Fundamental and Inspirational Light

The importance of light throughout history cannot be overstated. Our long line of ancestors, back to the first photosentient beings, have been propelled and allured by light. Much of the natural world is conditioned to react to light. It is no wonder that to this day light plays such a large role in human activity. Light uncovers the unseen and the concealed, allowing us to perceive it. This basic phenomenon is so powerful that light has over millennia come to symbolize learning, revelation, awakening, "enlightenment". It seems natural that such a primal component of human life would also become a source of inspiration to the human spirit.

Beyond its functional purpose, humans have strived to incorporate light aesthetically into architecture and art, from humble dwellings to imposing structures. Which of these attempts have left a mark through the ages and in recent times? What do they have in common? What is unique about them, how do people react to them?

Objectives:

Identify evolutionary milestones that transformed elemental light receptors into sophisticated optical systems.

Explore how light attained its central role in human activity as well as how it developed its great symbolic significance.

Examine how our ancestral reverence for light has resulted in the creation of timeless icons in art and architecture.

Ponder the role of elemental, strong lighting concepts in today's world of endless possibilities of color, saturation and movement.