The Speed of Light

Fantastic Planet
Six giant illuminated humanoid figures have invaded our planet. These giants from afar will give audiences the impression that they have just landed and are quietly and gently exploring our ‘fantastic planet’. As with Parer’s globally successful public art exhibit Intrude, these forms are not randomly placed sculptures but rather can be strategically placed to give the impression that the giant humanoids have taken over an entire land or cityscape.

Inspiration for this light installation has been taken from the 1973 Czech/ French film Fantastic Planet (French: La Planète sauvage). This stop motion science fiction film directed by René Laloux depicted a story set in an unimaginably distant future in a world of gargantuan humanoids and where human beings are a feral race. This view is shared by naturalist and television presenter David Attenborough, where he has stated that humans are threatening their own existence and that of other species by using up the world’s resources. “We are a plague on the Earth. It’s not just climate change; it’s sheer space, places to grow food for this enormous horde. Either we limit our growth or the natural world will do it for us,” he told the BBC Radio Times.
 

L&L is the technical sponsor of the artistic installation Wave/Cave on display at the INTERNI Material Immaterial exhibition in the Cortile d’Onore courtyard of the University of Milan as part of the FuoriSalone 2017.
The installation, designed by the New York firm SHoP Architects, evokes the idea of geological time marked by the different eras. It uses 1670 blocks of unglazed terracotta to create 797 profiles on 3 levels, alluding to the idea of rock stratification.
The lighting, designed by PHT Lighting Design, brings out the beauty and porous nature of the material and creates a play of volumes between the façade, compact and regular, and the interior, which reveals a surprisingly rich ornamentation.
For this installation, L&L supplied 89 FLORI 1.0 projectors, which were positioned on the external perimeter and between the strata of the interior.
The chosen outdoor lighting fixtures have 15° optics, a 2700K warm white light colour, and anthracite finish.
Project SHoP Architects
Construction NBK KERAMIK, METALSIGMA TUNESI
with Arup, Cricursa, PHT Lighting Design
Lights L&L Luce&Light
Source: lucelight

We know that Christmas is long over. However, this electrifying Swedish commercial still deserves some attention. It is about a solar panel system that can store energy - and to underline this message an over-the-top Christmas light installation was used to underline that you can use electricity with a clean conscience. SGM LED fixtures which are known for their low power consumption and eco-friendliness therefore matched that message perfectly. Lighting Designer, Peter “Tintin” Jörgensen, applied SGM P-5 wash lights outside the building to cover up the facade and several units of their little brother, the P-2, were placed inside to highlight the windows. He explained:
“Besides the low power consumption, it was important that the fixtures had a high IP rating as some of them were installed outside. I also needed a great green and red color output to underline the Christmas theme - and I knew that the P-2 and the P-5 were able to deliver just that. I was very satisfied with their performance and their contribution to the final result.”
Lighting Designer: Peter “Tintin” Jörgensen
Programmer/Operator: Ishai Mika
Production: Teaterteknik
Supplier: Light Trade
Applied products:
 P-2  P-5
Original: sgmlight

A workshop, organised by postgraduates of illumination from UNAM (University of Mexico), used three different types of LED wash light fixtures from SGM. The installation took place at the grounds of UNAM’s main campus, Ciudad Universitaria. The light installations were applied to the Sculpture Space; a walk that integrates art and ecology. Three prominent sculptures were highlighted by SGM wash lights:
Las Serpientes del Pedregal: 
2 pcs. of P-5 and 10 pcs. P-2
Ave Dos: 
12 pcs. of P-2
Coronal del Pedregal: 
5 pcs. of i-2
Products used for this project:
 P-5  P-2  i-2 RGBW
Original: sgmlight

Using ground-breaking LED technology from SGM, an interactive light commission entitled IN LIGHT: Illuminating Capability Brown’s Landscape, was created by light artist Laurent Louyer from Creatmosphere.
In November 2016, various celebratory events took place in 120 different parks and sights all across the UK. This was to mark the 300th anniversary of renowned British Landscape Architect, Capability Brown, a historically important figure known as “England’s greatest gardener.” Many of his more than 170 park designs still exist today. Amongst these is Compton Verney, which also houses an independent national art gallery.
Compton Verney celebrated Capability’s legacy and brought it to life through a light ‘spectacular’. The curator from Compton Verney, Penelope Sexton, had the idea that it would be great to do something outside on the grounds using light as a medium. She got in touch with Laurent Louyer and asked him to carry out the job. Louyer said about the assignment:
“I had the simple brief to ‘respond to the Capability Brown’s landscape’. So basically, I had creative carte blanche - which is a dream come through as an artist. I found the trees, water and architectural elements to be the crucial cornerstones of the garden, so I put them in focus. My aim was to get people to play and engage, but also to educate them about the landscape and architecture. One of the installations was an interactive display where people could paint trees and architecture with light and colors.”
For the interactive installation, he used twenty five pcs. of P-5 wash lights and five pcs. of Q-7 flood/blind/strobes from SGM as giant brushes for people to “paint” trees and buildings. They were all controlled wirelessly via touch screens booths placed at key viewpoints.
Additionally, seven pcs. of G-Profile moving heads from SGM were programmed to effectively scan the landscape. They were located at very specific locations within the park where Louyer wanted to highlight specific parts of the visual landscape, adding another layer of discovery to the space. They were programmed to be out of sync, which ensured a dynamic, non-repetitive experience with varying sequences. It invited visitors to play with time, space and motion within their surroundings as they were not constrained to a specific timeline. It also encouraged them to discover specific viewpoints.
Reflecting on the use of SGM fixtures for the installation, Louyer said:
“It’s the first time, I’ve SGM fixtures in my projects. First and foremost, I picked them because of their great lighting performance. As it was an outdoor installation, a high IP-rating (IP65) was also crucial. Compton Verney is potentially interested in making the installation permanent, so I had to think of a durable solution from the very beginning. The strong architectural fixtures from SGM were therefore an obvious choice. All in all, I could tick off a lot boxes, going with SGM.”
An important theme of the installation was sustainable lighting. There were organised workshops at the site discussing how to limit the power consumption and how generate power in a sustainable way. The light installation itself was also totally aligned with this theme, using the LED fixtures from SGM and 1,000 solar jars on the lawn.
Laurent Louyer had the ambition have the kids to get more involved and especially the interactive elements had a big appeal to that segment. Normally, it is very difficult to get families to travel to the remote location, but with more than 8,000 new visitors during the event, the light installation certainly succeeded in attracting a new young family audience. The light installation even got news coverage from BBC.
Photographer: Jamie Woodley
Products used for this project:
 P-5  Q-7  G-Profile
Original: sgmlight