LET THERE BE LIGHT


Last year I went to the EDF in August to see « Alive ». It was a fascinating experience which you may like to check out again before going on with this chapter.


The Foundation should be easy to find, but somehow they had« moved it » in the last couple of weeks, as every time I went - I couldn’t find it. Today I did. 

This time the exhibition was called « Let there be Light » presented by an agency called Vitra Design. It’s a wide panorama of over some 200 objects taking us through the history of light.

I think we all take turning on a light switch as very normal today. Even changing fuses is simple. It wasn’t when I first arrived in Paris and somehow I turned the whole building into blackness. The guardian told me to never touch electricity again. I didn’t.  I don’t.

We start right at the beginning of « light ». A collection of light bulbs.  




 









 Advertisements. Videos and light fittings. Mother always said that the most attractive fittings came from Italy. This was proved and many of the earlier, 30’s to 60’s fittings were developed by the Italians. 

 
Rody Graumans - Lamps 1993



Gino Sarfatti 1939



Well for advertising! But what?

We all had one.....

1930's

Mario Bellini, Chiara 1964
Joseph Leuys, 1985

JUST LIGHT BULBS
One of the videos showed city lighting which all of us have experienced in our travels, or just our home towns. I have seen all the cities which were filmed, New York, Chicago, Tokyo, Seoul. If these cities were not illuminated as they are, somehow they would not longer be those cities.

 





Along side this are all the countries which do not have modern technologies. The under developed countries and even certain markets in China when lights are serviced by generators which gives them a flickering on and off effect. 



 



 A Chinese market

School...
1960's
Not to forget of course the first metal lamp which we all had next to our beds or on a desk. How much we took for granted.


 
But where is light going? Many artists use light today Dan Flavin Lucio Fontana, François Morellet , Martial Raysse, Bruce Nauman, Julio Le Parc are just some who come to mind at once - there are many more. 

One discovery, Carlos Cruz-Diez with these very brilliant neons - we had to put protections on our feet to visit the rooms. The lights were blinding.


 








 Some from the past
Casati, Ponzio, Marotta, Grifoncino, 1958 Replica of Vitra Design museum

Le Corbusier,

Studio Drift - Fragile Future 2012



Those who watched the opening of the Chinese Olympics are sure to remember the spectacular lighting used in that event. When I was doing a little research on Internet, I came upon this in Sydney. I gather it is on at the moment but alas there were no explanations.

 

Of course, even Picasso……

 
 
Picasso, light drawing 1948: Photo Gjon Mili (?)
The lights of tomorrow is not as « spectacular » as I expected. LED we are now more or less accustomed too. Some gadgets like this - which come to « light » when your hand waves over them. Difficult to take a photo though. 

 
The tulip

My hand goes on one side

and then on the other


Rope lights

 
 
Christian Hall Ropes 2011

Christian Hall Ropes 2011



Wall lights

 
 
Daniel Rybakken, Andrea Engesvik - Colour 2011

LUTA BETTONICA, Formala 2013
Robot lights which will catch all the flies and mosquitoes in the room and empty them into a small receptacle. A good idea I would think for Australia!

 
 
Auger & Loizeau - domestic entertainment robot 2008

 

 Lights which are the exact replica of an orchid which are just there to keep you calm!

 Clothes that will light up 
1- Silk organza with LED and strass 2013 : Forster Rohner

2-Silk organza with LED and strass 2013 : Forster Rohner

3-Silk organza with LED and strass 2013 : Forster Rohner

Lights which will « light » when you come into the room - and in different colors….

luminian - suspended lamp 2013 - Kaneka, Osaka





Candles which are no longer candles (thank goodness - I’ll put up with those »

 
 
Looks line one - but isn't


All candles - but not candles at all


 A light which can be projected on the wall and it seems like sun shining through a window….
Daniel Rybakken, surface daylight: prototype 2010

 



And if you are really missing the sun, there are now treatments to take.

 







These are just a few of the lights which will surely become in time, just something we take for granted.






 

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