On the International Day of Light (16 May), the Institute of Lighting Design and Women in Lighting- NL are organizing a special evening featuring two lectures dedicated to celebrating this occasion.
On this evening, we’ll explore the role of lighting design in architecture and public spaces.
We’re delighted to welcome two experts in light and darkness within the built environment: Arnout Meijer and Elsemieke Koole. They will present their own work and research on this fascinating topic.
Arnout Meijer will present the findings of his research, made possible by funding from the Henk van der Geest lighting design Fund. This allowed him to expand his work from artificial light to daylight, applying the same experimental, artistic, and trial-and-error approach, using test setups honed through his practice. From Arnout’s perspective, light cannot be designed solely on paper or a computer; it must be seen and tested. For him, hands-on experimentation with light and materials is essential to his creative process.
* Beeld Installatie Arnout Meijer
Elsemieke Koole, “The shades of the night consist of both darkness and light”.
Elsemieke will share her expert perspective on public lighting and architectural space, informed by her professional experience as both Municipality of Amsterdam’s Darkness Manager and The Hague’s Public Lighting Coordinator. In these roles, she has gained direct insight into the practical decision-making processes that shape urban Lighting. Building on her MSc MADE research, she’ll present her vision for public spaces during daylight and after dark.
sfsf
* Beeld Installatie Arnout Meijer
Interdisciplinary exchange is at the heart of our lighting community, a space where professionals can share knowledge and learn from one another while working with this versatile medium. While our previous lectures focused on performing arts (covering live performance lighting, scenography, and design preservation), this evening we shift our focus to explore light and darkness in architecture and public spaces.
We warmly welcome all lighting professionals, whether you’re a lighting designer, scenographer, technician, supplier, or simply passionate about light, to join us in celebrating this special occasion together.
Praktisch
When: 16 May 2025
19:00 pm Walk inn
19:15 pm Intro iLO & WIL-NL
19:30 – 20:00 pm Presentation Elsemieke Koole
20:15 – 21:15 pm Presentation Arnout Meijer
21:30 – 22:00 pm Q&A en Cross-over conversation
22:00 pm Door closed
Where: AHK Culture Club, Kattenburgerstraat 5, A’dam
Free entrance, Register in advance
Register: info@lichtontwerpen.nl
Locatie
You can find AHK Culture Club on Marineterrein Amsterdam, next to Makerspace, Kattenburgerstraat 5, Building 027K, 1018 JA Amsterdam. Best to comeover with the bike or park outside the Marineterrein.
sfgsg
ABOUT ARNOUD MEIJER
Arnout Meijer lives and works in A’dam and Mirns, in Friesland. He studied at the Technical University Delft, Design Academy Eindhoven and Cultural Analysis at the University of A’dam. His multidisciplinary practice of self initiated and commissioned work revolves around artworks, public sculptures, product design, architectural interventions and writing.
Meijer’s work explores the physicality and philosophy of perception. By sculpting with light,
he manipulates its spatial and sensory properties while illuminating the aesthetics and immateriality. The relationship between perception and illusion has always played an important role. What we see is a presentation based on experience rather than an actual representation of the world derived from analyses of images. In other words: we see what we expect to see. Optical illusions are therefore not merely sensorial exceptions, but precisely the visual effects that shape the reality as we see it.
afsdd
ABOUT ELSEMIEKE KOOLE
Elsemieke completed her MSc MADE program at the Amsterdam Institute for Metropolitan Solutions with a thesis on light pollution. Then she became Amsterdam’s first Darkness Manager, where she pioneered the city’s darkness policy framework. In this role, she coordinated smart lighting pilots and raised awareness about light pollution impacts.
Later, as Public Lighting Coordinator for The Hague, she advised on the city’s dimming strategies.
Her vision for the future: Lighting that harmonizes with human and ecological needs, adaptable to our ever-changing environment.
sfgg
Women in Lighting is a global digital platform that profiles women working in lighting, spanning all areas including design, engineering, architecture, art, entertainment, manufacturing, education, research and journalism. It also addresses inclusivity and how it benefits an industry as a whole.
“With thanks to the sponsors Formalighting, main sponsor of Women in Lighting, who, alongside the Institute of Light Design, helps make this joint event possible”.
And thanks to AHK Culture club for making the space available.
