Good design should really be centred about, around and for people. Good lighting should certainly be designed around the specific needs of the people inhabiting the spaces that we design. People are complex and have evolved differently in different parts of the world in their responses to the amount, colour and type of light that makes them comfortable and happy.

Awarded a PhD in 2006, Bordonaro has a background in architecture, but has focused her attention on light and worked as a lighting designer for masterplans, exterior and public realm lighting. She has also taught at the Universities of Rome, Milan and Turin, and the Rhode Island School of Art and Design. But most significantly she is founder and creative director at Light Follows Behaviour, a lighting design studio with the aim to design with people and for people. At PLDC 2019, she was part of the team that conducted the two-day Cities’ Forum Workshop.

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With her past experiences, Bordonaro had a lively, engaging conversation with Carlijn Timmermans, an emerging lighting designer from the Netherlands, founder of C.Light.Wise and part of the elite club of 40-under-40 global lighting designers in 2017, covering the various aspects of the layers of human context that must superimpose designs for works in the public realm.

Together they explore the role of research in improving the quality of life and living environments, and how the parameters vary for people in different countries with varied cultural diversities. Despite being actively involved in lighting design in their respective countries, they question the priority that light is given in design and argue for a holistic approach to understanding and meeting the needs of people.

Watch out for more from the series Spread the Light 6/6 presented by Wipro Lighting, in collaboration with PLDC.