Why light needs darkness
-
0:01 - 0:05There's a beautiful statement
on the screen that says, -
0:05 - 0:10"Light creates ambiance,
light makes the feel of a space, -
0:10 - 0:13and light is also
the expression of structure." -
0:13 - 0:15Well, that was not by me.
-
0:15 - 0:19That was, of course, by Le Corbusier,
the famous architect. -
0:19 - 0:24And here you can see what he meant
in one of his beautiful buildings -- -
0:24 - 0:28the chapel Notre Dame Du Haut
de Ronchamp -- -
0:28 - 0:34where he creates this light that he could
only make because there's also dark. -
0:34 - 0:39And I think that is the quintessence
of this 18-minute talk -- -
0:40 - 0:45that there is no good lighting
that is healthy and for our well-being -
0:45 - 0:47without proper darkness.
-
0:49 - 0:53So this is how we normally
would light our offices. -
0:53 - 0:58We have codes and standards that tell us
that the lights should be so much Lux -
0:58 - 1:00and of great uniformity.
-
1:00 - 1:05This is how we create uniform lighting
from one wall to the other -
1:05 - 1:08in a regular grid of lamps.
-
1:08 - 1:11And that is quite different
from what I just showed you -
1:11 - 1:13from Le Corbusier.
-
1:14 - 1:16If we would apply these codes of standards
-
1:16 - 1:17to the Pantheon in Rome,
-
1:17 - 1:19it would never have looked like this,
-
1:19 - 1:25because this beautiful light feature
that goes around there all by itself -
1:25 - 1:29can only appear because there is
also darkness in that same building. -
1:29 - 1:34And the same is more or less
what Santiago Calatrava said -
1:34 - 1:38when he said, "Light: I make it
in my buildings for comfort." -
1:38 - 1:42And he didn't mean the comfort
of a five-course dinner -
1:42 - 1:43as opposed to a one-course meal,
-
1:44 - 1:45but he really meant the comfort
-
1:45 - 1:48of the quality of the building
for the people. -
1:48 - 1:53He meant that you can see the sky
and that you can experience the sun. -
1:53 - 1:58And he created these gorgeous buildings
where you can see the sky, -
1:58 - 2:00and where you can experience the sun,
-
2:00 - 2:03that give us a better life
in the built environment, -
2:04 - 2:10just because of the relevance of light
in its brightness and also in its shadows. -
2:10 - 2:14And what it all boils down to is,
of course, the sun. -
2:14 - 2:17And this image of the sun may suggest
-
2:17 - 2:19that the sun is something
evil and aggressive, -
2:19 - 2:20but we should not forget
-
2:20 - 2:24that all energy on this planet
actually comes from the sun, -
2:24 - 2:29and light is only
a manifestation of that energy. -
2:30 - 2:33The sun is for dynamics,
for color changes. -
2:33 - 2:36The sun is for beauty in our environment,
-
2:36 - 2:39like in this building --
the High Museum in Atlanta, -
2:39 - 2:42which has been created
by Renzo Piano from Italy, -
2:42 - 2:47together with Arup Lighting,
a brilliant team of lighting designers, -
2:47 - 2:53who created a very subtle
modulation of light across the space, -
2:53 - 2:55responding to what the sun does outside,
-
2:55 - 2:58just because of all these
beautiful openings in the roof. -
2:58 - 3:03So in an indirect way,
you can see the sun. -
3:03 - 3:06And what they did is they created
an integral building element -
3:06 - 3:12to improve the quality of the space
that surrounds the visitors of the museum. -
3:12 - 3:15They created this shade
that you can see here, -
3:15 - 3:19which actually covers the sun,
-
3:19 - 3:22but opens up to the good
light from the sky. -
3:22 - 3:26And here you can see how they really
crafted a beautiful design process -
3:26 - 3:27with physical models,
-
3:27 - 3:30with quantitative,
as well as qualitative, methods -
3:30 - 3:35to come to a final solution
that is truly integrated -
3:35 - 3:37and completely holistic
with the architecture. -
3:37 - 3:40They allowed themselves
a few mistakes along the way. -
3:40 - 3:43As you can see here,
there's some direct light on the floor, -
3:43 - 3:45but they could easily figure out
where that comes from. -
3:45 - 3:51And they allow people in that building
to really enjoy the sun, -
3:51 - 3:53the good part of the sun.
