Lighting for Exhibitions, Galleries And Museums European School of Lighting Design: Prague (CZ), 25th-28th April of 2013
This four-days workshop was organized within the European Lighting School and led by prominent light designers from Netherlands.
Lecturers: Isabel Nielen (NL), Henk van der Geest (NL), Pavel Lagner (CZ)
Organizer: Institute of Lighting Design (CZ)
Topics discussed were: exhibition, gallery, museum, different light sources, colour of the light, colour rendering, colour temperature, use of accessories, combination of daylight and artificial light, to illuminate spaces and objects, general lighting, additional local lighting, accent lighting, concept development, making a light plan, atmosphere and experience by light, lighting levels, direction of light, visual comfort of the visitor, routing, light inside vitrines, light damage, preservation, general prevention outlines.
In the Central Europe, there is much interest in lighting design for theatre, public spaces, gallery and architectural lighting, especially among the young generation. They have been inspired by the new technical developments in and outside their country.
Workshop in the gallery space (Czech Centre Prague) was focused on quality of lighting for exhibitions, creativity of the lighting design together with visual comfort of spectator and visibility of an object. Most important for the work of a light designer is basic knowledge about light and its quality (colour rendering, colour temperature, lux values), about technical equipment, about exhibition space and exhibits and its conditions (preservation, methods to illuminate spaces and objects). A part of the workshop was also dedicated to lighting the objects in vitrines.
Hands-on training was completed with a guided visit to other different types of galleries and museums, and discussion about the light on different locations.
Schedule
25th April
(Isabel Nielen)
15:00 session 1 – introduction, theory of light: colour rendering, colour temperature, lux values, preservation, methods to illuminate spaces and objects
26th April
10:00 session 2 – exhibition / exposition, space: gallery / museum, temporary / permanent
14:00 session 3 – daylight and artificial light , general lighting, additional local lighting, accent lighting
16:00 session 4 – light equipment, track system, light fixtures, different light sources, testing (hands-on)
27th April
10:00 session 5 – guided tour through different types of exhibition spaces (galleries, museums)
15:00 session 6 – design of lightening, conception, installing (hands-on)
28th April
(Henk van der Geest)
10:00 session 7 – introduction, light in vitrines
12:00 session 8 – lighting the objects, lighting in vitrines (hands-on)
15:00 session 9 – evaluation and artistic hints
Participants
Antonín Brinda – performer (CZ)
František Fabián – lighting designer (ČOSDAT, Institute of Lighting Design / CZ)
Gervaise Hay – production, light technician (ČOSDAT, Institute of Lighting Design / CZ)
Václava Kašičková (CZ)
Štěpánka Kotková (CZ)
Radim Peška (CZ)
Katarína Ďuricová – coordinator, production (Anténa o.z. / SK)
Katarína Gatialová – curator (SK)
Julo Krištof (SK)
Jan Ptáčin – architect, stage designer (VŠMU / SK)
Ints Plavnieks – lighting designer (culture centre Stanica Žilina / SK)
Domenico Casillo – light technician in museum (NL)
Henk van der Geest – lighting designer (Instituut Lichontwerpen / NL)
Isabel Nielen – lighting designer (Instituut Lichontwerpen / NL)
Leon van Warmerdam – lighting designer (NL)
LECTURERS
Isabel Nielen
Isabel is a lighting designer for many years and has worked in various environments with a big foot in large open-air spectacle. She has been with the iLo from the start and leads it together with founder Henk van der Geest. For the Amsterdam Lights Festival, she is the artistic consultant and coordinator for the illuminate.
Henk van der Geest
Henk is a lighting designer for more than 30 years, working mainly in theatre, architecture and exhibition projects, although sometimes in the exterior as well. He founded iLo because there was no artistic development on lighting design.
Pavel Lagner
Pavel is a curator for many years working in several prestigious Prague galleries, nevertheless even if his work is mainly in the conceptional field of exhibiting, he usually works on installing and lighting exhibitions. He has a lot of experience with this light part of expositions, and knows very well the conditions in Czech gallery lighting.
