?

    Juergen Meier    : „KLT 14“ is an installation in the German city of Bochum, which I completed last year. It sets standards for the use of interactive technology in urban space: a camera sensoric counts the users of the subway Wittener Straße at Bochums main train station and displays the total amount on digital counters at the entrances to the subway. User profiles are translated into light szenarios, which are constantly updated by the sensoric system.

    Luminapolis    : What do you think are the challenges for professional lighting designers in the near future?

    Juergen Meier    : Light and video are following convergent trends and will unite in the near future. This means cultural, social and political tasks will be central for lighting designers and communication and participation will be the mayor aim of public lighting.

    Luminapolis    : What is your next project?

    Juergen Meier    : I am looking forward to finishing the project „Modellprojekt Innerer Ring, Leipzig“ next year, focussing on intelligent lighting for the inner city of Leipzig. I am also looking forward to the realisation of Lichtschwarm lights, a concept which I startet in 2005 and adresses the communication between luminaires by means of light.

    Information about Leipziger Freiheit

    Juergen Meier
    Seumestraße 34 B
    04249 Leipzig
    t +49 341 479 15 00
    f +49 341 480 72 02
    www.digitalehaut.de

  • Leipziger Freiheit – Lichterfest 2010Freedom of Leipzig – Festival of Light 2010

    Leipzig hat im Herbst 1989 den Weg für den Mauerfall geebnet: Auf den 9. Oktober in Leipzig folgte der 9. November in Berlin sowie der 3. Oktober als Tag der Wiedervereinigung. An diese zentrale Rolle erinnerte im vergangenen Jahr das Lichtfest Leipzig. Unter dem Titel „Aufbruch Leipzig – 20 Jahre Friedliche Revolution und Einheit Europas“ gedachten mehr als 150.000 Leipziger und Gäste der Stadt der Ereignisse vor 20 Jahren. In diesem Jahr, am 9. Oktober 2010, lädt das Lichtfest mit „20 Jahre Deutsche Einheit“ zum aktiven Erinnern auf den Augustusplatz ein. Das Konzept zum Lichtfest wird von Jürgen Meier entwickelt. Mehr>On 9 October the Leipzig Festival of Lights invites everyone to collective commemoration and active participation. On the occasion of „20 Years of German Unity“ the arts and citizens project of Leipzig Tourismus und Marketing GmbH (LTM) of the City of Leipzig and the Initiative Herbst ’89 will take place at Augustusplatz between 8 p.m. and about 9.30 p.m. The concept unites thereby various projects to one overall dramaturgy: Sound and music elements will combine with lighting effects as well as the illuminated „89“ into an event full of atmosphere. The concept of the festival of light comes from Juergen Meier, the artistic director. More>

  • Gerd Pfarré: „Licht ist Musik für die Augen“Gerd Pfarré: „Lighting is Music to the Eye“

    Gerd Pfarrè ist unabhängiger Lichtdesigner und realisiert viele internationale Projekte. Für die erste Luminale in Frankfurt entwickelte er das vollkommen neuartige Event-Format „Celebration of Light“ für die internationale Licht-Community. Legendär war die „Celebration of Light“ während der Luminale 2004 mit Ingo Maurer und seinem Team auf dem Gelände der Goethe-Universität, die Pfarré in Zusammenarbeit mit dem IALD organisiert hatte. Jetzt sprach Luminapolis mit Gerd Pfarré über die bevorstehende Ausstellung seiner Projekte in München.

    Luminapolis: Gerd Pfarré, you are founder of pfarré lighting design. These days you will open an exhibition in Munich, presenting selected projects of the last ten years. The title of this retrospective is „lighting is music to the eye“. What does it mean?

    Gerd Pfarré: Years ago, this phrase was the spontaneous reaction of a drummer, who asked me about my profession. I described him what we do, and he replied „ah, so you are making music for the eyes !“ The title leaves room for interpretation. It makes sense without the need for a perfect explanation or definition. This is what I like about it. To me, „lighting is music“ has more to do with feeling, quality, harmony, and composition rather than with taste or opinion. A good lighting project can have a great impact to us; surrounded by the right light, we are feeling well. Dolby surround lighting design, if you want. In fact, one can regard a lighting scheme as an orchestration, don’t you think ? And sometimes, we cannot listen to what we see…

    Luminapolis: What are your personal experiences with light? How did you come in contact with professional lighting?

