As it turns out, the featured article in November's National Geographic is about light pollution and its effect on animals, including humans.
Check it out: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/11/light-pollution/klinkenborg-text
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Bibilography
"History of Street Lighting in the United States." 2008. Wikipedia. 25 Oct. 2008. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_street_lighting_in_the_United_States.
Schivelbusch, Wolfgang. Disenchanted Light: The Industrialization of Light in the Nineteenth Century. University of California Press, 1988.
Schivelbusch, Wolfgang. Disenchanted Light: The Industrialization of Light in the Nineteenth Century. University of California Press, 1988.
Public Lighting: The Artificial Day
Fluorescent lights, as well as other types of lamps, are used to illuminate the night in cites all around the world. This need for commercial lighting sprung from industrialization and changes in the worker’s schedule. Born from necessity, public lighting has grown to become a way to create atmospheres for entertainment and commerce. Because of their construction, they offer a cost and energy effective way to produce large pools of light. Fluorescent lights create an artificial nature, which has permanently changed the length of a day.
Although the street light dates back to the Arab Empire, it was not until the European Industrial Revolution that changed the night. Before then, the worker’s schedule was based around how much work could be done during the day. Candles were used widely, but did not have the power to create large spaces of outdoor light. In addition, their maintenance and safety deterred the candle from being used en masse. Because of improvements in their technology, commercial lights now have become a safe way to work late into the night. During the eighteenth century the gas lamp, invented by William Murdoch in 1792, began lighting the streets of Britain. By 1816, Baltimore was the first city in the United States to use this technology. By the end of the nineteenth century, Thomas Edison created the electric light bulb. This technology first illuminated Cleveland, Ohio in 1879. As of 1930, the fluorescent light replaced the electric bulb in most public settings because of its safety and efficiency. Now, it is possible to spend an entire 24 hours to work and entertain, without even knowing its dark. With the expansion of the day, commercialization expanded exponentially because companies can advertise, and people can spend more time out of the house. Shifting from a manufacturing economy to one of hospitality, tourism, and retail, American nightlife flourished. The introduction of the automobile also helped to create the need for night light. Highways all across the country were lit to encourage night time travel. This allowed those who had moved with suburbanization to still interact with the life of the city.
The need for artificial nature reflects a change in sociology as well as human psychology. Lit mainly by fluorescent lights and signs, modern industrialized metropolises become illuminated oases during the night. Outside of these domes of light, a large percentage of people feel unsecure and vulnerable to the darkness. Since most people do not physically interact with this product, the ideas that surround lights are based more in experience and memory, unlike other products. To most, the ideas of leisure and security stem from the light’s correlation with the sun. It is interesting how often people associate light as a positive source of energy and life; whereas, darkness evokes ideas of evil and uncertainty. This makes lit cities an ideal place for people to live and interact. These man made oases are living networks. Buzzing with energy, commerce and entertainment thrives in these pools of light, removed from natural darkness. The redefinition of night has changed our interpretation and involvement with it. Because of our separation from the product itself, it is easy to forget how controlled lighting is. Between the government and the electric companies, a select number is in charge of distributing and maintaining a city’s light. Intentionally or not, that select group indirectly affects where people work and live. This also affects where people feel safe and secure to be out during the night. The unnatural phenomenon can be observed in the location of electric grids, the placement street lamps and signs and upkeep of public lighting. In a way, lighting is a form of social control. An example of this management is when governments create mandatory curfews and shut off all lights of the city. In preparation of the Summer Olympics, the Chinese government shut down the electricity of several villages in order to have enough power to light the games. Whether used negatively or for social growth, public lighting is capable of producing unique atmospheres.
The associations and experience of fluorescent light have been used by modern artists to explore the relationship between observer and their surroundings. Among those artists, Dan Flavin has devoted much of his work to understanding this connection. By controlling the range and color of fluorescent lights, Flavin creates environments that distort perception and space. I was fortunate enough to experience his work during a retrospective at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. In one piece that I found provoking, Flavin replaced the lights in an entire gallery with neon green lamps. This altered colors, making everything in the room a shade of green. Although fully lit, the space seemed heavy and invasive. After exiting to the next gallery, natural light felt refreshing. The vibrancy of colors was more apparent than before entering the space. Since that show, I have become more aware with the different types of commercial lighting, and how they interact with each other. Another artist who works with fluorescent lights is Richard Box. In one piece, he used the ambient energy surrounding electrical lines to power lamps placed in the ground. Observers who walk through this grid of fluorescent tubes change the electrical field with their bodies, dimming the lights around them. This work speaks directly to our relationship with light and electricity.
