Raffles_Psychology and color of lighting

ENVIRONMENTAL LIGHTING
TERM: JUNE 2013
LECTURER: SANDRA DRASKOVIC
PSYCHOLOGICAL PERCEPTION OF
LIGHTING
COLOR OF LIGHT
LIGHTING & VISUAL EFFECTS

There is not enough darkness in all the
world to put out the light of even one small
candle”
Robert Arden
"How far that little candle throws its
beams! So shines a good deed in a
naughty world."
William Shakespeare

Without light, eyes cannot perceive
shape, color, space, movement.
Even light is prerequisite for the life in the
world, we always first perceive objects
and their characteristics and after the
source that enable their visibility. Only
artists create art installations that have for
the main topic, light as incorporeal beam
of energy.

What do we see and how objects
are becoming visible?

We live from “borrowed” light.
Light that we see and originates from the
sky, is actually coming from very distance
location. Sun send light through dark
space to the dark Earth and very narrow
band of electromagnetic energy is what
our eyes perceive as light.

We live from “borrowed” light.

The energy transmitted to the Earth from the Sun
as light is also called "electromagnetic radiation“.

LIGHT PERCEIVED IN DIFFERENT
RELIGIONS
1. EGYPT POLITHEISM
2. CHRISTIANITY
3. BUDDHISM
4. ISLAM

Egypt polytheistic religion
Amun Ra - is the ultimate God of entire
ancient Egypt; many of the Egyptians
considered him as the God of Kings and
King of Gods! He is the oldest and the most
worshipped ruler of ancient Egypt.
Amun Ra simply means: Hidden Light
(Amun= Gidden and Ra= Light

Christianity
1. In the beginning God created the heaven and the
earth.
2. And the earth was without form, and void; and
darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the
Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
3. And God said, Let there be light: and there was
light.
4. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God
divided the light from the darkness.
5. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he
called Night. And the evening and the morning were
the first day.

Christianity
'I am come a light into
the world that whosoever
believeth in me may not
remain in darkness.‘
(John 12:46, Bible).

Christianity
The Gloucester Candlestick, one of the finest
examples of medieval Christian art in the
Museum, demonstrates the importance of
light in Christian worship.
Candles were an important part of medieval
Christian ceremony. Cathedral Vespers,
which took place in the evening, included a
lamp-lighting ceremony and a hymn of
light. The size of this candlestick suggests
that it was used on the altar.

Christianity
Perhaps one of the most prominent symbols of
light in Christianity, Judaism and Islam in
modern times is the use of coloured and
stained glass within religious buildings.
It was particularly important in the medieval
Christian tradition, when imagery on the glass
was used to enrich and enhance people's
faith - it was seen as if the light of heaven
was bathing the interior of the church with
colour.
The rays of sun would illuminate the Gospel
stories depicted on the stained glass
windows.

2 Samuel 22:29
29 You are my lamp, O LORD; the LORD turns my
darkness into light.
Job 33:28
28 He redeemed my soul from going down to the pit,
and I will live to enjoy the light.'
Psalm 36:9
9 For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we
see light.
John 8:12
When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am
the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never
walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

Buddhism
"God Almighty (Brahman) resides within all
humans as Light, a fact that is supported by all
scriptures. Thus we can meditate on Him within
and that long search for the Creator is at last
over, ending within ourselves.
The light of the burning candle flame represents
the light of the Buddha's teachings.
The light from a candle can also be said to
symbolize the enlightenment of the Buddha.

Buddhism
“The mind mirror illumines all
ingenuously.
Its penetrating, limitless rays reach
everywhere in the universe.
Without exception everything is reflected
in this mirror
The whole universe is a gem of light
beyond the terms of in and out.”
God-like Buddha.

Buddhism
“Thousands of candles can be lit from a
single candle, and the life of the candle will
not be shortened. Happiness never
decreases by being shared.”
The Buddha

Amitabha
"Infinite Light," or
"The Buddha of
Infinite Light."

Meditation
The meditations usually begin with picturing a
clear blue sky which reminds us of our
potential, that there is more to life than we
sometimes are aware of.
The following visualisation practice uses light as
a way of empowering the meditator.
Techniques designed to promote relaxation,
build internal energy or life force and develop
compassion, love, patience, generosity and
forgiveness

ISLAM - An Nur: The Light
Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth,
The parable of His Light is as if there were a
niche,
In Islam, light is a symbol of knowledge and of
faith.
The Messenger described Allah, as "His veil is
Light, if He unveils it, the Light of His Face will
burn all what His Sight reaches (which is
everything!)"
The angels are created from light.