    Gerd Pfarré: In the mid 70ties, in the basement of my parent’s house, I illuminated my silver drumkit and made photos of it. In the photos, the light sources were hidden. I really liked these images with a kind of stage-like sparkle, drama, and the play of light and shadow. I even prepared a dark background, for a better contrast. I was 16 years old. At this time, my interest in light and lighting began. In one of my early interior projects, 1982 or so, I missed the right light. I designed a rather simple luminaire for a bathroom, and it was manufactured, in brass, nickel-coated, with 2 Linestra bulbs (those energy efficient bulbs with a filament, you remember ?). This was my first professional experience. Many others

    followed during my time with Ingo Maurer. In his „laboratory“ I got in touch with product design, but after a couple of years and „learning by burning“, I prefered working on lighting projects. I got hooked with the project planning, and I still have a lot of fun doing it.

    Luminapolis: What is the most important project you realized in the last ten years?

    Gerd Pfarré: No doubt, the „Palace of International Forums“ in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. A once-in-a-lifetime project. A good budget, almost no time for discussions. All designs and decisions were made in a rush; in some cases, things were built or already on site before the plan was printed out. The client was happy, and we did a great job. The chemistry in the entire design team could not have been better; it was an extraordinary experience.

    Luminapolis: What do you think are the challenges for professional lighting designers in the near future?

    Gerd Pfarré: Create outstanding, wonderful projects, well balanced with the architecture, the city- or landscape. As more good lighting projects we realize, as better it will be for all of us; for the quality of light, our quality of life, and for the quality of our profession. Practising as an independent lighting designer is not always easy: budget restraints, compromises, etc. etc., but creating high quality will always increase the awareness of our clients and the public at-large – because high quality projects win design awards and are published widely. To me, one of the challenges for the future lies in raising the bar of lighting quality by using highly efficient and sustainable technologies.

    Luminapolis: What is your next project?

    Gerd Pfarré: We are involved in an interesting study for the public lighting of an urban quarter with 600 apartments, a school, shops, cafés etc., in France. Among other projects, a new restaurant in Frankfurt will be opened soon. Along with the lighting design, we created a very cool custom-designed lighting system which is currently being manufactured. In November, I am having interesting appointments in the Middle East region: we will keep you up to date!

    Informationen zur Ausstellung

    pfarré lighting designSonnentaustrasse 12
    D-80995 München
    Germany
    t +49.(0)89. 540 41 43-0
    f +49.(0)89. 540 41 43-43
    info@lichtplanung.com
    www.lichtplanung.com

    Gerd Pfarré is an independent lighting designer who is working in the whole world. For the first Luminale in Frankfurt he invented the format „Celebration of Light“, a new event-format for the international lighting community. One of the most impressive events was the „Celebration of Light“ during Luminale 2004 with Ingo Maurer and his team. Pfarré has organized it in cooperation with IALD. Luminapolis spoke with Gerd Pfarré about his exhibition in Munich.

    Luminapolis    : Gerd Pfarré, you are founder of pfarré lighting design. These days you will open an exhibition in Munich, presenting selected projects of the last ten years. The title of this retrospective is „lighting is music to the eye“. What does it mean?

    Gerd Pfarré    : Years ago, this phrase was the spontaneous reaction of a drummer, who asked me about my profession. I described him what we do, and he replied „ah, so you are making music for the eyes !“ The title leaves room for interpretation. It makes sense without the need for a perfect explanation or definition. This is what I like about it. To me, „lighting is music“ has more to do with feeling, quality, harmony, and composition rather than with taste or opinion. A good lighting project can have a great impact to us; surrounded by the right light, we are feeling well. Dolby surround lighting design, if you want. In fact, one can regard a lighting scheme as an orchestration, don’t you think ? And sometimes, we cannot listen to what we see…

    Luminapolis    : What are your personal experiences with light? How did you come in contact with professional lighting?

