Designing darkness

Written By Sabine De Schutter

As a lighting designer I am working daily on perceptual design and the impact of lighting. What's interesting is how lighting is both good (pleasant, moody, atmospheric, beautiful, ergonomic,...) and also harmful if not implemented correctly. We see it as our task, as lighting designer, to turn the bad aspects into positive ones, by reducing light pollution, reducing glare or improving uses well-being in a space.

As a lighting designer I don't just love light, I also am a fan of darkness, and going on night walks to observing natural lighting and natural darkness. Or what's left of it... More and more I notice how darkness is fading from our cities. Yesterday when walking home I saw a bright light coming from a private kitchen and illuminating the surrounding park. That park is used as corridor for bats and birds.

As a lighting designer I know how fragile darkness is, and how our ecosystem needs it. Migrating birds and bats orientate on the lighting of the moon. Bright lighting is causing disorientation, leading to exhaustion of the animals and even death.

When I saw the spill lighting coming from that kitchen I wondered... What is the role of a designer to prevent spill lighting from happening? Can and shall we as designers take on this role, or is this interfering with the private realm? What is the boundary between individual choice and destruction of the night?

It seems that still so much education has to be done. In a recent poll we did 25% of the people we've asked didn't know that lighting can be harmful to our ecosystem and be harmful to bats and birds. Although this was not a scientific study, this number is still significant. As awareness and education on this topic is going at such a slow rate, should lawmakers and/or designers step in to avoid these "mistakes" from happening?

At our studio, we see ourselves as designers of light and darkness, of perception and wellbeing.

I'm still shocked about the light pollution from this private house...

What would be in your oppinion the best approach here? 

Let's preserve darkness!

#darksky #birdfriendlylighting #batfriendly #lightpollution #lightingdesign

 
Sabine De Schutter

Founded in Berlin in 2015 by Belgian born Sabine De Schutter, Studio De Schutter reflects the strong belief that architectural lighting design is much more than just lighting up the built environment.

As independent lighting designers, the studio's focus is on user-centred design, because design is about creating meaningful spaces that positively affect people's lives. Studio De Schutter work focuses on creative lighting for working spaces, custom fixtures for heritage buildings to workshops and installations for public space.The studio's motto = #creativityisourcurrency

Sabine teaches at the HPI d.school, Hochschule Wismar, is an IALD member and the ambassador for Women in Lightingin Germany.

Studio De Schutter wurde 2015 von der in Belgien geborenen Sabine De Schutter (*1984) in Berlin gegründet. Die in Berlin lebende Designerin studierte Innenarchitektur in Antwerpen und Barcelona, hat einen zweiten Master-Abschluss in architektonischem Lichtdesign (HS Wismar) und studierte Design Thinking an der HPI d.school in Potsdam.

Das Studio De Schutter zeigt, dass es beim architektonischen Lichtdesign darum geht, Wahrnehmung zu formen und Erfahrungen zu schaffen. Für Studio De Schutter geht es beim Lichtdesign darum, eindrucksvolle Umgebungen zu schaffen, die das Leben der Menschen positiv beeinflussen. Der Benutzer steht im Mittelpunkt ihres Ansatzes und deshalb lassen sie und ihr Team sich nicht durch konventionelle Beleuchtungsstandards einschränken. Sie arbeiten eng mit ihren Kunden zusammen, um die Vision des Projekts und die Nutzerbedürfnisse zu verstehen und sie mit Licht zu akzentuieren. Das Studio De Schutter hat kreative Lichtlösungen für Arbeitsumgebungen, Lichtkunstinstallationen und kundenspezifische Leuchten in seinem Portfolio. Heute ist es ein vierköpfiges Team von internationalen Power-Frauen, die sich alle leidenschaftlich damit, wie Licht den Raum, die Erfahrungen und Emotionen formt, beschäftigt.

Sabine De Schutter lehrt an der Hochschule Wismar und ist Botschafterin für Women in Lighting (https://womeninlighting.com) in Deutschland.

https://www.studiodeschutter.com
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