THEORY STUDIES: ARCHETYPICAL ARTIFICIAL LIGHTING PRACTICES IN CONTEMPORARY ...

225 Pages·2009·5.51 MB·English

THEORY STUDIES: ARCHETYPICAL ARTIFICIAL LIGHTING PRACTICES
IN CONTEMPORARY INTERIOR DESIGN

A Thesis
Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School
of Cornell University
In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of
Master of Arts

by
Joanne Pui Yuk Kwan
February 2010
© 2010 Joanne Pui Yuk Kwan
ABSTRACT

This thesis focuses on identifying, classifying and naming unnamed artificial
lighting archetypes in contemporary, professionally designed interiors that are
derived from reiterative historical designs. The study is a component of the
Intypes (Interior Archetypes) Research and Teaching Project established in
1997 at Cornell University. An Intype is an ideal example of a historical
determined practice of design from which similar models are derived,
emulated or reiterated.

In the 20th century lighting design became a field and an area of specialization
in interior design, architecture and engineering. Lighting is a subject of many
books and design literature often alludes to its importance. Many of the studies
focus on the phenomenon of light itself, including issues related to perception
and technical requirements. Although there are some case studies of
individual projects, there is little scholarship about lighting for contract interior
design. Accounts of the history of interior spaces primarily focus on lighting
fixtures or light sources.

This study is one of the few of its kind; it creates a typology of the professional
design and architectural practices of artificial lighting in interior spaces. The
study identifies and documents lighting solutions that have been reiterated
through time and contributes to a vocabulary for teaching and comparative
analysis. This research offers practice-based research which may encourage
design criticism and discourse in both academia and professional practice.
Eight artificial lighting Intypes—Color Flood, Follow Me, Float, Halo, Hot Spot,
Light Body, Light Seam, Patches—were identified and classified based on a
comprehensive survey of contemporary design trade magazines, scholarly
articles, secondary sources and site visits of significant recently completed
interiors. Each typology was developed by describing a practice(cid:1)s
characteristic qualities and tracing its reiterations back historically. Only one of
the lighting Intypes, Float, began appearing in articles in the 1920 era; Light
Seam followed, but twenty years later in the 1940 decade. Follow Me, Patches
and Halo began in the 1950 decade. The remainder of types, however, began
in the 1960 and 1970 decades and experienced expanded growth in the 1990
era that accelerated in the 2000 to 2010 decade.

The lighting Intypes developed in this thesis were distributed in several
practice types. All of the Intypes were used in residential settings, hospitality,
retail design and public spaces/institutional. Overall, creative lighting
expressions were found more often in hospitality, entertainment and retail
venues where lighting contributes significantly to atmosphere and spectacle.

In addition to this research thesis, the Artificial Lighting Intypes developed in
this study will be disseminated through the free and open website—
www.Intypes.Cornell.edu—a web-based research and teaching site that
makes design history and contemporary practice accessible to academics,
professionals and students.

ii
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Joanne Kwan grew up in the small city of Hong Kong, where the superiority of
efficiency and economics in the fast paced city has left in her a longing for
reawakening the different kinds of human emotions. Inspired by the sense of
place she found in architecture and theatre design, Kwan studied interior
design and received her Bachelor of Science in human environmental relations
from Cornell University. She considers light as one of the most evocative
elements of spatial design, thus leaped at this opportunity to further her
studies about lighting practices in the immediate interior environment soon
after under the guidance of professor Jan Jennings, Edward Intemann and
Sabine Haenni.

iii
To those who have given me light.
iv
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

