Top image: Evolution of Singapore’s Nightscapes – from 1800 to 2050
Photos courtesy of Lighting Planners Associates

2015 has been declared the International Year of Light, and many events and initiatives have been launched globally to mark the occasion. In Singapore, the lighting design scene was particularly active last month in large part due to Singapore Night Festival, which spanned a host of light-related art and interactive installations (see our story on Pixels Wave), performances, and talks by members of the industry.

The next big event centred on light is set to take place from 24 October to 21 November 2015 when Nightscape 2050 Travelling Exhibition arrives at the National Design Centre.

Lighting Pavilion

Organised by Lighting Planners Association (LPA), Nightscape 2050 Travelling Exhibition seeks to address these questions: How can lighting design contribute to the creation of wonderful encounters of light and people? What can we expect our lighting environment to be like in 2050? By manifesting these questions through the different elements that form the exhibition, LPA hopes to encourage dialogue and an exchange of ideas on the future of light and its impact on people around the world.

“Endlessly evolving optical technologies have provided us not only the convenience, but also the pleasure of freely manipulating light and shadow. On the other hand, the increased and widespread use of artificial light has greatly impacted the circadian rhythm of people; we also face the problem of light pollution,” says Kaoru Mende, founder of LPA. “As lighting designers, we are curious as to how we will interact with light in the future. We want to create a unique experience to share our ideas, and seek discussion on how light may impact, or influence our ‘way of being’ in the year 2050.”

Lighting Pavilion

The month-long programme in Singapore will include the following:

Lighting Pavilion

Set in a dark studio, visitors will be transported into an alternate lighting reality based on three distinct themes – Learning from Nature, Learning from World Nightscapes and Scenes of Nightscape 2050.

Evolution of Singapore’s Nightscape – from 1800 to 2050

Specially curated to commemorate SG50, this is a timeline of critical events in Singapore’s history that have shaped the evolution of lighting and the city itself, till the present day, and with a glimpse into the imaginable future.

Atrium – day lighting

Atrium – Day & Night Lighting

Visitors can experience the transition of light from day to night, by observing the way light changes on a large tree installation set up in the middle of the atrium.

Atrium – night lighting

Learning from Children

LPA will be conducting workshops for children where they will be taken out on night walks, be led through a discussion on ‘good light’ and ‘bad light’, and take part in a presentation.

Learning from Masters

Learning from Masters

Through a video installation, five masters, namely Ingo Maurer, Shuji Nakamura, Toshiyuki Inoko, Toyo Ito and William Lim, will present their thoughts on light and its role in our future.

LPA’s monograph – LPA 1990-2015 Tide of Architectural Lighting

In conjunction with the exhibition, LPA will also be launching their monograph, titled “LPA 1990-2015 Tide of Architectural Lighting” to mark the practice’s 25th anniversary. The book is a chronological and comprehensive showcase of 101 hand-picked works by LPA, including Lighting Masterplan for Singapore City Centre, Gardens by the Bay and National Gallery Singapore.

Nightscape 2050 Travelling Exhibition will be held from 24 October – 21 November 2015 at National Design Centre, Singapore, atrium, 9am – 9pm daily. Admission is free. For more information, visit facebook.com/lpa.exhibition