    Gerd Pfarré    : In the mid 70ties, in the basement of my parent’s house, I illuminated my silver drumkit and made photos of it. In the photos, the light sources were hidden. I really liked these images with a kind of stage-like sparkle, drama, and the play of light and shadow. I even prepared a dark background, for a better contrast. I was 16 years old. At this time, my interest in light and lighting began. In one of my early interior projects, 1982 or so, I missed the right light. I designed a rather simple luminaire for a bathroom, and it was manufactured, in brass, nickel-coated, with 2 Linestra bulbs (those energy efficient bulbs with a filament, you remember ?). This was my first professional experience. Many others followed during my time with Ingo Maurer. In his „laboratory“ I got in touch with product design, but after a couple of years and „learning by burning“, I prefered working on lighting projects. I got hooked with the project planning, and I still have a lot of fun doing it.

    Luminapolis    : What is the most important project you realized in the last ten years?

    Gerd Pfarré    : No doubt, the „Palace of International Forums“ in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. A once-in-a-lifetime project. A good budget, almost no time for discussions. All designs and decisions were made in a rush; in some cases, things were built or already on site before the plan was printed out. The client was happy, and we did a great job. The chemistry in the entire design team could not have been better; it was an extraordinary experience.

    Luminapolis    : What do you think are the challenges for professional lighting designers in the near future?

    Gerd Pfarré    : Create outstanding, wonderful projects, well balanced with the architecture, the city- or landscape. As more good lighting projects we realize, as better it will be for all of us; for the quality of light, our quality of life, and for the quality of our profession. Practising as an independent lighting designer is not always easy: budget restraints, compromises, etc. etc., but creating high quality will always increase the awareness of our clients and the public at-large – because high quality projects win design awards and are published widely. To me, one of the challenges for the future lies in raising the bar of lighting quality by using highly efficient and sustainable technologies.

    Luminapolis    : What is your next project?

    Gerd Pfarré    : We are involved in an interesting study for the public lighting of an urban quarter with 600 apartments, a school, shops, cafés etc., in France. Among other projects, a new restaurant in Frankfurt will be opened soon. Along with the lighting design, we created a very cool custom-designed lighting system which is currently being manufactured. In November, I am having interesting appointments in the Middle East region: we will keep you up to date!


    Information about the exhibition

    pfarré lighting design
    Sonnentaustrasse 12
    D-80995 München
    Germany
    t +49.(0)89. 540 41 43-0
    f +49.(0)89. 540 41 43-43
    info@lichtplanung.com
    www.lichtplanung.com

  • Jenny Holzer: For FrankfurtJenny Holzer: For Frankfurt

    An den kommenden Abenden (ab 4. Oktober) werden jeweils vierstündige Projektionen auf verschiedene Gebäude in der Innenstadt von Frankfurt am Main zu sehen sein. Für die Frankfurter Inszenierung (Projekt der Stiftung der Evangelischen Kirche Hessen-Nassau) werden die Lichtprojektionen ihren zentralen Ort am Römer mit simultaner Projektion auf die Alte Nikolaikirche und das Rathaus haben. Außerdem werden die Dreikönigskirche in Sachsenhausen, das Literaturhaus, die St. Katharinenkirche an der Hauptwache und der Portikus bespielt. Jenny Holzer wird neben Gedichten der polnischen Lyrikerin Wislawa Szymborska erstmalig auch Texte von religiösen Denkern und Theologen sowie Philosophen und Poeten ins Bild setzen, welche die Stadt Frankfurt oder die evangelische Kirche maßgeblich geprägt haben: Theodor Adorno, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Martin Buber, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Sören Kierkegaard, Martin Luther, Friedrich Schleiermacher und Paul Tillich. Beginning with October, 4th Jenny Holzer will realize projections in Frankfurt for the next days. Starting at 20 h. (Project of Stiftung EKNH). These are the buildings in the city of Frankfurt: Alte Nikolaikirche, Römer, Dreikönigskirche, Literaturhaus, St. Katharinenkirche and Portikus. Jenny Holzer will project lyrics from Wislawa Szymborska and others who are important for Frankfurt and the protestant church like Theodor Adorno, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Martin Buber, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Sören Kierkegaard, Martin Luther, Friedrich Schleiermacher and Paul Tillich.