-
3:53 - 3:57And enjoying the sun
can be in many different ways, of course. -
3:57 - 3:59It can be just like this,
-
3:59 - 4:02or maybe like this,
which is rather peculiar, -
4:02 - 4:05but this is in 1963 --
-
4:05 - 4:09the viewing of a sun eclipse
in the United States. -
4:09 - 4:11And it's just a bit bright up there,
-
4:11 - 4:14so these people have found
a very intriguing solution. -
4:15 - 4:18This is, I think, a very illustrative
image of what I try to say -- -
4:18 - 4:23that the beautiful dynamics of sun,
bringing these into the building, -
4:23 - 4:28creates a quality of our built environment
that truly enhances our lives. -
4:28 - 4:30And this is all about darkness
-
4:30 - 4:32as much as it is
about lightness, of course, -
4:32 - 4:35because otherwise
you don't see these dynamics. -
4:35 - 4:36As opposed to the first office
-
4:36 - 4:39that I showed you
in the beginning of the talk, -
4:39 - 4:42this is a well-known office,
which is the White Group. -
4:42 - 4:45They are in green energy consulting,
or something like that. -
4:45 - 4:47And they really practice what they preach
-
4:47 - 4:50because this office doesn't have
any electric lighting at all. -
4:50 - 4:55It has only on one side
this big, big glass window -
4:55 - 4:58that helps to let the sunlight
enter deep into the space -
4:58 - 5:02and create a beautiful quality there
and a great dynamic range. -
5:02 - 5:04So it can be very dim over there,
and you do your work, -
5:04 - 5:07and it can be very bright over there,
and you do your work. -
5:07 - 5:11But actually the human eye
turns out to be remarkably adaptable -
5:11 - 5:15to all these different light conditions
that together create an environment -
5:15 - 5:17that is never boring
and that is never dull, -
5:17 - 5:20and therefore helps us
to enhance our lives. -
5:21 - 5:25I really owe a short introduction
of this man to you. -
5:25 - 5:29This is Richard Kelly
who was born 100 years ago, -
5:29 - 5:32which is the reason I bring him up now,
because it's kind of an anniversary year. -
5:33 - 5:38In the 1930s, Richard Kelly
was the first person to really describe -
5:38 - 5:40a methodology of modern lighting design.
-
5:40 - 5:41And he coined three terms,
-
5:41 - 5:45which are "focal glow,"
"ambient luminescence" -
5:45 - 5:47and "play of the brilliants" --
-
5:47 - 5:52three very distinctly different
ideas about light in architecture -
5:52 - 5:56that all together
make up this beautiful experience. -
5:56 - 5:57So you begin with focal glow.
-
5:57 - 5:59He meant something like this --
-
5:59 - 6:01where the light
gives direction to the space -
6:01 - 6:03and helps you to get around.
-
6:03 - 6:04Or something like this,
-
6:04 - 6:07which is the lighting design
he did for General Motors, -
6:07 - 6:08for the car showroom.
-
6:08 - 6:09And you enter that space,
-
6:09 - 6:13and you feel like,
"Wow! This is so impressive," -
6:13 - 6:17just because of this focal point,
this huge light source in the middle. -
6:17 - 6:18To me it is something from theater,
-
6:18 - 6:21and I will get back to that
a little bit later. -
6:21 - 6:24It's the spotlight on the artist
that helps you to focus. -
6:24 - 6:27It could also be the sunlight
that breaks through the clouds -
6:27 - 6:31and lights up a patch of the land,
-
6:31 - 6:34highlighting it
compared to the dim environment. -
6:35 - 6:39Or it can be in today's retail,
in the shopping environment -- -
6:39 - 6:43lighting the merchandise and creating
accents that help you to get around. -
6:43 - 6:46Ambient luminescence
is something very different. -
6:46 - 6:49Richard Kelly saw it
as something infinite, -
6:49 - 6:51something without any focus,
-
6:51 - 6:56something where all details
actually dissolve in infinity. -
6:56 - 7:02And I see it as a very comfortable kind
of light that really helps us to relax -
7:02 - 7:04and to contemplate.
-
7:04 - 7:05It could also be something like this:
-
7:05 - 7:08the National Museum of Science in London,
-
7:08 - 7:13where this blue is embracing
all the exhibitions and galleries -
7:13 - 7:15in one large gesture.
