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Technical environment

Technical environment

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Interpreting art with light, ,

Interpreting art with light: museum lighting between objectivity and hyperrealism

Light renders art visible in museums. At the same time though light also interprets. In this regard curators, architects and artists often have differing expectations about how art should be appropriately displayed. This article is based on the aesthetics of image and exhibition and elucidates six categories of display – ranging from the objective reception of art to hyperrealism and the dynamic mediation of art treasures.

Each method of museum lighting serves to communicate a conceptually based approach to art. Even exhibition spaces with a neutral atmosphere represent a particular curatorial attitude, where for example only diffuse daylight is available as the light source or uniformly illuminated walls project a sense of calm. The same applies to highly pervasive accent lighting that presents art as a collection of individual works. The decision about how to interpret the display of artworks with light is however frequently an extended process because highly different interests often clash. Architects demand an acknowledgement of the building itself, curators aim to make a contextual statement about the collection as a whole, collectors as lenders are keen to communicate a particular sense of aesthetics and the artists themselves insist on the suitable display of their individual works. Added to this are various generations of visitors whose general interest in culture hinges on the expressiveness of a presentation.

With light, exhibition organisers are given an influential tool that is able to define the atmosphere for viewing art, establish a sense of drama to support its reception and generally contribute to the success of the exhibition. For this reason, the question for all participants rapidly arises as to which criteria should be used to achieve a suitable lighting concept: the light atmosphere within the specific artwork, or the light in which the work was created? And what is appropriate for art that was originally created in candlelight and now needs to be displayed in an attractive way?

Should an individual work serve as the benchmark, or indeed the primary theme, of the complete exhibition? How can the impact and interaction with art be stimulated with light? When does light appear authentic and in what circumstances might it change the meaning of the exhibit?

The following whitepaper responds to these lighting issues by starting with the innate appearance of the artwork or exhibition to then proceed with suggesting a suitable concept for the lighting design. A classification of lighting solutions into six categories, ranging from the objective reception of art and hyperrealism to the dynamic communication of artistic treasures, illustrates the diversity of design possibilities and also helps with orientation in the concept phase. The model of six categories proposes an approach that indicates how differently light is able to impact on the appreciation of art and how important differentiation is to suitably communicate culture.

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The emergence of new art forms and other aesthetic ideals is reflected in methods of art communication and in the changes that exhibition concepts have undergone. The innate diversity of art presentations with light, ranges from sober, neutral atmospheres achieving an objective impression to hyperrealism and dynamic presentations that create an interaction experience with cultural assets. Three factors can be used as criteria when selecting a lighting concept: 1. the content within the artworks, 2. the formal aspects of the image medium and 3. the spatial and temporal surroundings in which the work was created. By analysing the artwork's brightness, contrast and light atmosphere, curators can specify a similar method of lighting for the room and the exhibit – e.g. rich-contrast accent lighting for expressive Chiaroscuro effects. If on the other hand the size of the artwork and its frame are considered, lighting can also be selected that corresponds to the aesthetic approach, for example wide-area wallwashing for large, minimalist paintings or narrow distribution accent lighting for small portraits with striking, historic frames. A suitable colour temperature and lighting method can also be derived from the particular era and its historic background, e.g. either natural daylight or candlelight in a studio. An important criterion with light when aiming for authentic presentations is the question of whether the artist perceived the artwork in that way at the time of creating the work, whether the lighting concept being considered could lead to a falsifying of the artistic statement and whether the lighting solution distracts from the essential reception of the art.

Further information on the historical development of architecture and exhibition design, details on lighting design as well as references for further reading can be found here.

  • Close liaison with the curator and artists in the preparation phase helps to minimise any corrections when setting up.
  • Criteria such as the size and brightness of the exhibit, frame type, image content and light conditions at the time of creating the image help to evaluate whether a lighting solution would look natural or whether it might hinder the artistic reception.
  • Multiple lighting solutions need a flexible infrastructure, e.g. track with spotlights.
  • Exchangeable light distributions enable quick and convenient modifying of the lighting concept from wallwashing with a neutral impression to more dramatic accent lighting.
  • To achieve contrasts in brightness that can be clearly perceived by the eye, a ratio of at least 1:5 between the exhibit and its surroundings is required.
  • Dimmable spotlights are indispensable in achieving dramatic effects using differentiated contrasts between the exhibit and the room.
  • Contour spotlights are a good solution for 'magical' presentations where the light beam is precisely limited to the edges of the picture.

Exhibition concept Art and the space Light
1. Objective reception of art
  • Realistic, unemotional art presentations
  • Calm atmosphere where the art and the room blend together
  • Light: uniform brightness distribution, hardly any modelling, no brilliance
  • Daylight: diffuse incidence of light through windows or ceiling
  • Lighting: wallwashing for uniform brightness distribution
2. Subtle emphasising of artworks and motifs
  • Discreet emphasising of exhibits
  • Calm atmosphere where art slightly dominates the room
  • Light: low brightness contrasts, slight modelling and brilliance
  • Daylight: diffuse incidence of daylight supplemented by discreet accent lighting
  • Lighting: wallwashing and accent lighting. Subtle contrasts in brightness.
3. Dramatic display of exhibits
  • Artworks are placed in the foreground
  • Emotional display of exhibits
  • Light: intensive brightness contrasts, strong modelling/brilliance
  • Lighting: accent lighting matched to the size and shape of the images. Sculptures: steep angle of incidence for striking shadows.
4. Magically illuminating artworks
  • Only the surfaces of the image are seen
  • The art is intensified; the room seems to disappear
  • Light: uniform brightness only on the image surface with no light in the room
  • Lighting: contour spotlights with crisp light beams
5. Interpreting of artworks with hyperrealism
  • Artworks are placed in the foreground, details are emphasised
  • Image characteristics are emphasised to intensify the reality
  • Light: Brightness and colours are intensified
  • Lighting: dimmable contour spotlights for the differentiated illumination of picture sections and spotlights with multichannel colour control for modifying the spectrum (matamerism)
6. Dynamic communication of exhibitions
  • Lively displays of art
  • As well as purely observing the art, the entertainment factor is increased
  • Light: dynamism from brightness, colour temperature and spectrum
  • Lighting: time-based light control, sensors or apps

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