Born during the industrial revolution, commercial lighting has lengthened the day. The evolution of the city brought entertainment and retail into the night. Both socially and physiologically, artificial light has influences the way we live, creating an atmosphere of public security and comfort. Like the sun, fluorescent lights bring life to the city.
Although the street light dates back to the Arab Empire, it was not until the European Industrial Revolution that changed the night. Before then, the worker’s schedule was based around how much work could be done during the day. Candles were used widely, but did not have the power to create large spaces of outdoor light. In addition, their maintenance and safety deterred the candle from being used en masse. Because of improvements in their technology, commercial lights now have become a safe way to work late into the night. During the eighteenth century the gas lamp, invented by William Murdoch in 1792, began lighting the streets of Britain. By 1816, Baltimore was the first city in the United States to use this technology. By the end of the nineteenth century, Thomas Edison created the electric light bulb. This technology first illuminated Cleveland, Ohio in 1879. As of 1930, the fluorescent light replaced the electric bulb in most public settings because of its safety and efficiency. Now, it is possible to spend an entire 24 hours to work and entertain, without even knowing its dark. With the expansion of the day, commercialization expanded exponentially because companies can advertise, and people can spend more time out of the house. Shifting from a manufacturing economy to one of hospitality, tourism, and retail, American nightlife flourished. The introduction of the automobile also helped to create the need for night light. Highways all across the country were lit to encourage night time travel. This allowed those who had moved with suburbanization to still interact with the life of the city.
The need for artificial nature reflects a change in sociology as well as human psychology. Lit mainly by fluorescent lights and signs, modern industrialized metropolises become illuminated oases during the night. Outside of these domes of light, a large percentage of people feel unsecure and vulnerable to the darkness. Since most people do not physically interact with this product, the ideas that surround lights are based more in experience and memory, unlike other products. To most, the ideas of leisure and security stem from the light’s correlation with the sun. It is interesting how often people associate light as a positive source of energy and life; whereas, darkness evokes ideas of evil and uncertainty. This makes lit cities an ideal place for people to live and interact. These man made oases are living networks. Buzzing with energy, commerce and entertainment thrives in these pools of light, removed from natural darkness. The redefinition of night has changed our interpretation and involvement with it. Because of our separation from the product itself, it is easy to forget how controlled lighting is. Between the government and the electric companies, a select number is in charge of distributing and maintaining a city’s light. Intentionally or not, that select group indirectly affects where people work and live. This also affects where people feel safe and secure to be out during the night. The unnatural phenomenon can be observed in the location of electric grids, the placement street lamps and signs and upkeep of public lighting. In a way, lighting is a form of social control. An example of this management is when governments create mandatory curfews and shut off all lights of the city. In preparation of the Summer Olympics, the Chinese government shut down the electricity of several villages in order to have enough power to light the games. Whether used negatively or for social growth, public lighting is capable of producing unique atmospheres.
The associations and experience of fluorescent light have been used by modern artists to explore the relationship between observer and their surroundings. Among those artists, Dan Flavin has devoted much of his work to understanding this connection. By controlling the range and color of fluorescent lights, Flavin creates environments that distort perception and space. I was fortunate enough to experience his work during a retrospective at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. In one piece that I found provoking, Flavin replaced the lights in an entire gallery with neon green lamps. This altered colors, making everything in the room a shade of green. Although fully lit, the space seemed heavy and invasive. After exiting to the next gallery, natural light felt refreshing. The vibrancy of colors was more apparent than before entering the space. Since that show, I have become more aware with the different types of commercial lighting, and how they interact with each other. Another artist who works with fluorescent lights is Richard Box. In one piece, he used the ambient energy surrounding electrical lines to power lamps placed in the ground. Observers who walk through this grid of fluorescent tubes change the electrical field with their bodies, dimming the lights around them. This work speaks directly to our relationship with light and electricity.
Born during the industrial revolution, commercial lighting has lengthened the day. The evolution of the city brought entertainment and retail into the night. Both socially and physiologically, artificial light has influences the way we live, creating an atmosphere of public security and comfort. Like the sun, fluorescent lights bring life to the city.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
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