ARTIFICIAL LIGHTING FOR ART GALLERY

I N A N A R T G A L L E R Y S P A C E , D A Y L I G H T A N D

A R T I F I C I A L L I G H T A R E O F F U N D A M E N T A L

I M P O R T A N C E .

T H E A R C H I T E C T U R E A N D T Y P E O F L I G H T I N G

U S E D I N T H E S E S P A C E S H A V E A F A R -

R E A C H I N G I N F L U E N C E O N T H E I R I D E N T I T Y.

T H E L I G H T I N G M A K E S I T P O S S I B L E T O

I L L U M I N A T E A L L T H E F A C T S O F T H E

A R T W O R K .

L I G H T F U N D A M E N T A L LY A F F E C T S M A T E R I A L S

T H R O U G H P H O T O - C H E M I C A L A C T I O N A N D

R A D I A N T H E A T I N G E F F E C T S F R O M U V & I R

R A Y S .

P R O L O N G E D E X P O S U R E O F S E N S I T I V E

M A T E R I A L S T O L I G H T, E S P E C I A L LY D A Y L I G H T,

I S D E T R I M E N T A L T O T H E L O N G E V I T Y A N D

P R E S E R V A T I O N O F T H O S E A R T W O R K S O R

A R T E F A C T S .

•THOUGH THE DAYLIGHT IS THE

MOST DESIREABLE SOURCE OF

LIGHT, DUE TO UNCONTROLABLE

NATURE AND HEATING EFFECT OF

IT THE ROLE OF ARTIFICIAL

LIGHTING BECOMES LARGER IN

ART GALLERIES.

•CONTROLLABLE QUALITIES OF ARTIFICIAL LIGHTING ARE

1.AVAILABLILITY

2.ANGLE

3.INTENSITY

4.DISTRIBUTION

5.COLOR

6.MOVEMENT

THE ANNUAL LIGHT EXPOSURE IS THE CUMULATIVE AMOUNT OF VISIBLE LIGHT

INCIDENT AT A POINT, WITHIN THE BUILDING, OVER A 1-YEAR PERIOD (ANNUALLY).

IN AN ART GALLERY THE MAXIMUM ANNUAL LIGHT EXPOSURE FOR VERY LIGHT

SENSITIVE OBJECTS SUCH AS WATER COLOURS IS 150,000 LUX HOURS, WHEREAS

MORE LIGHT FAST PIGMENTS SUCH AS OIL HAVE A HIGHER VALUE OF 600,000 LUX

HOURS. INTELLIGENT LIGHTING SOLUTIONS STRIKE A PERFECT BALANCE BETWEEN

LIGHTING QUALITY AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY.

MAXXI – NATIONAL MUSEUM OF XXI CENTURY ARTS, ROME, ARCHITECTURE: ZAHA HADID AND PATRIK SCHUMACHER, LONDON / GB

AFTER ITS COMPREHENSIVE RENOVATION, THE WILHELM HACK MUSEUM IN LUDWIGSHAFEN HAS TURNED INTO A PARAGON OF ENERGY EFFICIENCY. THE MUSEUM’S ENERGY COSTS HAVE BEEN SLASHED BY AS MUCH AS 70 %. DEPENDING ON LIGHTING CONDITIONS AND REQUIREMENTS, THE LIGHTING CAN NOW BE CONTROLLED USING SCENARIOS; EACH LUMINAIRE CAN ALSO BE DIMMED INDIVIDUALLY. THIS ENSURES OPTIMAL ILLUMINATION OF EXHIBITS AND ALSO ENSURES THAT EXTREMELY OLD, PRECIOUS OBJECTS ARE PROTECTED FROM HEAT AND UV RADIATION.

CITÉ DE L’ARCHITECTURE ET DU PATRIMOINE (Paris)

USE OF DAYLIGHT FROM NORTH GIVES A CONSTANT SOURCE OF LIGHT WHICH HAS BEST CRI AND THE LIGHT LUX LEVEL REMAINS CONSTANT MOST OF THE DAYS.

WEISHAUPT ART GALLERY BUILDING

MARKED THE SUCCESSFUL USE OF

MIXTURE OF DAYLIGHT AND ARTIFICIAL

LIGHTING. DAYLIGHT IS PREDOMINANTLY

SCREENED OUT SO THAT THE AMOUNT OF

INCIDENT NATURAL LIGHT CAN BE

CONTROLLED AT ALL TIMES.

