The intent of lighting sculpture is to make form emerge from darkness and shadow as a multi-dimensional experience. It takes more than luminance to create this effect. Darkness is equally important to light because shadow is necessary to create the impression of a virtual reality much like the actual reality we live in. Shadows are also necessary to accentuate the three dimensional nature of the forms and curves that constitute the piece. This makes lighting a sculpture very different than lighting a painting, because a painting is two-dimensional image, whereas a carving or statue always differentiates itself from the background as an emerging, three-dimensional form.
The degree of success you will have in lighting sculpture depends on the amount of ambient light you shine upon the piece. Direct light has only a limited ability to bring out the differentiating features of three-dimensional art. Recessed art lighting is much more effective because it has creates more of a field of light than a bright beam of light. In most art lighting applications regardless of type or genre, a bright ray or beam of light is something we want to avoid because it can create white spots and reflective glare.
Focused lighting is much better for sculptures and lighting pictures because it enhances the subject that creates a luminosity that brings texture, form, and color to the forefront of the viewer’s perception. This requires sophisticated equipment and typically a number of different fixture types. Just how many fixtures, and what type of fixtures we use, depends on the size and shape of the sculpture. There are many dynamics here to consider beyond width, length, and height. We tend to visualize a statue of a human form when we think of sculpture, but in reality there is far greater diversity in this genre than we are typically conscious and aware.
For example, many celebratory pieces depict historical leaders on horseback. What we have in these depictions is really not one form, but two. We have to treat both man and horse as the separate entities they are, but we also have to emphasize the symbiotic oneness of horse and rider in the way we light the sculpture. It is not possible to do this with only a single recessed light fixture or even type of fixture. Such a piece will have to be illuminated from a variety of angles and with at least three distinct layers of light and corresponding shadows to highlight such features as muscle tone, facial expression, hair, weaponry, uniform, and regalia. This is a tall order for any designer to fill, and it requires the very best in equipment and years of training and expertise in art lighting design to accomplish.
Specification grade equipment is an absolute necessity for lighting sculpture. It simply will not be possible to achieve the same level of subtlety or complexity as we can with commercial grade equipment. Specification grade lamps, lenses, optical reflectors, and lighting control systems are much more advanced than those of retail grade equipment. It is essential that we rely upon such advanced technology and use its full potential in the creation of complex lighting arrays and layered lighting effects essential to the proper presentation of statuary and other fine art. Photometric designs and three-dimensional modeling is a key element to our design process that allows us to configure these systems in advance and select the most appropriate and robust fixtures for the task at hand.
As a lighting design services firm we have unlimited access to lighting manufacturers. Illuminations Lighting knows how to plan lighting and installs only the best equipment for lighting sculptures. We can also act as a consulting firm assisting local electricians who require aesthetic expertise in the many nuances of art and gallery lighting, and we function strictly in a design, planning role as a source of multiple configuration plans that give collectors and curators the freedom of choice between two or more viable options.
Since 1980, Illuminations Lighting Deign has grown to include a team of over 50 talented and dedicated employees. Specialty divisions have been created to focus on such disciplines as lighting design, electrical contracting, landscape lighting and home automation. Having specialists in each of these disciplines, while remaining true to the mission of offering home owners the "complete picture" of lighting design, is key to continued success at Illuminations Lighting. We invite you to contact us toll free at 800-863-1184 or locally at 713-863-1133.
We are located in Houston Texas but provide lighting and house lighting plans in Austin TX, El Paso Texas, San Antonio TX, College Station Texas, Beaumont TX, Dallas Texas, Midland Tx and points beyond. Labels: Artwork Lighting Experts, Corporate Art Consultants, Fine Art Lighting Consultants, Lighting Designers, Lighting Sculptures, Sculpture Lighting
Lighting for paintings is best accomplished using commercial grade equipment engineered just for the purpose of illuminating galleries and private collections. Retail fixtures, even if labeled as art lighting fixtures, typically feature shorter lamp life, less adjustability, and less advanced optics. Specification grade fixtures have consistently been shown to offer much better results when lighting art, and they save the collector money with more energy efficiency and minimized replacements.
With few exceptions, recessed low voltage lighting fixtures are the best luminaires for lighting art. This is because they tend to produce considerably less heat than high voltage equivalents and consequently save money on cooling costs. They are also safer for the artwork itself, some of which can be damaged very easily if overheated.
In fact, much of this heat is invisible, falling in the infrared portion of the spectrum. Though unseen, it can still damage painting by dehydrating oils. Ultraviolet light does this on an even more severe level, and it can damage the canvas itself. To protect color and canvas integrity, recessed art lighting fixtures are engineered with technology that block these wavelengths and allows only visible light to reach the art.
