Lighting has always been an integral part of the human experience. It has influenced shelter design for all of history. For many thousands of years our species relied on the power of a burning flame to shine upon the night darkness to provide reflections of deep warm hues and ambient flickering luminance. This primal reliance on a tender source of protective illumination is part of a captivating framework that humans visually assimilate and rely on.

Daylight is a component of interior illumination that achieves the highest value. There is an ethereal essence about light emitted from the sun. Our eyes and minds experience each type of light differently regardless of our conscious awareness. Daylight and moonlight are the purist form of radiance for any location on earth. The dim evening shade of night requires that we implement manufactured emittance to fully visualize our surroundings.

A paradigm shift occurred with the invention of electricity. The common Edison light bulb containes a charged carbon filament and partial vacuum with inert gas. This consistent manufactured form of electric powered incandescence became the predominant method of lighting. Later developments were halogen, neon, and florescent lightbulbs.

Variations of electrically charged filaments and gasses generate luminosity with a varied spectrum that spans warm hues, white neutral light, and cool hues based on the color temperature measured in Kelvin. For example, the lights in most offices and warehouses in the 1990’s were often fitted with florescent bulbs housed within utilitarian fixtures. These lights have a stark cool white color and startup delay. The diverse color spectrum creates different synchronicities with the human biorhythm and conscious interpretation of the environment. The stark office or warehouse light is intended to be productive while the warm comforting light produced in the home is better for reading and entertaining.

The human experience can be greatly influenced by the full light prismatic spectrum. The different hues inspire moods that we associate with a variety of emotional and functional states. This is important to consider when designing an environment so occupants feel appropriate for the matching activity that is productive, entertaining, inspiring, or relaxing.

As technology has progressed over time, light emitting diodes (LEDs) have become more advanced. Using a combination of semiconducting photovoltaic cells, a full optical range is available based on band gap energy increases from infrared, to full color spectrum, to UV. Red, Green, Blue (RGB) LED panels provide the ability to create visualizations from a matrix of color light patterns. The technology has been further enhanced from implementing organic hydrocarbon semiconductors that emit light when in contact with electricity (OLED). This type of light comprises most of our full color screens and displays.

LED lighting is more efficient than incandescent and florescent because there is no filament. They are more sustainable, can be much smaller, and have faster switching time. They can be arrayed for adjustable custom color temperatures or saturated ambient hues.

The source of illumination has reached a malleability whereas LEDs can be easily placed within undulating curvaceous forms that were previously impossible to achieve. The lighting takes on the form of a medium, like paint, that influences the emotions and consciousness of those immersed in the environment. Light, unlike paint, is a an energetic wave frequency. Material pigment absorbs light as the surface reflects corresponding wavelengths of energy that allow us to perceive color as the photons reach our retinas.

The atmosphere, water molecules, and other particles change the quality of the light frequency that emits through the environment. These alchemic factors add a sense of authenticity, intrigue, and tangibility to natural daylight.

Because artificial light has been captured in the form of harnessed energy by humans for thousands of years, we have developed a frame for the light medium that has evolved in form from a burning torch to an advanced full spectrum intricately compact diode. This has given us an artistic bridge between the source of light and the environment that must support the infrastructure to properly present the illumination.

The placement of lighting generally fits into the categories of ambient, accent, and task. The main source of light in a room is ambient light. This may be provided by chandeliers, ceiling fixtures, recessed lights, and prominent sconces. Chandeliers offer a wide array of artistic presentation that include multiple pendants, crystals, globes, ribbons, branches, geometric forms, domes, suspensions, sputniks, dandelions, fiber optics, and other form variations. Recessed lighting is meant to nearly disappear into the featureless continuity of the ceiling with modern options that include contemporary trim-less linear, square, and round inset apertures.

Task lighting is a designation that includes: table lamps, track lighting, vanity, floor lamps, desk lights and more. These light are generally independent objects powered by a long discrete cord. They are movable chattel with sculptural appeal.

Accent lighting is another layer that provide atmosphere to a room in a more intricate form influencing the mood. Niche picture lights, furniture lights, landscape up-lights, step lights, linear recessed lights, and plaster-in LEDs with diffusers are all important forms of lighting that elevate the creative sophistication of an environment.

Because of the advancing development of expansive OLED materials, the intricacy and interpretation of the light emission can become an otherworldly experience. Someday this Star Trek holodeck type of display may be accessible to most people. According to Science Daily, “Researchers plan to prepare new conjugated polymers that feature novel chemical building blocks and inorganic elements. ‘We can envision all kinds of fun things with future polymers like a screen that can be painted on a wall,’ said researcher John Protasiewicz. He elaborated on the science of OLED. ‘These devices operate by putting basically two electrodes on the material and then charging it. Light is given off the material to make the display device.’ The new materials can produce photovoltaic properties, too, by shining a light on them, which excites the electrons and causes them to move around & emit light.”

Lasers are another form of light that can be used to project highly focused energy onto a surface to create an observable image from the resulting reflected light. This is a popular choice for event productions and home entertainment ultra short-throw 4k televisions.

Elevated artistic appreciation is applied to light in a contemporary sense. Artists such as James Turrell, Olivia Steele, and Ray Howlett use light as a contemplative medium. Inspiring lighting forms will continue to evolve to further influence the moods of our consciousness.

The visual spectrum of electromagnetic energy has a broad stimulus on our environment that empowers illumination morphosis to infinitely captivate and enrapture as an ever evolving holographic photonic expression.

The Historical Evolution of Lighting. Stouch Lighting. stouchlighting.com/blog/the-historical-evolution-of-lighting

Light-emitting diode. Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light-emitting_diode

Case Western Reserve University. (2005, March 31). Science Daily. Paint On The Wall TV Screens? Case Chemist To Design Chemical Building Blocks For Such Potential Use. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/03/050329140351.htm