062 FOCUS
‘The industrial style of the light fittings reflect the clean, contemporary look of the interior design while the lit effect flatters the produce as it would in any good supermarket or upscale grocer’
Food pantries do not solve their clients’ problems by providing food – a week’s food simply delays the problem of hunger for a week. Te need for such support is always based on underlying challenges in the life of a client, from illiteracy and lack of skills to mental illness, domestic violence, social exclusion and beyond. Te true resolution of those problems, or at least their mitigation, requires other forms of support beyond food. But how does one ask for help with such profound problems? Who does one ask for help? We feel shamed by admitting problems, so often we bury them, and we only attempt to address them in absolute need, or with our intimates, those we trust.
Above The scheme uses the lighting language of a chic cafe, with indirect illumination suggesting a subtle upmarket ambience – the aim is normalised, welcoming surroundings that put people at ease
Right The industrial style of the light fittings reflect the clean, contemporary look of the interior design while the lit effect flatters the produce as it would in any good supermarket or upscale grocer
It is the trust built across the counter at Nourishing Hope that invites their clients to seek help, to open the door to solving their problems. Te service design, the lighting, the overall environment is built to grow trust, and it is through that trust that clients are supported with referrals to the services they need, or welcome to programmes they can participate in. Behaviour is driven by emotion. Without the lighting, the pantry would still function well, it would still build relationships, it would still build engagement – but would it do it so well? A well-integrated design is so seamless that the contribution of one element, especially one so ephemeral as lighting, is impossible to assess in isolation.
Light is a tool of social influence and learning to use it positively, in the interests of clients, is a key challenge. Choosing the right light to activate a space, to calm it, to gather people, to drive sales, all of these functions are learnable. Mostly through observation. What works, what doesn’t? Who gathers where? What’s the lighting in those places? What are the clues that tell people how to live in a space? Building mastery of these tools requires observation, not just of light but of people, and the relationship between the two. It’s not just about looking, but seeing.
TOM HARRIS
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