Within these simple guidelines, then—low-voltage, specification grade quality, and filtered lamps—there remains a huge realm of choice available to the collector in terms of fixture intensity, type, positioning, and end user adjustability. So many options exist, in fact, that lighting art has now become a form of design unto itself. Lighting control technology adds even more value to this aesthetic by placing a great deal of adjustability control directly into the hands of the collector or curator. Dimmers, wall boxes, and hand-held remotes allow the private individual to fine tune modern art lighting levels both on a system wide and individual fixture level.
This allows you to set different levels lighting and to layer them one on top of the other. Such layering places a special emphasis on any collection, making it appear almost removed from time and space. To achieve this multidimensional effect, of course, we have to install more than just one type of art light to accomplish our goals. A myriad of architectural custom lighting luminaires dedicated exclusively to the task of lighting art and statuary exists that we can use to build a custom lighting array for any private or professional collection.
Framing projectors are the most unique and fascinating type of art lighting device invented to date in residential art design. The most notable brands will project an invisible beam of light onto a canvas or sculpture that will then suddenly transfigure the piece as if from within. While you cannot light an entire gallery with projectors they are nonetheless essential keys to creating the most splendid effects and showcasing the most important works.
Other art and house lighting fixtures like recessed low voltage halogens, slotted apertures, pinhole lights, and eyeball lights are all basically circles in the ceiling that create variable effects based on aperture shape and size, angle of incidence, and mounted positioning. Art collections look best when illuminated by an customized array of several different fixture types installed specifically for a particular collection or type of collection.
To achieve this blend of feeling and hard science, we recommend you call us and let us help you create such a system for lighting your art and show you how to plan lighting. Both as a design-build company can both plan and install the equipment, and as a art lighting consultant with a preferred electrical installation vendor, we have delivered consistent value to art collectors and galleries throughout the nation since 1980.
ILD is a premier fine art lighting company in Texas. We have worked for and lighted some of the world’s most prestigious public and private art collections including works from renowned artists such as Chagall, Picasso, Matisse, Renoir, Rockwell, Salvador Dali and Rembrandt. By calling upon the most innovative artwork lighting techniques in the world, you can rest assured that your treasured pieces will shine as brightly as the artist’s true vision. Visit our testimonials page for customer feedback.
Simply stated, our staff is Illuminations Lighting Design's greatest asset. We are fortunate as an electrical contractor to have built such a highly skilled workforce of craftsmen and mechanics who enjoy what they do. Working with integrity and efficiency, they will treat your home with respect while ensuring the job gets done right. Their pride, persistence, quality and determination are the hallmark of Illuminations Lighting Design's tradition.
We are located in Houston Texas but provide lighting and lighting design in Austin TX, El Paso Texas, San Antonio TX, College Station Texas, Beaumont TX, Dallas Texas, Midland Tx and points beyond. Labels: Architectural Lighting Houston, Art Lighting Consultants, Artwork Lighting Experts, Fine Art Lighting Consultants, Projector Art Lighting Equipment, Texas Art Lighting Specialist
Art gallery lighting should be low voltage when at all possible. Low voltage recessed art light fixtures use less power than high voltage equivalents and can save a gallery a small fortune in power costs. Low voltage fixtures exist in many forms, giving the curator a complete freedom of choice in selecting what will work best for particular showings and art types. Low voltage framing projectors, recessed ceiling lights, track lights, pinhole lights, and eyeball lights are becoming increasingly common for corporate art consultants, interior designers and architects.
It is also very important that the equipment feature commercial, specification grade quality. In most instances, such equipment can only be sourced through a professional art lighting firm such as ILD. General specification equipment, which many freelance electricians or end users can buy through retail channels, is less reliable and often features a shorter lamp life which will compound replacement costs. Commercial grade lamps are far more likely to fulfill their predicted lifespan and typically have a much better manufacturer warranty in the unlikely event they do not.
Something else that curators should always be mindful of is the amount of heat produced in art gallery lighting. Without an initial investment in the very best equipment, it is unlikely that less expensive fixtures are going to satisfactorily perform in a high-end setting. This goes back to what we just discussed in reference to commercial grade quality and how you plan lighting. The more reputable and established lighting manufacturers are making it a priority to engineer equipment with technology that dissipates as much forward throw heat as possible. Not only does this better protect rare art against damage; it also helps keep the building cooler and contributes to lower HVAC operating costs.
Along similar lines, lighting for paintings should also be manufactured with advanced filtration mechanisms that block ultraviolet and infrared radiation. These are two very dangerous wavelengths of light that no gallery can afford to allow near any painting—especially historical or rare pieces. Canvases will dry and colors will fade in a relatively short period of time unless UV and IR radiation are blocked completely. In order to accomplish this, fixtures must be manufactured with reliable filtration mechanisms that block these frequencies and ensure that only visible wavelengths reach the canvas.