  • rheinpartie – Projection Art Festival am Tag der Deutschen Einheit im UNESCO-Welterbe Oberes Mittelrheintal: Die Dokumentationrheinpartie – Projection Art Festival of the UNESCO-Heritage Rhine Valley, 3rd October, the Day of the German Unit: The Documentation

    Ab dem 3. Oktober, dem Tag der Deutschen Einheit, liegt die Dokumentation des Festivals rheinpartie 2009 als CD vor: Die rheinpartie 2009 rund um den Tag der Deutschen Einheit lockte zehntausende Besucher in das Rheintal zwischen Koblenz und Rüdesheim. Projektionen auf Burgen, Klöster und Ruinen erzählten Geschichten aus dieser einzigartigen Kulturlandschaft am Rhein. Die Dokumentation gibt einen guten Überblick zum Konzept und den einzelnen Projekten. Video-Links geben einen lebendigen Eindruck von diesem einzigartigen Festival. Zu den Teilnehmern gehörten diese international bekannten Künstler: das Atelier Skertzò (Paris), Ross Ashton (London), Urbanscreen (Bremen), Philipp Geist (Berlin) und Hartung Trenz Lichtinstallationen (Köln/München). Die Dokumentation kann hier bestellt werden. Sie kostet 9,90 €. Die Website der rheinpartie 2009 finden SIe hier>On the 3rd October, the day of the German Unit, the documentation (CD-ROM) of the festival rheinpartie 2009 is published right now: rheinpartie 2009 all around the Day of the German Unit lured ten thousands of visitors into the Rhine Valley between Koblenz and Ruedesheim. Projections onto castles, cloisters and ruins told stories of this world heritage landscape. The documentation gives a good overview to the concept and the projects. Video-links give an impression of this unique festival. These internationally known artists have been among the participants: the studio Skertzò (Paris), Ross Ashton (London), Urbanscreen (Bremen), Philipp Geist (Berlin) and Hartung Trenz light installations (Cologne/Munich). The documentation can be ordered here> . It costs 9.90€. The website of rheinpartie 2009 you find here>

  • LichtRouten Lüdenscheid – Eine Dokumentation von Thomas SchielkeLichtRouten Luedenscheid – A Dokumentation of Thomas Schielke

    Thomas Schielke, Lichtdesigner aus Lüdenscheid, schickte uns diese Dokumentation der fünften Ausgabe des Licht-Festivals LichtRouten, das Ende September im Stadtraum von Lüdenscheid stattfindet. Kunst- und Design-Installationen zeigen die materiellen und medialen Qualitäten von Licht mitten in der Stadt. Mehr zu Thomas Schielke>Thomas Schielke, lighting designer from Luedenscheid, send us this documentation of the fifth edition of the LichtRouten which takes place in the public space of Luedenscheid at the end of September. In the exhibition, art and design works which show excellence in the use of light as material or media, are presented throughout the city’s center. More about Thomas Schielke>

  • Designhuis Eindhoven: LED – Befreiung des LichtesDesignhuis Eindhoven: LED – Liberation of Light