THE IMPORTANT CHARACTERISTICS Of GOOD

LIGHTINGS ARE:

• Color :Rendering Index(cri) Of Lighting

Fixture.

• Lux :Level Required.

• Dimming To Greatly Extend Lamp Life.

CRI OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF LIGHTS•INCANDESCENTS BRING OUT THE WARM COLORS WITHIN THE COLOR SPECTRUM SUCH AS THE RED, BROWN, ORANGE, AND YELLOW TONES. •BUT ITS BAD THE COOLER COLORS SUCH AS VIOLET, BLUE AND GREENS. •THE BLUES, GREENS, AND VIOLETS WITHIN THE ART WORKS OF ART WILL BE FLATTENED OUT BY INCANDESCENT LIGHTS. •THESE LIGHTS ARE BETTER THAN FLUORESCENCE BUT ARE NOT THE ENTIRE SOLUTION TO THE LIGHTING PROBLEM.

•FLUORESCENT LIGHTS AREN'T USED AS A COMMON PRACTICE BECAUSE THEY GIVE OFF A HIGH AMOUNT OF UV RAYS WHICH ARE HARMFUL. •IN ADDITION, FLUORESCENT LIGHTS DO NOT EMIT LIGHT ACROSS THE ENTIRE SPECTRUM OF COLORS AND THIS IS PROBLEMATIC. •HALOGEN : •A STRONG WHITE LIGHT. •A VERY GOOD CRI VALUE. •BUT EMITS A LOT OF HEAT.•HENCE SOLUTION FOR THE HALOGEN MAY BE USING A LOW WATT HALOGEN LIGHT MAY PROVE TO BE A VERY

GOOD LIGHTING SOLUTION.

COLOR TEMPERATURE AT 3000K & 2800K

ROSE GALLERY AT THE SMITHSONIAN AMERICAN ART MUSEUM ILLUMINATED WITH INCANDESCENT FIXTURES.

•A FEW DATA REGARDING THE LUMENS OUTPUT FOR THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF LIGHTS AND LIFE SPAN FOR THE SAME.

LIMITING ILLUMINANCES AND ANNUAL EXPOSURES FOR MATERIAL SENSITIVITY CLASSIFICATIONS (CIE DIV. 3 TC3-22, MUSEUM LIGHTING AND PROTECTION AGAINST RADIATION DAMAGE)

LUX LEVEL REQUIRED:

TYPES OF LIGHTING SYSTEMS :

THE MOST IMPORTANT LIGHTING SYSTEMS USED IN EXHIBITION ROOMS ARE:

• LUMINOUS CEILINGS WITH OPAL GLASS ENCLOSURE (DIFFUSE LIGHT) OR SATINISED AND TEXTURED GLASS (DIFFUSE/ DIRECTIONAL),

• INDIRECT LUMINAIRES (DIFFUSE),

• COVE LUMINAIRES (DIFFUSE),

• WALLWASHERS (DIRECTIONAL OR DIFFUSE/DIRECTIONAL),

• SPOT LAMPS.

LUMINOUS CEILINGS:

•THE IDEA IS TO EMULATE THE SKY FOR THIS KIND OF LIGHTING SYSTEM.

•LUMINOUS CEILINGS DELIVER

LIGHT WHICH IS PARTICULARLY

SUITABLE FOR PAINTING GALLERIES

PREDOMINANTLY DIFFUSE WITH AN

OPAL ENCLOSURE,

•THE LIGHT SOURCES OF CHOICE

ARE TUBULAR FLUORESCENT

LAMPS ARRANGED ACCORDING TO

THE STRUCTURAL GRID OF THE

LUMINOUS CEILING.

•FOR GOOD UNIFORMITY THEY

SHOULD BE SPACED NO FURTHER

APART THAN THE DISTANCE TO THE

CEILING ENCLOSURE.

INDIRECT LIGHTING:

•INDIRECT LIGHTING ADDS BRIGHTNESS TO THE ARTS WITHOUT CREATING ANY DIRECT OR

INDIRECT GLARE.

•AN IMPACT SIMILAR TO THAT OF A LUMINOUS

CEILING IS ACHIEVED WITH INDIRECT LIGHT

BOUNCED OFF THE CEILING AND UPPER WALL

SURFACES INTO THE ROOM.