Mosque lamp of
Sultan Hasan, about 1360.

Mashrabia

Emotional impact of light
Subjective impressions of space are a function
of brightness contrast: relationship of surface
that are lighted to those left in comparative
darkness.
1. sterile, unstimulating, boring, dull, even
2. Inviting, inspiring, supportive, versitile
3. Smooth, soft, romantic, relaxing, serene

BAROVIER & TOSO

SWAROVSKI LIGHTING

SAPPHIRE CHANDELIER

FOSCARINI

Manipulation with brightness and surface
illumination is basic principal technique for lighting
design.
1. If objects receive equal emphasis from
lighting source, contrast and stimulation is
lost. Lack of contrast causes people to feel bored,
depressed, sleepy, unproductive.
2. When we put accent on particular surfaces
or objects with different lighting effect, people
feel more energetic, alert, positive, inspired,
cheerful.

HIGH LOAD SPACE – complex, crowded,
asymmetrical, surprising, random, unfamiliar,
colorful, material rich, lighting effects
enhanced, illogical, advanced, distracted,
annoyed, frustrated
LOW LOAD SPACE – simple, uncrowded,
symmetrical, organized, conventional, familiar,
unsurprising, even lighted, planned, logical,
focused, relaxed, comfortable, content

SUBJECTIVE IMPRESSIONS
1. IMPRESSION OF PERCEPTUAL CLARITY
2. IMPRESSION OF SPACIOUS ROOM (SIZE)
LARGE, SMALL, NARROW, HIGH, SHORT…
1. IMPRESSION OF BRIGHT SPACE
2. IMPRESSION OF DISTANT ELEMENTS
3. IMPRESSION OF PLEASENTNESS
INTIMATE SPACE, PRIVATE CORNER,
ANONIMOUS OR PERSONAL , FRIENDLY,
SOCIABLE

Impression of large space

Impression of complex space

Impression of moody space

Impression of distant space

LOW CONTRAST ENVIRONMENT
Receive equal emphasis, no hierarchy
between foreground, objects and background,
few or no stimuli – NEUTRAL SPACE
WHEN DO WE USE IT?
Easy seeing for general daily tasks,
circulation, flexible relocation of furniture,
tables, work

HIGH CONTRAST ENVIRONMENT
Receive uneven emphasis on various
elements of space end objects, small portion
of focused light, structured hierarchy between
foreground, objects and background, rendered
patterns of light– MOODYSPACE
WHEN DO WE USE IT?
Domination of areas and elements/objects,
focal points, high contrast and stimuli,
attention and moods, emotional response.

HIGH CONTRAST ENVIRONMENT
difference between ambient cove lighting and
focal glow establish high brightness contrast
and creates disorder in emotional responses
1. AMBIENT LIGHT
2. FOCAL GLOW
3. SPARKLE

Color of light
Color perceived in not physical property of the
things and objects we see, It is result of
materials reflecting or transmitting energy in
particular visible spectrum.
Waves have high and low points, and the
distance between one of those highs and lows
and the next is called a wavelength.

Color of light
Object is "colored,” because of the light it
reflects—all other colors are absorbed into that
specific object.
An apple appears red because it reflects red
light. Light doesn’t have color, nor objects.
White light from the sun contains all the
possible color variations.
On the perception of color influence material,
texture, lighting source, weather, air
condition…

Color of light
The human eye is sensitive to
electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths
between about 380 and 700 nanometers.
This radiation is known as light.
The eye has three classes of color-sensitive
light receptors called cones, which respond
roughly to red, blue and green light

Color of light
The primary colors of light are red, blue,
and green, and the secondary are yellow,
cyan, and magenta.
It is very important to know that mixing
pigment and mixing light are very different.
Red and green paint, for example, make
brown paint, but red and green light make
yellow light.