    Poetische Licht-Installationen von Daan Roosegaarde, ein Abendkleid, das auf Umwelteinflüsse reagiert, eine interaktive Wand als Lernspielzeug, viele andere Design-Objekte von niederländischen und internationalen Künstlern zeigt die Ausstellung Liberation of Light vom 25. September bis 30. Januar 2011 im Designhuis Eindhoven.
    Yksi-Design hat die Ausstellung kuratiert, in Zusammenarbeit mit Walter Hulst und Kirstin Römer und mit der Beratung von Daan Roosegaarde. Die Ausstellung zeigt, dass LEDs viel mehr sind als kleine, haltbarere ‚Lichter’. Während viel über den Verbrauch, den Preis und die Lebensdauer von LEDs geschrieben wird, sind die neuartigen Anwendungsmöglichkeiten der Technologie noch kaum in den Blick geraten.
    Emile Aarts, Vizepräsident und Wissenschaftlicher Direktor der Philips-Forschung von Philips und Professor an Eindhovens Technischen Universität sagt:“ Das Licht, das in der Birne gefangen war, wird befreit. Funktionell, emotional, biologisch, sozial, kulturell und bezüglich der Steuerung und Haltbarkeit gibt es neue Möglichkeiten und Herausforderungen.” Mehr> Poetic, living installations of light by Daan Roosegaarde, an evening dress that lights up more or less under the influence of the CO2-level in the air, an interactive light wall as educational children’s toy, surprising lights and lighting objects by international leading artists and designers. From 25 September 2010 until 30 January 2011 the exhibition Liberation of Light can be seen in the Designhuis at Eindhoven.
    Yksi Design will be curator of the exhibition, in cooperation with Walter van Hulst and Kirstin Römer and with Daan Roosegaarde as adviser. The exhibition shows that LEDs are much more than just smaller and more durable ‘lights’. While a lot is said and written about the consumption, price and life span of LEDs, there is a lot less attention for the much more sweeping effects of the adoption of these new light sources. Designers will be making light objects with other forms, materials and functions than usual so far. But there is much more. Artificial light can now be controlled, made to measure and even interactive. Spaces, both indoors and outdoors, will be lit in different ways. Daylight and artificial light are getting closer. And the use and control of artificial light too will change considerably.
    A revolution in artificial light is announcing itself, as big as or even bigger than the invention of the light bulb almost 150 years ago. As Emile Aarts, vice president and scientific programme director of Philips Research and professor at the Eindhoven Technical University says: “Light, which was captured in a bulb, is liberated as it were. On several levels relating to light – functional, emotional, biological, social, cultural and regarding control and durability – there are new possibilities and challenges.” More>

  • Gernot Tscherteu: Medien Architektur Biennale in WienGernot Tscherteu: Media Architecture Biennale in Vienna

    Vom 7. bis 31. Oktober findet im Künstlerhaus Wien die Media Architecture Biennale 2010 statt. Luminapolis sprach mit Dr. Gernot Tscherteu (reality lab – mediadesign and rearch), einem der Kuratoren der Ausstellung. Tscherteu gehört zu den führenden Köpfen der noch jungen Szene. Nach der Luminale 2010 gab es eine Reihe von Medien+Architektur-Ereignissen wie das laufende Media Facades Festival Europe 2010 oder der Workshop auf der Ars Electronica. Die Wiener Biennale dürfte der Höhepunkt dieser Veranstaltungsserie werden.


    Luminapolis    : Dr. Tscherteu, what is your personal interest in the link between media and architecture? And when did you start to be curious on this subject?

    Gernot Tscherteu    : Well, my wife is architect and i love architecture in many ways – as a media designer. I was always interested in projects that happen beyond the computer screen. In 2004 during our work for the University of Applied Arts in Vienna, T-Mobile asked us for an artistic proposal for the facade of the new T-Center in Austria. At that time we thought the first time about a building integrated media facade system, which then was prototyped in the mediaface.net project.

    Luminapolis    : During last Luminale you organized the Media Facade Summit in Frankfurt. Now six month later the Media Architectur Biennale follows in Vienna. What is the difference between these two events?

    Gernot Tscherteu    : The Summit took advantage of the unique opportunity that the whole light+buidling industry and a lot of creatives comes to the Luminale and the trade show. The presentations there were intended to provide a summary of the state of the art in the field. During the Biennale there will much more time to meet and discuss into depth during our 3 days conference curated by Oliver Schürer. In our large exhibition we will show projects and the technology behind. The Biennale is our biggest project so far: It is planned since August 2009 and currently there are more than 10 persons involved in the organisation and production.

    Luminapolis    : The public space is a very difficult sphere between privacy and publicity, commercial and social interests. A lot of project are occupying this space with media messages. I think it is difficult to find the right balance.

    Gernot Tscherteu    : I totally agree! It is not our goal to maximise the number of Media Architectures but to maximise its quality and its usefulness for public space. We want to promote the discourse around these projects and raise the public awareness so that a common sense of responsibility and quality evolves. We cannot make aggressive led-screen technology unhappen, but we can help to discuss the important issues and bring the different stakeholders together so that the projects will become better.

    Luminapolis    : What kind of visitors do you expect on your conference?

    Gernot Tscherteu    : In the conference we expect four groups of stakeholders: creatives: architects and (media) designers / artists, lighting and building industry and their technical experts, media and telecommunication sector and sciences and city administration. The conference will be forum for these groups and allows the discusssion of overlapping issues in the panels as well as more specific topics in smaller groups in the workshops.