•THIS DIFFUSE, UNIFORM LIGHT IS

PREDOMINANTLY USED IN ROOMS WHERE NO

DAYLIGHT ENTERS.

•IT IS PRODUCED BY SUSPENDED

LUMINAIRES RADIATING LIGHT UPWARDS.

•IN EXHIBITION ROOMS, LUMINAIRES FOR

SUSPENDED POWER TRACK SYSTEMS ARE

AN OPTION: THEY ARE INSERTED IN THE

TRACK FROM ABOVE WHILE SPOTS FOR

DIRECTIONAL LIGHTING ARE ACCOMMODATED

IN THE LOWER CHANNEL.

COVE LIGHTING:

THE DIFFUSE LIGHT OF LUMINARIES INSTALLED IN THE CURVING TRANSITION BETWEEN WALL

AND CEILING – THE COVE OR COVING – IS ANOTHER INDIRECT LIGHTING SOLUTION.

•THE DIFFUSE LIGHT OF LUMINARIES INSTALLED

IN THE CURVING TRANSITION BETWEEN WALL

AND CEILING – THE COVE OR COVING IS

ANOTHER INDIRECT LIGHTING SOLUTION.

•THE MAIN DIRECTION OF LIGHT WITH COVE

LIGHTING IS CLOSER TO THE HORIZONTAL THAN

WITH A LUMINOUS CEILING.

•THE LIGHT IS LARGELY SHADOW-FREE.

•LINEAR LAMPS – GENERALLY TUBULAR

FLUORESCENT LAMPS ARE THE MOST WIDELY

USED LIGHT SOURCE.

•EXCESSIVE LUMINANCE AT THE CEILING AND ON

THE UPPER PART OF WALLS CAUSES GLARE AND

INTERFERES WITH SPATIAL EXPERIENCE. THIS

CAN OCCUR IN COVES WHERE NO STEPS ARE

TAKEN TO PROVIDE OPTICAL CONTROL.

WALL WASHERS:

•WALL WASHERS BRING ATTENTION TO THE WALL THAT CONTAIN THE ARTS AND ARTEFACT,

WHICH IS CALLED ACCENT LIGHTING. TEHY BRING DRAMA & FOCUS TO THE OBJECT.

•LED WALL WASHERS ARE DESIGNED FOR LARGER INDOOR/OUTDOOR ACCENT LIGHTING

APPLICATIONS. 

•WITH A NUMBER OF COLOR, ANGLE AND CONTROL OPTIONS, THE LED WALL WASHERS ALLOWS

USERS TO INTERFACE THE APPROPRIATE COLOR, SCENE AND INTENSITY SCHEMES NECESSARY

TO COMPLETE LARGE INTERIOR LIGHTING TASK. 

•WALL WASHING PROVIDES AN EVEN

SPREAD OF ILLUMINATION.

•FOR VERTICAL SURFACES SUCH AS

WALLS, LARGE PAINTINGS, WALL

HANGINGS, BOOKCASES AND

SHELVING, CABINET FRONTS, OR

STAIRWELLS. THE DIFFUSE NATURE

OF WALL-WASH ILLUMINATION HAS

THE EFFECT OF FLATTENING OUT

TEXTURED SURFACES.

SPOT LIGHTS:

THE DIFFUSE LIGHT OF LUMINARIES INSTALLED IN THE CURVING TRANSITION BETWEEN WALL

AND CEILING – THE COVE OR COVING – IS ANOTHER INDIRECT LIGHTING SOLUTION.

•"KEY AND FILL" IS AN EFFECTIVE TECHNIQUE FOR ACCENTUATING THE THREE-DIMENSIONAL

CHARACTER OF AN OBJECT.

•THIS TECHNIQUE ENTAILS THE USE OF KEY AND FILL LIGHTING FROM TWO SIDES OF THE

OBJECT.

• KEY LIGHTING IS A HARD-ACCENT LIGHT USED TO CREATE SHADOWS AND TO HIGHLIGHT AN

OBJECT'S FORM AND TEXTURE.

•FILL LIGHT IS A SOFTER LIGHT THROWN FROM THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE OBJECT TO

SOFTEN THE SHADOWS.

