The International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD) recently hosted a practical workshop for technical lighting students at The Royal Central School of Speech & Drama, part of the University of London.
The 'Light Play' workshop was organised by IALD UK Regional co-coordinator Christopher Knowlton and his colleague Cis O'Boyle, and sponsored by manufacturer and supplier Light Projects. The event provided an opportunity for students to collaborate with leading professionals from various lighting disciplines and to be physically creative with light, responding to a series of narrative themes. The focus was on architectural lighting design with a view to expanding the horizons of the students into the wider world of lighting.
The students were split into groups and asked to create different spaces with light, such as a static entrance with a dynamic element. Then, with the addition of haze in the air, the students were asked to work in a three-dimensional aspect to make the light more physical. Each group was also given a theme: isolation, journey, celebration, or light and shadow. At each stage, the groups explained their concepts and how the lighting was used to illustrate their ideas according to each theme.
To help them accomplish these tasks, Light Projects introduced an eclectic and wide-ranging mix of lighting fittings, including Roblon fibre optics, Evica gobo projectors, Tokistar tape lights and Howard Eaton Ripple Projectors. Light Projects also supplied products from its own ranges, including the new ArtLED, Minors and Toucan fittings.
Christopher Knowlton commented, "We were delighted with this event and the positive reactions we received from the students. It was fascinating to watch them play with light and a real pleasure seeing their enthusiasm as their creations came to life. We're very grateful to the team at Light Projects for supporting this event and for bringing along such an extensive selection of fittings which, together with the theatre lights, helped the students realise some truly inspirational designs."
