Final Thought

AN AMSTERDAM INSTALLATION LOOKS INTO OUR GROWING ADDICTION TO ILLUMINATION

An illuminating take on our lust for light

Type the word “idea” into the text field on an iphone and the device’s auto-suggestion feature will likely offer to replace the word with a light bulb emoji.

Today, we still regard Edison’s 1879 invention of the incandescent lamp as one of the ultimate epiphanies. But in the long run, it may well be the smartphone that eclipses it as history’s most influential invention.

With their glowing screens, modern-day phones represent a total convergence of light and enlightenment. Thumbing through the Internet, you can experience a hundred light-bulb moments at any hour of the day or night – healthy sleeping patterns be damned.

Both the draw and the danger of smartphones informed Absorbed by Light, an installation that artist Gali May Lucas created in collaboration with branding agency Design Bridge for this past winter’s Amsterdam Light Festival. Adopting the theme The Medium is the Message, the citywide exhibition explored the role that light plays in conveying information. With

Absorbed, a park bench played host to three sculpted figures ignoring one another to instead focus on the luminous gadgets in their hands. The message: Light is no longer just a source of illumination – it’s now an addiction, too.

Thankfully, new design innovations are starting to take our health back into account. For instance, the operating systems for many devices now automatically adjust come sundown to shift away from the harsh blue light that can disrupt a body’s natural rhythms.

Back in Edison’s era, it was considered dangerous to get too close to a lighting source – after all, we saw how insects fared. As we grapple with some of the darker consequences of a decade spent staring at screens, our relationship with light is again in flux. It may have proven itself essential for life – and learning – but how do we prevent ourselves from becoming altogether lost in it? Bring on the bright ideas.