Advanced Lighting Techniques - Lighting Design 2

Advanced Lighting Techniques - Lighting Design 2 (Art & Workplace)

• Lecture presented by Sara Ibn Omer, covering 8 topics.

Lighting Art

• Three-dimensional objects are perceived through the relationship between highlights and shadows.
• Concentrated beams produce strong contrasts and deeper shadows, emphasizing form and texture.
• Five tones used to depict dimensional quality include: Light Source, Highlight, Body Tone, Shadow and Reflected Light, Cast Shadow.

Considerations (Con...)

• Lighting a vertical surface behind an object creates a luminous backdrop, separating the object from its background visually.
• Lighting an object from the side and above adds depth and dimension.
• When an object is lit from an unconventional angle the perceived relationship between highlight and shadow is reversed, disrupting perception.

Paintings and Flat Works of Art

• Two principal lighting methods for paintings and flat artwork are:
  • Uniform illumination: Provides even lighting across all vertical surfaces, emphasizing architecture. No individual artwork hierarchy. Viewers choose the focus. Easy to change art without adjusting equipment.
  • Non-uniform illumination: Focuses the light on individual works of art while leaving the surrounding area relatively dark. Emphasizes the artwork over the architecture. Creates dramatic atmospheres. Art changes require lighting equipment adjustments.

Uniform Illumination Characteristics

• Provides uniform lighting to all vertical surfaces that receive art. This emphasizes the architecture.
• There is no hierarchy established between the artwork.
• Viewers can select their own focal points.
• The lighting arrangements are flexible; artwork change don't need adjustments to the lighting equipment.

Non-Uniform Illumination Characteristics

• Concentrates light on individual works of art while the surrounding area remains comparatively dark.
• Emphasizes the artwork more than the architecture.
• Creates a dramatic environment.
• Lighting equipment adjustments are necessary if the artwork changes.

Considerations (Con...)

• Point source object lights are ideal.
• More than one luminaire is needed for large works of art.
• Track systems are commonly used because luminaires are adjustable and power distribution is simple.

Optimum Placement

• For flat works mounted on a vertical surface, the best light source location is typically 30° from the nadir (straight down) to average eye level (5 feet 3 inches in American Measurement).

Uniform vs. Non-Uniform Illumination (Illustrations)

• Visual examples of uniform and non-uniform lighting arrangements for artwork.

Conservation of Materials

• Material preservation is crucial when lighting artwork.
• Organic materials are sensitive to light and heat, potentially causing pigment change and damage.
• UV, even though less damaging than visible light, is also significant.

Damage Related to Wavelength

• Damage is determined by the wavelength of the light source.
• Ultraviolet (UV) radiation causes more damage than visible light, but visible light is also a factor that must be considered.
• Materials that are slightly sensitive to damage (like the oils in paintings) respond mainly to UV radiation.

Material Protection

• Three steps for protecting artwork materials:
  • Evaluate daylight exposure for its high UV content.
  • Evaluate exposure from electric light sources (fluorescent and HID lamps). They emit less UV than daylight.
  • Evaluate exposure duration. The same damage could be done over a short duration by intense light exposure, or a prolonged period with low-intensity light exposure.

Workplace Lighting

• Workplace lighting systems provide accurate perception at specific work areas (desks, counters, machines, benches).
• Two methods achieve this:
  • General-ambient approach
  • Task-ambient approach

General Ambient Lighting

• Ambient lighting is provided in two ways:
  • Down lighting (direct): Overhead luminaires providing downward light
  • Up lighting (indirect): Pendant luminaires providing upward light which is reflected from the ceiling.

Down Lighting (Direct)

• Luminaires are arranged according to ambient lighting requirements.
• The spacing criteria (SC) or spacing-to-mounting height (S/MH) ratio, provided by the manufacturer, specifies the optimal spacing between luminaires to achieve a uniform ambient light.

Considerations(Con...)

• Quickly assess the potential of a downlight luminaire in a room using the center-to-center distance between luminaires (spacing) based on their mounting height above the work plane.

• A sample calculation of spacing is provided using the provided room specifications.

• The maximum distance from the last row of luminaires to the wall is typically half to one-third of the spacing throughout the room. This is used to maintain uniform illuminance near all areas of the room.

• Some types of lighting configurations are illustrated for different scenarios.

Lighting Patterns

• Illustrative examples of linear, regular, and supplementary lighting patterns.

Up Lighting (Indirect)

• Up lighting, creates evenly illuminated ceilings that reduce reflections.
• Well-designed indirect luminaires have wide distributions, spreading light evenly across the ceiling without hot spots or areas of high brightness.
• Improperly placed indirect luminaires can result in uneven light distribution.