All this being said, we have to also take into consideration most art galleries are lighting a wide variety of painting sizes, photography, and sculpture. Any given showing will more than likely group various pieces according to artist, historical period, culture, or genre, but beyond this, there is a great diversity in individual works. Sometimes more eclectic showings will feature a mixture of art types that bring even more diversity and subjectivity to the display and interior lighting design. Gallery lighting in either instance must consist of a diversity of fixture types, luminance intensity, and fixture mount positioning in order to appropriately illuminate both individual works and provide enough general lighting in the room for viewer comfort.
If you are interested in a fine art lighting system or art gallery lighting, we invite you contact us at 713-863-1133 or us our online request design consultation form.
Since 1980, Illuminations Lighting Deign has grown to include a team of over 50 talented and dedicated employees. Specialty divisions have been created to focus on such disciplines as lighting design, electrical contracting, landscape lighting and home automation. Having specialists in each of these disciplines, while remaining true to the mission of offering home owners the "complete picture" of lighting design, is key to continued success at Illuminations Lighting.
We are located in Houston Texas but provide lighting and house lighting plans in Austin TX, El Paso Texas, San Antonio TX, College Station Texas, Beaumont TX, Dallas Texas, Midland Tx and points beyond.
Labels: Architectural Lighting Houston Texas, Art Gallery Lighting, Fine Art Lighting Consultants, Houston Fine Art Lighting Experts
Phantom Lighting is the brainchild of Illuminations Lighting Design, a Houston based lighting design build firm over 20 years ago. The company holds several patents for Phantom Lighting fixtures and is continuously working to add new products as needs develop and technologies evolve. The Phantom Lighting concept was simple at first and quickly grew into one of the most effective accent lighting fixture selections on the market today for fine art illumination and display lighting. The Phantom Lighting System is comprised of two main product categories: Phantom Contour Projector and Phantom Lighting Strips.
Phantom Lighting Strips
Phantom low voltage lighting strips were introduced in the early 80's to illuminate bookcases, breakfronts, armoires, shelves and display cases. The early lighting strips were hand fabricated on site by skilled craftsmen and perfectly fitted inside furniture, antiques and shelving for display applications. Today, we follow that same model and carefully fabricate each order to insure that the light was built for the cabinet and not just modified to fit. The adjustable shelf concept, our legendary patented process allows for completely adjustable shelves, without the need for tools or unsightly exposed wiring. Phantom lighting strips are simple by design, but highly flexible due to various trim configurations which allow for hiding the lamps and providing glare free continuous illuminations. Models are available for horizontal mounting, vertical mounting, indirect mounting and radius applications. With a variety of incandescent and xenon lamps in both 12 and 24 volts, Phantom Lighting Systems is a leader in linear display and strip lighting. See our article in Aprill issue of LD+A Magazine.
Phantom Contour Projectors
Phantom Contour Projectors, another product from the designers at Illuminations, are high performance lighting instruments created specifically for illuminating fine art. They utilize precision lenses, halogen lamps and a patented masking technique to contour focused light onto the art or sculpture with spectacular results. In fact, you can illuminate one or more paintings individually from one source regardless of the shape of the art. For years the Wendel projector was the standard for fine art lighting, but not anymore. Developments in lamp technology, optics and energy savings requirements have been incorporated into the Phantom Contour Projector. This equates to a smaller, more efficient, cooling running, cost effective optical framing projector. The Phantom Contour Projector has now become the projector of choice by lighting and design professionals. Architects, engineers, lighting designers and discriminating clients all agree that the Phantom Contour Projector looks better, is easier to install and requires no formal training to acheive world class results.
Imagine a space where fine art appears to come alive, where paintings appear to leap off the walls, where pictures appear to be illuminated from within. Imagine a museum where sculptures seem to float, magically suspended and enlivened by some unseen source of light. Imagine canvases and statues transformed by lighting that breathes life into each image. Now imagine actually creating such a space in your home, office, gallery or museum. That's what Phantom Lighting is all about!
To learn more about Phantom Lighting contact us to request a catalog or call toll free at 800-863-1184. You can also visit us online at one of the following web address: www.phantomlighting.com
Come see what Phantom Lighting is all about at Light Fair 2006. Light Fair International is the world's largest annual architectural and commercial lighting trade show and conference. The trade show and conference is being held May 30th through June 1st at the Las Vegas Convention Center, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Phantom Lighting booth will be located in the center of the hall as Booth 2742. Click here to see a floor plan of the convention center illustrating our location.
Labels: Contour Projector, Fine Art Lighting Consultants, Fine Art Lighting Equipment, Interior Accent Lighting, Picture Lighting Solutions, Wendel Projector
