Martin Lupton, worked with Birmingham City Council to make possible the success of this year's workshop, titled 'Eastside Story' and held in the city's industrial Eastside area. The purpose of the workshops is to educate students and professionals as well as private and public agencies and the public, about lighting design and how it can contribute positively to the environment and enhance people's sense of safety.
As technical coordinator of the February 2006 event, attended by 47 students from 24 different countries, Martin Lupton reported that this was the most gritty, urban and industrial of all ELDA+ workshops to date. He said of the project: "Students had the opportunity to work on sites of a uniquely urban scale and location. They worked extremely hard to realize their creations, and they were very proud of the results."
There were six sites in total, characteristic of the architecture and structures in the inner-city area, with each of the groups of students led by an experienced lighting professional. They managed to utilize cherry pickers, blacksmiths, a graffiti artist, walkie-talkies, mini-buses, boiler suits, 344 luminaires, multiple power supplies and the kindness of building owners who allowed 50m cables to be strung through their windows, and much more. In the process they installed innovative and colourful designs that reflected what they were learning about the real context of the regenerating urban environment.
Birmingham City Council's response to the lighting workshop was extremely positive, and has resulted in a commitment to developing a lighting master plan for the city.
Sponsors for the event included: Color Kinetics, Erco, iGuzzini, Martin Architectural, Philips, Prisma, Rosco, Targetti Sankey, WE-EF, Zumtobel Staff and Thorn. Workshop leaders included: Tim Downey of Pinniger & Partners, London, UK; Silvo Kacar of Arcadia Lightwear, Ljubljana, Slovenia; Annukka Larsen of Tampere, Finland; Ralph Kensmann of ELDA and Startmedia, Germany; Koert Vermeulen of Art Concept Technology, Dworp, Belgium and Enrique Peiniger, ELDA, Office for Visual Interaction, New York, USA.
(Sarah Rushton-Read)