•MAKING THE OBJECT APPEAR MORE

NATURAL. OTHER TECHNIQUES CAN

ALSO BE APPLIED TO FURTHER

ACCENTUATE THE UNIQUE CHARACTER

OF AN OBJECT, SUCH AS

SILHOUETTING.

SPOTLIGHT WITH A PROTECTIVE UV FILTER HAS BEEN USED. THE

SPOTLIGHTS CAN ALSO BE DIMMED INDIVIDUALLY BECAUSE THE

PAINTINGS MUST NOT BE EXPOSED TO BRIGHTNESS IN EXCESS OF

50 LUX. THE GLASS SLOPES AT JUST THE RIGHT ANGLE TO

PREVENT DISTRACTING REFLECTIONS ON DISPLAY CABINETS; THIS

SLOPE ANGLE WAS DETERMINED ESPECIALLY FOR THIS

PARTICULAR EXHIBITION. MUSEUM BOIJMANS VAN BEUNINGEN

BOIJMANS VAN

AN ARTIFICIALLY RECLAIMED ISLAND SOME 60 M FROM THE SEASIDE

PROMENADE IN DOHA WITH A PALM-FRINGED APPROACH ROAD

EMPHASISES THE EXTRAORDINARY STATUS OF THE UNIQUE DISPALY

OF ISLAMIC ART. THE RATHER RESERVED AND SELF-CONTAINED

EXTERIOR SURPRISES THE VISITOR WITH AN AMAZING OPENNESS

INSIDE. PERFECT ILLUMINATION OF THE TREASURES OF ISLAMIC ART

IN THE SPACIOUS HALLS AND GALLERIES IS ACHIEVED USING A

CUSTOMISED SOLUTION DEVELOPED BY THE LIGHTING DESIGNERS IN

CONJUNCTION WITH ZUMTOBEL. THE TALL, SLENDER GLASS DISPLAY

CABINETS AND THEIR PRECIOUS EXHIBITS ARE PRECISELY ACCENT

LIT BY OPTICAL FIBRES AND SPECIAL LIGHT OUTLETS. UV-FREE LIGHT

PROVIDED BY STARFLEX ALSO GUARANTEES ESPECIALLY GENTLE

LIGHTING

FOR DELICATE EXHIBITS. THE SMALL SPOTLIGHTS WHICH

SUPPLEMENT THE DISPLAY CABINET LIGHTING AS REQUIRED AND

ALSO SHOW THE WAY AROUND ARE NOT TIED TO THE DISPLAY

CABINETS AND ARE THEREFORE AS FLEXIBLE AS POSSIBLE. THE

DECISION WAS MADE TO DISPENSE WITH ADDITIONAL AMBIENT

LIGHTING IN ORDER TO RETAIN AN ATMOSPHERE WHICH IS AS

EXCITING AS POSSIBLE. THE LOW-VOLTAGE SPOTLIGHTS HERE

ARE SPECIAL MOTORDRIVEN

VERSIONS, WHICH CAN BE ALIGNED VIA A TOUCH PANEL AND

DIMMED USING DMX CONTROL.

SHARP OUTLINES – EVEN IN HIGH-CEILINGED ROOMSLANDESGALERIE AT THE UPPER AUSTRIAN MUSEUM IN LINZ

A SOPHISTICATEDLY DRAMATIC CHIAROSCURO CONCEPT WITH PRECISELY SET CONTRASTS

USING HIGH-POWER FRAMING SPOTLIGHTS PRODUCES AN EXTRAORDINARY EXHIBITION

EXPERIENCE. ROOMS WITH ACCENT LIGHTING RANGING FROM GREEN AND SLATE BLUE TO RED

– GLARE-FREE AND SURROUNDED BY A SUBTLE AURA – ALSO HELP CONVEY A

SENSE OF SPACE PERFECTLY AND LIT BY ARCOS FRAMING SPOTLIGHTS TO MINIMISE THE

ILLUMINATED WALL SURFACE AREA AND TURN EACH INDIVIDUAL WORK OF ART INTO A GLEAMING

ISLAND IN ITS OWN RIGHT. THE ACCENT SPOTLIGHTS ARE DALI DIMMABLE; THIS ALLOWS FAST

SETTING OF AND STRICT COMPLIANCE WITH SPECIFIED ILLUMINANCE LEVELS TO CONSERVE

EXHIBITS THAT ARE SENSITIVE TO RADIATION.