Just back from the suburbs of Sweden after completing the 2nd Social Light Movement Workshop. This time bringing light and love to Hjulsta, a million project estate on the outskirts of Stockholm, right at the end of the blue line. The workshop was supported by The City of Stockholm with Philips and Einar Mattheson, the forward thinking owners of the estate. At the end of the week there was a conference organised by Stockholm Lighting Days.
The format of the workshop: 30 students, 4 workshop leaders - Elettra Bordonaro, Isabelle Corten, Erik Olsson and Joran Linder, Guerrilla Lighting by Light Collective, 3 days for students to come up with a series of lighting ideas for Hjulsta, looking at branding with light, connections, entrances to housing blocks, playgrounds, tube station etc and then presenting them to a professional lighting audience at the Stockholm Lighting Days conference on Day 4.
As part of the process, Swedish lighting designer Lina Färje from LjusArkitektur went out on the streets with her heart on her sleeve, and any where else she could find, to create a enthralling series of images with the local residents and at the same time opening them up to discussions about light.
All this was enthusiastically followed by a 100 people walking through the streets and lighting up the suburb Guerrilla style…
The point of the workshop: to get out of the office and into the spaces that we are designing for. To put down our laptops and speak to the people that we seek to provide light for. The result of the workshop: Interested residents. Outstanding student ideas. Phenomenally creative, practical and above all non expensive to implement. A housing association that was open to helping us, willing to listen and keen to make the ideas a reality…
