July 2015 /// The Personal Light

JULY 2015 COMPETITION

The Personal Light ///

Artificial lighting comprises a significant proportion of total energy consumption. Even with automatic sensors, task lighting, and outdoor down-lighting, the majority of artificial light emitted never hits a single human retina. How might lights become more focused and more directly controlled by individuals? What if all fixed lights in the world were dismantled and replaced with handheld and wearable lights? How might the use of space change when light emanates from individuals? How do people relate to each other differently when light is more direct than indirect? What happens when lights become personal?

Participants are encouraged to explore designs that extend beyond handheld lights. Submissions may be conceptual, technical, and/or artistic.

RESULTS ///

JURORS ///

Nadia Elokdah

Brooklyn, New York, United States
MA Theories of Urban Practice,

Parsons School for Design, The New School
Firm: Co-Founder, IN SITECOLLABORATIVE; Design Researcher, Field and Studio

Elizabeth Krasner

New York, New York, United States
M. Arch University of Toronto

Firm: OMA

François Mahr

Toulouse, France
M.Arch, National School of Architecture, Paris-Belleville
Firm: Philoxeni'A

ENTRIES ///

39 Entries from 13 Countries.

Zean Mair-MacFarlane

London, United Kingdom

Sean Koudela

London, United Kingdom

Azhari Pradityo

Bandung, West Java, Indonesia

Andreas Christodoulou

London, United Kingdom

Erik Revellé

Stockholm, Sweden

Taylor Grindley

London, United Kingdom

Doug Brandon

Copenhagen, Denmark

Anna Barbieri

Vienna, Austria

1ST

Zean Mair-MacFarlane

London, United Kingdom

JURY COMMENTS ///

"This simple and imaginative entry offers an idea of the personal cone of light to make noticeable a person in the city, similar to several entries this month. What makes this particular entry standout is the whimsical nature of the drone, as a personal-safety device for an ahistorical city cyclist. By merging these pasts and futures upon our present cities, this single image raises powerful questions about how redefining something as straightforward as ‘personal lights’ might transform how we occupy space."

"The humorous content of this image, mocking a retro-futuristic advertising for a transportable light, is nicely set up. The use of several devices to perform the personal light is noticeable: self-lit wheels, eyeglass, and WiFi commands. Although several entries proposed similar devices, like drones carrying a light, the combination with the bike is a clever solution as a low tech system that can generate energy."

2ND

Sean Koudela

London, United Kingdom

JURY COMMENTS ///

"This submission was the only one that went beyond the immediate result of the idea, and tried to grapple with its implications - the network of cables, and cords woven through the urban fabric to support this kind of semi-mobile continuous lighting. It was at once imaginative, realistic, and beautifully represented."

3RD

Azhari Pradityo

Bandung, West Java, Indonesia

JURY COMMENTS ///

"Perhaps the most imaginative submission, the author attempted to fabricate the most naturally-occurring and difficult to manufacture condition of diffuse light. Riffing on both trends in popular culture (sneakers) and product design (wearable technology), the result is a kind of crowd-sourced illumination. Original in both its simplicity and feasibility (we already have this technology, as evidenced by light-up sneakers on toddlers) it opens the door to imaginative possibilities of increased public safety, kinetic light sourcing, and a new kind of public infrastructure."

TOP 8

Andreas Christodoulou

London, United Kingdom

JURY COMMENTS ///

"This entry playfully highlights new relationships between users of the public realm and the spaces they occupy in one single graphic. Here, personal lighting allows for discovery and adventure."

TOP 7

Erik Revellé

Stockholm, Sweden

JURY COMMENTS ///

"The image itself is a brilliant illustration that give the impression of a kinetic system supplying energy to the self-lit soles and cellphones. Despite the fact that there is no text describing how the system works, it seems understandable: walking generates energy used for the personal light."

TOP 7

Taylor Grindley

London, United Kingdom

JURY COMMENTS ///

"While this submission responds more to the conditions of the result of the brief, rather than the design of the object produced, it nonetheless offers an imaginative fantasy of the possibilities of technology to power our city. Without much in the way of explanation or proof of concept (or even factory design) it offers a glimpse into a Utopian, urban future."

TOP 7

Doug Brandon

Copenhagen, Denmark

JURY COMMENTS ///

"This entry is provocative primarily due to the use of such an iconic image of the relationship between architecture and light. Through the wearer’s personal lighting device, the experience of seeing history and science merge enters the hands of the individual."