Lighting Observation 9
1) 2012-03-29, 7:00 PM in the Design Studio
2) Shadow on the top bricks of the room all the way around the studio
3)
It’s hard to have lighting moments in the design studio, and I’ve run out of ways to say how much I hate florescent lights. I noticed something new today, though, something that I’d never seen, something that took me a minute to figure out the mechanics of. Looking up at the ceiling, I realized the top bricks all around the room are cast in a slight shadow. It caught me off guard because I’m am so used to the classrooms, and especially a room I’m so familiar with, to have simple, flat illumination from all angles. The point of these lights is the cleanest, cheapest, full illumination possible. The only shadows you’d expect would be below distinct objects: projector screen, speakers, window frames, etc. In rooms with dropped ceilings (common to conserve heating costs), the lights are usually flush with the rest of the ceiling, and therefore distribute at all angles evenly. Here, the encasement is a good six inches from the ceiling, with not much light escaping the sides compared to the diffusing plastic on the bottom. The result is a noticeable crown trim all around the room before the light is able to fully illuminate the wall. Shadows don’t always have to be deep, film noir, expressionistic lines and holes in lighting, only enough difference in the levels to be noticed and remarked on.