There are too many who have in their different ways helped me along my
journey thus far, but first and foremost I would like to thank my thesis chair,
professor Jan Jennings. Jan helped provide me with a framework in which to
study lighting and interior design. She was a mentor, a friend and a vigorous
helmswoman who has nonetheless allowed me to explore for myself the path
of learning. A very important Thank You to my committee members professor
ED Intemann and Sabine Haenni who always brought up new perspectives
and reminded that there is no end to learning, taking off the pressure of writing
and renewing my passion for the subject. Even when still on sabbatical,
professor Kathleen Gibson was not only the icon czar but also my 3D Max
Guru. The rest of the DEA department, especially the administrative staff,
Linda, Kim, Nicki and Terry have in so many ways helped make my life so
much easier. Professor Rhonda Gilmore was my extremely wonderful
(cid:1)unofficial(cid:2) cheerleader. To Rachel Barry and Sara Patterson, my two partners
in crime and great counselors this past year, without your encouragements
and meetings, there would be little motivation, no progress and no fun.
Outside the little world of Ithaca, my family support team have constantly kept
me in touch with life besides schoolwork. My sister Stephanie in
Massachusetts has been the greatest member, accompanying me over
extended phone conversations late at night as I walk home alone, letting me
take over most of her apartment and perhaps her after-hours-life for more than
two months, and even picking up after both of my moves. To all those I have
mentioned and many others I may have forgotten, Thank You once again.
v
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Biographical sketch……………………………………………………………..…. iii
Dedication………………………………………………………………………...… iv
Acknowledgements………………………………………………………………… v
Table of Contents………………………………………………………………….. vi
List of Figures………………………………………………………………………. ix
List of Tables………………………………………………………………………. xvi

Chapter 1: The Study……………………………….…………………………… 1
1.0 The Study……………………………….……………………………… 2
1.1 Introduction and Premise of the Study………………………………. 3
1.2 An Overview of Electric Lighting Design in Architectural Interiors.. 5
1.3 The Intypes Research and Teaching Project ……………………… 13
1.4 Research Protocol……………………………….…………………… 15
1.5 General Literature Review …………………………………………… 20
1.6 Analysis and Summary of Findings ………………………………… 31
1.7 Assessment of Research ……………………………….………….. 35

Chapter 2: Hotspot……………………………….……………………………… 40
Definition……………………………….………………………………….. 41
Effect……………………………….………………………………………. 41
Chronological Sequence……………………………….………………… 43

Chapter 3: Follow Me…………………………………………………………… 52
Definition……………………………….………………………………….. 53
vi
Description………………………………………………………………… 53
Effect……………………………….……………………………………… 54
Chronological Sequence……………………………….………………… 55

Chapter 4: Patches……………………………………………………………… 68
Definition……………………………….………………………………….. 69
Description………………………………………………………………… 69
Effect……………………………….……………………………………… 70
Chronological Sequence……………………………….………………… 71

Chapter 5: Color Flood………………………………………………………… 88
Definition……………………………….………………………………….. 89
Effect……………………………….……………………………………… 89
Chronological Sequence……………………………….………………… 92

Chapter 6: Float………………………………………………………………… 111
Definition……………………………….………………………………….. 112
Description………………………………………………………………… 112
Effect……………………………….……………………………………… 113
Chronological Sequence……………………………….…………………114

Chapter 7: Light Body…………………………………………………………. 127
Definition……………………………….………………………………….. 128
Effect……………………………….……………………………………… 128
Chronological Sequence……………………………….……...……..… 131

vii
Chapter 8: Light Seam………………………………………………………… 145
Definition……………………………….………………………………….. 146
Description………………………………………………………………… 146
Effect……………………………….……………………………………… 147
Chronological Sequence……………………………….……...……..… 155

Chapter 9: Halo………………………………………………………………….. 169
Definition……………………………….………………………………….. 170
Description………………………………………………………………… 170
Effect….……………………………….…………………………………… 171
Chronological Sequence……..……………………….………………… 172

Appendix A: Lighting Designers……..……………………….…………… 186
Appendix B: A Brief Overview of Artificial Light in Art ……..………… 189
Appendix C:
Luminous Architecture around the 1920 and 1930 Decades…… 196
Works Cited.…………………….………………………..……………………… 200
Glossary……..……………………….………………………..………………… 203
viii