-
7:15 - 7:16And then finally,
-
7:16 - 7:19Kelly's play of brilliants added to that
-
7:19 - 7:22really some play, I think,
of the skyline of Hong Kong, -
7:22 - 7:25or perhaps the chandelier
in the opera house, -
7:25 - 7:26or in the theater here,
-
7:26 - 7:30which is the decoration,
the icing on the cake, something playful, -
7:31 - 7:34something that is just an addition
to the architectural environment, -
7:34 - 7:35I would say.
-
7:35 - 7:38These three distinct elements, together,
-
7:38 - 7:41make a lighting environment
that helps us to feel better. -
7:42 - 7:44And we can only
create these out of darkness. -
7:44 - 7:45And I will explain that further.
-
7:45 - 7:49And I guess that is something
that Richard Kelly, here on the left, -
7:49 - 7:51was explaining
to Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. -
7:51 - 7:54And behind them,
you see that Seagram Building -
7:54 - 7:58that later turned into an icon
of modern lighting design. -
7:59 - 8:02Those times, there were
some early attempts -
8:02 - 8:03also for light therapy already.
-
8:03 - 8:04You can see here a photo
-
8:04 - 8:07from the United States
Library of Medicine, -
8:07 - 8:10where people are put
in the sun to get better. -
8:10 - 8:13It's a little bit of a different story,
this health aspect of light, -
8:13 - 8:15than what I'm telling you today.
-
8:15 - 8:18In today's modern medicine,
-
8:18 - 8:23there is a real understanding of light
in an almost biochemical way. -
8:23 - 8:28And there is the idea
that, when we look at things, -
8:28 - 8:30it is the yellow light
that helps us the most, -
8:30 - 8:32that we are the most sensitive for.
-
8:32 - 8:35But our circadian rhythms,
-
8:35 - 8:37which are the rhythms
that help us to wake and sleep -
8:37 - 8:40and be alert and relaxed
and so forth and so on, -
8:40 - 8:42they are much more triggered
by blue light. -
8:42 - 8:46And by modulating the amount
of blue in our environment, -
8:46 - 8:50we can help people
to relax, or to be alert, -
8:50 - 8:52to fall asleep, or to stay awake.
-
8:52 - 8:58And that is how, maybe in the near future,
light can help hospitals -
8:58 - 9:04to make people better sooner,
recover them quicker. -
9:04 - 9:07Maybe in the airplane,
we can overcome jet lag like that. -
9:07 - 9:10Perhaps in school,
we can help children to learn better -
9:11 - 9:13because they concentrate more
on their work. -
9:13 - 9:15And you can imagine
a lot more applications. -
9:15 - 9:17But I would like to talk further
-
9:17 - 9:23about the combination
of light and darkness -
9:23 - 9:25as a quality in our life.
-
9:26 - 9:30So light is, of course,
for social interaction also -- -
9:30 - 9:34to create relationships
with all the features around us. -
9:34 - 9:36It is the place where we gather around
-
9:36 - 9:38when we have to say something
to each other. -
9:38 - 9:40And it is all about this planet.
-
9:40 - 9:43But when you look at this planet at night,
-
9:43 - 9:44it looks like this.
-
9:44 - 9:48And I think this is the most shocking
image in my talk today. -
9:48 - 9:51Because all this light here
goes up to the sky. -
9:51 - 9:55It never reaches the ground
where it was meant for. -
9:55 - 9:57It never is to the benefit of people.
-
9:57 - 9:59It only spoils the darkness.
-
9:59 - 10:02So at a global scale, it looks like this.
-
10:02 - 10:05And, I mean, that is quite amazing,
what you see here -- -
10:05 - 10:11how much light goes up into the sky
and never reaches the ground. -
10:11 - 10:13Because if we look at the Earth
the way it should be, -
10:13 - 10:16it would be something
like this very inspiring image -
10:16 - 10:21where darkness is for our imagination
and for contemplation -
10:21 - 10:23and to help us to relate to everything.
-
10:24 - 10:26The world is changing though,
-
10:26 - 10:28and urbanization
is a big driver of everything. -
10:28 - 10:30I took this photo
two weeks ago in Guangzhou, -
10:30 - 10:32and I realized that 10 years ago,
-
10:32 - 10:36there was nothing like this,
of these buildings. -
10:37 - 10:39It was just a much smaller city,
-
10:39 - 10:42and the pace of urbanization
is incredible and enormous. -
10:42 - 10:45And we have to understand
these main questions: -
10:45 - 10:49How do people move
through these new urban spaces? -
10:49 - 10:51How do they share their culture?
