Shadow defining Space
Shadow and light are co-creators of the visual environment, they strive together to establish atmosphere. Describing shadow is quantifying the missing part of lighting design. Making shadow tangible in the form of a tool gives way to a holistic approach on lighting design.
Deficient understanding of shadow is actually incomplete knowledge of light. Wrong shadow casts disrupt the beauty of architecture and cause ambiguity in the visual scene. On several occasions I came across bad lighting applications, the Cathedral of Antwerp to name just one. In those projects the focus is on the lighting or the fitting and disregarding the effect, thus the shadow.
The case studies I analyzed, are projects which have some sort of public relevance, thus leaving out schemes which are done by laymen. In these examples the shadow casts have an overpowering effect and do not support the architecture nor the function. Projects like this should be rejected and made impossible through shadow understanding.
In order for our profession to develop, everyone involved should be aware of its complexity and each aspect of lighting should be elucidated in a tangible way. The unique characteristic of a lighting designer is that we understand the norms, the numbers and the full complexity of light.
Nowadays most knowledge on lighting is gained through experience. However, in order for our profession to grow we should pass this knowledge on a.s.a.p.! Thus shadow should be integrated as an education tool to design students.
It is quite understandable that shadow is overlooked, found intangible and thus excluded from the design phase. It is just encountered as a leftover when the installation is finished.
If something is not measurable, it is not manageable! This is a know rule for management and also counts for lighting design. So how can one incorporate shadow if there is nothing tangible about it? One should understand that shadow is not just the mirroring of light, it is not the reverse. By making shadow concrete, unexpected results can be avoided. The solution is to formulate shadow in a quantifiable way, hence something measureable.
We all know, that you can turn on the light, this is graspable but you can’t turn off the shadow. And for that mere reason it is so vital to not overlook the effect. Hence, it is important to understand before you implement.
Shadows give a two-dimensional image a third, it identifies a volume and a place. They add to the visual understanding, as they help to construct spatial relationships between objects and space. Besides spatial information, shadow exposes also facts on the light source from which it emerged. Analyzing shadow, is thus analyzing light and describing it is also evaluating material properties and reflectance. Shadow conveys reality and contains science. Many scientific discoveries on light are done by observing shadow e.g. the speed of light, Thales' Theorem and that the night is the shadow side of the earth. So if scientist knew to observe shadow in order to gain knowledge about light than so should we as lighting designer.
My research is an assembly of theory, observation and practical tests. I investigated how shadow influences our perception, how it defines space, and thus its role on lighting design. I studied extensively the effect of shadow on our perception, however this insights were still intangible. Therefore I developed a measuring tool with schemes and tables to unravel and categorize shadow. The aim is to convey the basic aspects of light and its co-player in a easy overview whilst revealing the complexity.
The best practice examples of lighting design are the ones in which the shadow is designed and not the light. Good lighting design is only possible through perfect shadow understanding. The tool demonstrates the variety of shadows and shades. Understanding the complexity will deepen the understanding of lighting and raise the awareness of its effect. Defining shadow is making it tangible and describing the missing part of perception. It is a tool which helps to create stunning shadow incorporated lighting design.
by Sabine De Schutter M.A. Architectural Lighting Design | M.A. Interior Architecture
Shadow defining Space by Sabine De Schutter is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at http://sabineds.tumblr.com/.