    Luminapolis    : Do you know an example of a perfect media architecture? And can you give a discription of it?

    Gernot Tscherteu    : We do not have a monolithic understanding of Media Architecture. The exhibition in Vienna that I curate together with Martin Tomitsch will show that there are different cultural settings in which the production of Media Architectures takes place; we call them „animated architecture“, „money architecture“, social media architecture“, „spatial media art“ and „future trends“. Each setting has its own key projects and „stars“. I personally prefer „Architecture“ – which is more than a big screen on the facade. Therefore i like the work of UNStudio, Asymptote or realities:united. But come and see yourself!

    More details >


    From October 7th to the 31st the Media Architektur Biennale 2010 takes place in the Künstlerhaus (artists‘ house) Vienna. Luminapolis spoke with Dr. Gernot Tscherteu (reality lab – mediadesign and rearch), one of the curators of the exhibition. Tscherteu is one of the leading heads of this young scene. With Luminale in 2010 a serie of media +architecture events starts like the current Media Facades Festival Europe 2010 or the workshop on the Ars Electronica. The Biennale in Vienna might become the summit of this serie.


    Luminapolis    : Dr. Tscherteu, what is your personal interest in the link between media and architecture? And when did you start to be curious on this subject?

    Gernot Tscherteu    : Well, my wife is architect and i love architecture in many ways – as a media designer. I was always interested in projects that happen beyond the computer screen. In 2004 during our work for the University of Applied Arts in Vienna, T-Mobile asked us for an artistic proposal for the facade of the new T-Center in Austria. At that time we thought the first time about a building integrated media facade system, which then was prototyped in the mediaface.net project.

    Luminapolis    : During last Luminale you organized the Media Facade Summit in Frankfurt. Now six month later the Media Architectur Biennale follows in Vienna. What is the difference between these two events?

    Gernot Tscherteu    : The Summit took advantage of the unique opportunity that the whole light+buidling industry and a lot of creatives comes to the Luminale and the trade show. The presentations there were intended to provide a summary of the state of the art in the field. During the Biennale there will much more time to meet and discuss into depth during our 3 days conference curated by Oliver Schürer. In our large exhibition we will show projects and the technology behind. The Biennale is our biggest project so far: It is planned since August 2009 and currently there are more than 10 persons involved in the organisation and production.

    Luminapolis    : The public space is a very difficult sphere between privacy and publicity, commercial and social interests. A lot of project are occupying this space with media messages. I think it is difficult to find the right balance.

    Gernot Tscherteu    : I totally agree! It is not our goal to maximise the number of Media Architectures but to maximise its quality and its usefulness for public space. We want to promote the discourse around these projects and raise the public awareness so that a common sense of responsibility and quality evolves. We cannot make aggressive led-screen technology unhappen, but we can help to discuss the important issues and bring the different stakeholders together so that the projects will become better.

    Luminapolis    : What kind of visitors do you expect on your conference?

    Gernot Tscherteu    : In the conference we expect four groups of stakeholders: creatives: architects and (media) designers / artists, lighting and building industry and their technical experts, media and telecommunication sector and sciences and city administration. The conference will be forum for these groups and allows the discusssion of overlapping issues in the panels as well as more specific topics in smaller groups in the workshops.

    Luminapolis    : Do you know an example of a perfect media architecture? And can you give a discription of it?

    Gernot Tscherteu    : We do not have a monolithic understanding of Media Architecture. The exhibition in Vienna that I curate together with Martin Tomitsch will show that there are different cultural settings in which the production of Media Architectures takes place; we call them „animated architecture“, „money architecture“, social media architecture“, „spatial media art“ and „future trends“. Each setting has its own key projects and „stars“. I personally prefer „Architecture“ – which is more than a big screen on the facade. Therefore i like the work of UNStudio, Asymptote or realities:united. But come and see yourself!

