Dezeen promotion: creators of the Philips LightCollector app, which stores and shares users' pictures of their lighting design inspiration, have selected some of their favourite images uploaded since its launch in November.
“The range of images uploaded onto LightCollector is vast. We use it on a daily basis to see what kind of images inspire our fellow lighting designers. It is growing into a fantastic resource of searchable imagery that is going to help us, and the rest of our industry to be as immersed as possible with lighting inspiration,” say Light Collective founders Martin Lupton and Sharon Stammers.
The LightCollector App from Philips and lighting consultancy Light Collective is a new crowd-sourced and image-based app and website for lighting designers to share inspiration.
Read more about the app in our previous story here, visit www.light-collector.com for additional details and download the App for Android in the Google-Play store here.
See the creators' image picks and read more information from Lupton and Stammers below:
The stunning images uploaded onto Light Collector include a simple beam of sunlight on Cuban street scene (above, by Niels Kingma).
Also, the dramatic interplay of shadow on a monochromatic staircase (above, by Katie Hanchard Goodwin).
In fact the interplay of shadow features strongly in many of the images like the patterns of light from this hand crafted lamp shade (above, by Illan El).
Likewise a simple, but strangely emotive shadow (above, by Paul Traynor).
Images from peoples experiences of light art, including the work of James Turrell have been added (above, by Paula Rainha).
Similarly, this image of Nendo at SuperStudio 2012 (above, by Elena Freddi).
Light Collector also features many examples of stunningly well integrated and detailed architectural lighting design like the Centre d'art Contemporain in Tour, France (above, by Koert Vermeulen).
And the dramatic use of coloured light to accentuate this bridge in Brazil (above, from Philips).
The range of light sources on images in the Light Collector covers light writing with fire (above, by C King of Gilmore Lighting Design).
In contrast, real writing with cold cathode (above, by Victoria Lucas and Richard William Wheater of the Neon Workshop).
Some of the most inspiring images are those that feature the play of natural light and colour. The colour of the wall in the Camino Real, Mexico is rendered beautifully by the morning sun and reflected in the water of the pool (above) and the simple play of sunlight through coloured glass at Shadwell DLR station in London (below) which is currently the most liked image in Light Collector.
Images from all around the world are being uploaded demonstrating the global appeal of this app. Images from as far north Laukvik, in Norway of the Northern Lights are in complete contrast to beautifully crafted lighting installations from boutique lighting studio based in Melbourne. The map tool allows users to see the stunning range of photos that have been taken around them, or research lighting trends in places around the world. Singapore, Puerto Rico, Chile and Hong Kong are all catered for.
About LightCollector
The LightCollector app is based upon two lighting design fundamentals: the desire to be inspired and the need to store the things that inspire us so we can use them when required.
We know how often we trawl our image library to find the perfect image to illustrate our concept to our client. We know that somewhere, in the depths of our not-quite-adequately filed hard drive we have that photograph we once took, in that city we once visited, of daylight transmitted through a stained glass window and creating an explosion of colour on the floor. Finding the image allows us to explain what we are trying to achieve in our design. LightCollector is a resource for collecting these light based images.
We believe that inspiration can be found in virtually everything. Innovation, artistry and experience can all form a collection of ideas to help motivate creativity. Inspiration brings lighting concepts to life. We also believe that sharing is crucial and communicating inspiration in this amazing and colorful universe needs to be encouraged. LightCollector is a tool for sharing lighting inspiration wherever and whenever you find it.
The LightCollector App has come out of an idea we had to create a global online community that would record, document and analyse the lit environment: a specialist flickr group that could be used as a professional tool. We saw LightCollector as an opportunity to create a crowd sourced global image collection and the development of a resource that fits with our vision of the way forward for the professional lighting industry; sharing to aid greater knowledge, ease of working and collective creativity...
We approached the Philips Lighting team to see if they would be interested in collaborating on a project of this nature. The idea fitted with many of Philips’ global aims in supporting the lighting industry and helping to create ways to facilitate better working practices. We believe that Philips is an ideal partner to bring to life a project like this due to their international reach and existing light community.
So for the past 18 months we have worked with Philips to develop this new, innovative and useful App – the LightCollector.
The result is an easy to use App, which will enable lighting and design professionals to speed up their image searching requirements and to feed their creative need for inspiration. As a mobile enabled tool, it allows use of the App while on the go on both Apple and Android platforms. The App is the key to initial involvement in Light Collector but the web interface is equally important.
LightCollector appears as a continuous mood-board of uploaded images, which you can scroll through for inspiration. Quick filters enable you to select photographs that are architectural, natural, functional, light art, effect or artificial in order to narrow down what you need to find.
Key functions within LightCollector include recognizing geo-tagged photographs so that you can view pictures taken around you, or search by place through maps. Comment and favourite functions effectively track the popularity of your selected images and a simple ‘follow’ function allows you to see other users’ entire photo streams.
Similar to social network sites, this App’s success will depend on lighting creatives and specifiers building this resource through uploading and sharing images. We therefore invite you to join us, to help capture the wondrous and incredible visual images found in lighting design, light art, architecture and the natural world. We invite you to become a light collector... Collect, share and inspire. Together we can build the ultimate resource for those seeking light and lighting inspiration