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TECHNOLOGY / THE ARC SHOW NIGHTSEEING™ WITH LENI SCHWENDINGER


As part of a growing international pro- gramme of urban nighttime walks, lighting designer Leni Schwendinger brought her new NightSeeing™ concept to the streets of London – proving itself a popular companion to the IALD’s Enlighten Europe conference. Debuted in Washington, D.C., NightSee- ing™ aims to raise awareness of light - and shadow - in nighttime environments, as well as to provide an overview of lighting theory to the general public and design profession- als alike.


The London outing took place after the first day of the show. Protected from the spo- radic London drizzle by LED illuminated um- brellas (provided by event sponsors Alliance Lighting), Schwendinger led an international crowd from the Business Design Centre to explore the borough of Islington, using sights and scenes discovered along the route as a starting point for anecdotal, technical and sometimes philosophical discourse. Among the significant features, Schwending- er focused on the distinctions between two of the district’s retail sites: the N1 Centre, with the glare of stark white-metal surfaces and shopfronts, and Camden Passage, with its hand-painted signs and window displays, reflecting high-pressure sodium light to cre- ate the illusion of gleaming gold leaf.


Along the route, Schwendinger encouraged participants to really look at the everyday world: “Identifying – in our own way – what we see, so that when we get to work we have a store that we can draw on,” she told attendees. “As you become more incisive in your observations you’ll begin to find ap- plications for what you see.” Whilst many passers-by may have been bemused by the American-led crowd of international characters as they took in the streetlight shadows and reflections, for Schwendinger this was a return to old ground. “I lived in London, Hackney, for a number of years in the 1970s. Bicycling to Camden Passage, Chapel Market, the Angel and riding the 73 bus and the Northern Line are reference points in my memory of London,” she says. “I attended London Film School in Covent Garden, and learned to be very observant of a fully sensorial London with its familiarly welcoming sounds, sights and smells. What a privilege and pleasure, then, so many years later, to be in the Angel as an interpreter of the after-dark streets.” Schwendinger plans to return to the UK with a canal walk as part of next year’s London Architectural Festival. www.nightseeing.net


Armed with glowing Alliance Lighting umbrellas, Leni Schwendinger led an international group through the streets of Islington in London - decoding the nightscape, from the ‘languid blink’ of belisha beacons to the friendly shop fronts of nearby Camden Passage


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