-
10:51 - 10:52How do we tackle things like mobility?
-
10:53 - 10:55And how can light help there?
-
10:55 - 10:56Because the new technologies,
-
10:56 - 10:59they seem to be
in a really interesting position -
10:59 - 11:03to contribute to the solutions
of urbanization -
11:03 - 11:06and to provide us
with better environments. -
11:06 - 11:07It's not that long ago
-
11:08 - 11:11that our lighting was just done
with these kinds of lamps. -
11:11 - 11:13And of course,
we had the metal halide lamps -
11:13 - 11:15and fluorescent lamps
and things like that. -
11:16 - 11:17Now we have LED,
-
11:17 - 11:21but here you see the latest one,
and you see how incredibly small it is. -
11:21 - 11:25And this is exactly
what offers us a unique opportunity -
11:25 - 11:28because this tiny, tiny size allows us
-
11:28 - 11:30to put the light
wherever we really need it. -
11:30 - 11:33And we can actually leave it out
where it's not needed at all -
11:33 - 11:35and where we can preserve darkness.
-
11:35 - 11:37So that is a really interesting
proposition, I think, -
11:38 - 11:41and a new way of lighting
the architectural environment -
11:41 - 11:43with our well-being in mind.
-
11:44 - 11:47The problem is, though, that I wanted
to explain to you how this really works -- -
11:47 - 11:50but I can have four of these on my finger,
-
11:50 - 11:52so you would not be able
to really see them. -
11:52 - 11:55So I asked our laboratory
to do something about it, -
11:55 - 11:57and they said,
"Well, we can do something." -
11:57 - 12:00They created for me
the biggest LED in the world -
12:00 - 12:02especially for TEDx in Amsterdam.
-
12:02 - 12:03So here it is.
-
12:03 - 12:05It's the same thing
as you can see over there -- -
12:05 - 12:07just 200 times bigger.
-
12:07 - 12:09And I will very quickly
show you how it works. -
12:09 - 12:12So just to explain.
-
12:12 - 12:19Now, every LED that is made
these days gives blue light. -
12:20 - 12:23Now, this is not very pleasant
and comfortable. -
12:23 - 12:30And for that reason,
we cover the LED with a phosphor cap. -
12:30 - 12:32And the phosphor is excited by the blue
-
12:32 - 12:36and makes the light white
and warm and pleasant. -
12:36 - 12:38And then when you add the lens to that,
-
12:38 - 12:42you can bundle the light
and send it wherever you need it -
12:42 - 12:45without any need to spill any light
to the sky or anywhere else. -
12:45 - 12:48So you can preserve the darkness
and make the light. -
12:48 - 12:53I just wanted to show that to you
so you understand how this works. -
12:53 - 12:54(Applause)
-
12:54 - 12:56Thank you.
-
12:57 - 12:58We can go further.
-
12:58 - 13:01So we have to rethink
the way we light our cities. -
13:01 - 13:06We have to think again
about light as a default solution. -
13:06 - 13:08Why are all these motorways
permanently lit? -
13:08 - 13:10Is it really needed?
-
13:10 - 13:11Can we maybe be much more selective
-
13:11 - 13:15and create better environments
that also benefit from darkness? -
13:15 - 13:17Can we be much more gentle with light?
-
13:17 - 13:20Like here -- this is
a very low light level actually. -
13:20 - 13:23Can we engage people more
in the lighting projects that we create, -
13:23 - 13:26so they really want
to connect with it, like here? -
13:26 - 13:28Or can we create simply sculptures
-
13:28 - 13:31that are very inspiring
to be in and to be around? -
13:31 - 13:33And can we preserve the darkness?
-
13:33 - 13:35Because to find a place
like this today on Earth -
13:35 - 13:38is really very, very challenging.
-
13:38 - 13:42And to find a starry sky like this
is even more difficult. -
13:42 - 13:45Even in the oceans,
we are creating a lot of light -
13:45 - 13:46that we could actually ban
-
13:46 - 13:50also for animal life
to have a much greater well-being. -
13:50 - 13:53And it's known that migrating birds,
for example, get very disoriented -
13:53 - 13:55because of these offshore platforms.