Color of light
Additive color: Combine light sources, starting with
darkness (black).
The additive primary colors are red (R), green (G),
and blue (B). Adding R and G light makes yellow (Y).
Similarly, G + B = cyan (C) and R + B = magenta (M).
Combining all three additive primaries makes white.
Subtractive color: Illuminate objects that contain
dyes or pigments that remove portions of the visible
spectrum. The objects may either transmit light
(transparencies) or reflect light (paper, for example).

art show, Hayward gallery, London
Featuring 25 illuminated installations and
sculptures by major international artists from the
1960s to the present; all exploring the medium of
light and how it responds to the surrounding
architecture.
Throughout history, artists have been fascinated by
light and its nature, behavior and peculiarities. but
it is only in the last hundred years that actual light
has become a medium for art. in the first half of the
twentieth century, with the development of
technology and increasing questioning of traditional
art forms, artists began to experiment with the
visual and sensory effects of artificial light.

our uncertain shadow (colour)
comprises halogen lamps with variously colored
bulbs on the floor and a white projection screen; as
you walk across the room, your moving shadow is
projected in a combination of flickering colors.
“A row of small, bright spotlights in several colors
lined up along one wall of an empty room. That’s
all. Museum visitors who enter the room cast
multiple shadows of varying color, darkness, and
size, depending on their position, against the blank
opposite wall.

Cylinder II by Leo Villareal
a spectacular cylinder of light made up of 19,600
computer-controlled LEDs and an installation which
receives its first showing in the UK.
Its cylindrical form is at once dense and ephemeral,
as it shimmers and oscillates between dimensions.
Controlled by software code that the artist developed
over an extensive period of time, like a composer
working over a score, the nodes cycle through a
seemingly infinite series of patterns and movements,
fast and slow, bright and dark.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0uhA8xuL-c

Jenny Holzer’s Monument
looks at the use of light and language in advertising
with this display of U.S. government documents,
using semicircular electronic LED signs.
Using LED technology, sculpture, light projection
pieces, and groupings of new paintings of
government documents made available through the
Freedom of Information Act. Holzer chooses existing
texts from sources ranging from these official
documents to poetry and literature to her own earlier
series.

Conrad Shawcross
frequently refers to celestial light and its associated
sciences in his work. Here, Slow Arc Inside A Cube
IV uses a motor to throw a dizzying spectacle of light
on ceiling, floor and walls.
Explains that though he has always made works with
light and movement, he was never very interested in
shadows until he read hodgkin’s description of the
process of examining the diffraction pattern of X-rays
bounced off the protein’s atoms, which she
compared to decoding the shape of a tree from the
shadows cast by its leaves

Carlos Cruz-Diez, Chromosaturation
creates ‘a space where colour acts with all its force
on the spectator’s skin, objects and surrounding wall
surfaces.’ in his view, colour does not consist of
pigment on a solid surface, but is a ‘situation’ caused
by the projection of light on objects, and the way in
which this light is perceived by the human eye. as he
explains, ‘the Chromosaturation is an artificial
environment composed of three colour chambers,
one red, one green and one blue that immerse the
visitor in a completely monochrome situation.

Ann Veronica Janssens, Rose
creates immersive sensory installations, using
devices such as light, artificial fog, colour
projections, mirrors, reflective materials and sound in
order to push human perception to its limits. she
describes the space-time experiences at the heart of
her work as being close to altered states of
consciousness such as those produced under the
influence of a drug or hypnosis.

Holes of Light,Nancy Holt
in her large-scale outdoor works, nancy holt’s
particular concerns are to make people more aware
of light, space and time and their own visual
perception. her interventions into natural and man-
made landscape involve the use of ‘locators’ – holes
and tunnels – to channel the viewer’s vision and
frame a particular view. here, in one of her few
indoor installations, Holes of Light, she plays with the
indeterminacy of light and variable viewing positions.
the mechanics of the work consist of two brilliant
lamps mounted on opposite walls of a space divided
by a thin central partition perforated with a diagonal
line of large circular holes.

cerith wyn evans,
S=U=P=E=R=S=T=R=U=C=T=U=R=E
generated by the columns’ lamps, reflects the
unearthliness of the text that forms the other,
parenthetical, part of its title: (‘Trace me back to
some loud, shallow, chill, underlying motive’s
overspill…’). this invocation is taken from James
Merrill’s epic poem The Changing Light at Sandover.
columns are made from obsolete incandescent strip
lights. columns are not all exactly the same size,
their positioning affects the way that the viewer
reads the space they are in, and the way it is
articulated.

Raffles_Psychology and color of lighting

Raffles_Psychology and color of lighting

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