    More details >


  • Luzern gewinnt den City.People.Light Award 2010Lucerne is the Winner of City.People.Light Award in 2010

    Luzern hat den ersten Preis beim City.People.Light Award 2010 gewonnen. Die jährlich von Philips in Kooperation mit der Lighting Urban Community International (LUCI) organisierte Ausschreibung prämiert Städte, die vorbildliche Licht-Konzepte verwirklichen und die Lebensqualität ihrer Einwohner verbessern. Der mit 10.000 Euro dotierte Preis wurde in Chartes übergeben.
    Den zweiten Preis erhielt die südwest-französische Stadt Pau für ihre Beleuchtung seiner aus dem 14. Jahrhundert stammenden Burg. Der dritte Preis ging nach Göteborg für die Beleuchtung des ehemaligen Hafengebietes, das in ein Wohnquartier umgewandelt worden war. Mehr über den City.People.Light Award hier>

    The city of Lucerne in Switzerland has been awarded first prize in the 2010 international city.people.light awards, the annual contest organized by Philips and the Lighting Urban Community International Association (LUCI) to reward the use of lighting in the creation of livable cities that benefit the well-being of those who live, work or visit them. At the 2010 city.people.light awards ceremony today in Chartres, Philips and LUCI presented Lucerne with its first prize – a cheque for Eur 10,000 in recognition of the city’s winning submission, a comprehensive lighting ‘masterplan’ aimed at highlighting the strengths of Lucerne’s five districts while minimizing the impact of light on residents. “Lucerne has produced a perfect example of simply enhancing life with light,” comments Marc de Jong, General Manager of the Professional Luminaires business group within Philips. “In creating a coherent lighting strategy the city has brilliantly integrated its lighting design into the complete fabric of urban life.”

    In their deliberation, the independent city.people.light awards jury – made up of three lighting designers and three representatives from municipalities – praised Lucerne’s “sophisticated and beautifully understated” application of natural lighting to transform the urban experience. The jury praised how the plan brought out the city’s unique character while at the same time minimizing excessive light ‘spill’ or order to give residents a peaceful night’s sleep.

    Cathy Johnston, president of the jury and a senior urban planner within the City of Glasgow in the UK, praised Lucerne’s entry by saying: “The holistic and comprehensive nature of this lighting plan demonstrates the commitment of the city to integrating lighting into the city.” Leading lighting designer Ian Theobald added that Lucerne’s entry was “…a well executed masterplan, involving a diverse team and public consultation, resulting in a pleasant aesthetic experience.”, while German designer Ulrike Brandi added: “The approach to install a [lighting] masterplan for the city helps to create an atmosphere for the whole city. The vision of ‘less is more’ respects darkness and the day-night-rhythm of the residents.”

    The French city of Ville-de-Pau and Gothenburg in Sweden were named as runners-up in the competition, which attracted a total of 27 entries from municipalities around the world, including cities in China, South Korea, Brazil, South Africa and the United States.

    Pau, in south-western France, received second prize for the impressive illumination of its iconic 14th Century castle. Overlooking the city, the castle provides a distinct point of local identity, creating an enormous sense of pride for Pau’s residents, as well as draw for tourists in the region. In replacing the existing 30-year-old lighting installation, the project team focused on balancing heritage and sustainability, ensuring the new installation maximized the latest energy-efficient lighting solutions.

    “The culture of the city and the region has been given new interpretation through this lighting project where the involvement of the city municipality and the cultural minister has brought about a new landmark,” commented city.people.light awards jury president Cathy Johnston. “The mixture of spectacular storytelling illumination and high quality permanent lighting is unusual in a project. It has required skill to create the balance and produce high quality design.”

    The Swedish city of Gothenburg had a different mission with its third prize-winning submission to the 2010 city.people.light awards – applying lighting in the transformation of the city’s former shipyard into a residential area. The project set out specifically to link the past with the present, lighting up the Västra Eriksberg yard’s giant crane to provide a visual reference to Gothenburg’s industrial history, while providing new residents to the area with an inspirational urban sculpture to welcome them home at night.

    Commenting on the project, Cathy Johnston said: “The use of light has brought out unexpected qualities in the former dockland. The crane has become transformed into a sculpture creating a new landmark.” Lighting designer Lucette de Rugy added that it was: “an original idea to create new places of interest for the population in using a place where they were gathered and transforming it into an attraction for everyone.” More about the city.people.light award>