-
13:55 - 13:58And we discovered that when
we make those lights green, -
13:58 - 14:00the birds, they actually go the right way.
-
14:00 - 14:02They are not disturbed anymore.
-
14:02 - 14:04And it turns out once again
-
14:04 - 14:08that spectral sensitivity
is very important here. -
14:09 - 14:11In all of these examples, I think,
-
14:11 - 14:14we should start making
the light out of darkness, -
14:14 - 14:18and use the darkness as a canvas --
like the visual artists do, -
14:18 - 14:20like Edward Hopper in this painting.
-
14:21 - 14:23I think that there is
a lot of suspense in this painting. -
14:23 - 14:27I think, when I see it,
I start to think, who are those people? -
14:27 - 14:30Where have they come from?
Where are they going? -
14:30 - 14:31What just happened?
-
14:31 - 14:33What will be happening
in the next five minutes? -
14:33 - 14:36And it only embodies
all these stories and all this suspense -
14:36 - 14:38because of the darkness and the light.
-
14:38 - 14:40Edward Hopper was a real master
-
14:40 - 14:43in creating the narration
by working with light and dark. -
14:43 - 14:45And we can learn from that
-
14:45 - 14:49and create more interesting
and inspiring architectural environments. -
14:49 - 14:51We can do that in commercial
spaces like this. -
14:51 - 14:54And you can still also go outside
-
14:54 - 14:59and enjoy the greatest show
in the universe, -
14:59 - 15:01which is, of course, the universe itself.
-
15:02 - 15:08So I give you this wonderful,
informative image of the sky, -
15:08 - 15:10ranging from the inner city,
-
15:10 - 15:14where you may see one or two stars
and nothing else, -
15:14 - 15:16all the way to the rural environments,
-
15:16 - 15:20where you can enjoy this great
and gorgeous and beautiful performance -
15:20 - 15:23of the constellations and the stars.
-
15:23 - 15:25In architecture, it works just the same.
-
15:26 - 15:29By appreciating the darkness
when you design the light, -
15:29 - 15:32you create much more
interesting environments -
15:32 - 15:34that truly enhance our lives.
-
15:35 - 15:39This is the most well-known example,
Tadao Ando's Church of Light. -
15:39 - 15:44But I also think
of Peter Zumthor's spa in Vals, -
15:44 - 15:47where light and dark,
in very gentle combinations, -
15:47 - 15:50alter each other to define the space.
-
15:50 - 15:53Or Richard McCormack's
Southwark tube station in London, -
15:53 - 15:57where you can really see the sky,
even though you are under the ground. -
15:57 - 15:59And finally, I want to point out
-
15:59 - 16:01that a lot of this inspiration
comes from theater. -
16:01 - 16:06And I think it's fantastic
that we are today experiencing TEDx -
16:06 - 16:08in a theater for the first time
-
16:08 - 16:12because I think we really owe
to the theater a big thanks. -
16:12 - 16:15It wouldn't be
such an inspiring scenography -
16:15 - 16:16without this theater.
-
16:17 - 16:23And I think the theater is a place
where we truly enhance life with light. -
16:23 - 16:24Thank you very much.
-
16:24 - 16:30(Applause)
- Title:
- Why light needs darkness
- Speaker:
- Rogier van der Heide
- Description:
-
Lighting architect Rogier van der Heide offers a beautiful new way to look at the world -- by paying attention to light (and to darkness). Examples from classic buildings illustrate a deeply thought-out vision of the play of light around us.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDTalks
- Duration:
- 16:31
Krystian Aparta commented on English subtitles for Why light needs darkness | ||
Krystian Aparta edited English subtitles for Why light needs darkness | ||
Krystian Aparta edited English subtitles for Why light needs darkness | ||
Joanna Pietrulewicz edited English subtitles for Why light needs darkness | ||
Joanna Pietrulewicz edited English subtitles for Why light needs darkness | ||
Joanna Pietrulewicz edited English subtitles for Why light needs darkness | ||
TED edited English subtitles for Why light needs darkness | ||
TED added a translation |
Krystian Aparta
The English transcript was updated on 1/4/2016. At 04:39, "the White Group" was changed to "the Weidt Group." At 15:34, "Church of Light" was changed to "Church of the Light." At 15:49, "Richard McCormack's" was changed to "Richard MacCormac's."