Lighting technology never ceases to amaze. This month’s Lighting Roundup is all about new lighting technology, ways to improve your lighting and energy use at home, and some of the most exciting lighting designs and installations I’ve seen in a while!
In Lighting News…
LightRecycle, a non-profit program to recycle lighting products in British Columbia, recently expanded to recycle all lighting products at no charge – the first program of its kind in Canada. The program began in 2010, and it caters to both commercial and residential clients.
Dan Watson, a graduate of the Royal College of Art, won this year’s James Dyson Award for his sustainable fishing net called SafetyNet. This special trawler fishing net uses strategically placed holes and LED lights to separate fish of different ages and species. These illuminated “exit signs” allow smaller non-marketable fish to escape.
In Lighting Tips…
Bob Vila recently shared his take on essential lights for the kitchen. Good kitchen lighting should combine decorative lighting and task lighting, while allowing you to customize the light level to suit whatever you’re doing. Considering how much time we all spend in our kitchens over the holidays, these small updates can make our lives much more pleasant.
Speaking of kitchen lighting, this article on Houzz offers helpful tips on picking the perfect pendant light to hang over your kitchen island. You might be surprised at all the different varieties out there.
While upgrading your home lighting and appliances is a necessary step for many of us this season, no one wants to jack up energy bills by using unnecessary power. This article on The Environmental Blog details the top 5 “phantom loads” – devices and appliances that secretly use energy, even when you’re not using them.
Other Neat Stuff…
Renegade, a London-based lighting and design company was commissioned to light up London’s Tate Modern for the after party of the premiere of the new James Bond movie, Skyfall. They used LED screens to project video effects, transporting party goers back to the film’s Shanghai setting.
Check out more photos here.
Meanwhile, in San Francisco at the Performance Art Institute, light artist Chris Fraser created an installation of on-site works, featuring basic and fascinating qualities of light. He uses light to form spectroscopic “line drawings.” You can read more about this installation in this article from Jim On Light.
Focus Lighting’s recent interactive lighting installation called “Cloud,” features a hallway ceiling covered in LED modules, equipped with motion sensors. The LEDs sense subjects in the hallway, and cycle through 1 of 12 shows, inspired by patterns in nature. Check out the video here: