Euroluce 2023 provokes a human centric approach to lighting

Euroluce, the International Lighting Exhibition, is a biennial trade fair in the framework of Salone del Mobile that between technology and poetry, architecture and design, was for numerous years a source of inspiration with design at its core. The 31^st edition of Euroluce, titled The City of Lights, focused on the theme of light being an overarching concept of a diverse range of experiences, including architecture, design, photography, and art. Light was showcased in all its forms and expressions, with the program featuring renowned artists exploring the theme of light from various points of view, creating immersive and enlightening experiences and illuminating displays. This year's edition was forerun by research, which was aimed at studying exhibitor and visitor needs, conducted via 2300 interviews and discussions.

The narrative of Euroluce, exploring the relationship between light and the environment, was contemplating the shift towards sustainable and human-centric lighting. Lighting designers focused on the effects of light on behaviour, mood and productivity and created concepts, keeping pace not only with technological evolution but also with philosophical lines of thought. STIR selected four such light-focused exhibitions in the framework of Euroluce, that capture the essence of human-centric lighting.

FIAT BULB. The Edison Syndrome, curated by the Italian set designer Martina Sanzarello, paid creative tribute to the iconic light bulb, creating a sequence of objects that transform from their primary and practical purpose into extraordinary objects. Sanzarello delved into the history of the bulbous luminaire and its representation in art and design, through a selection of light bulbs that have been turned into light sculptures.

The works were displayed in cardboard boxes on a circular conveyor belt. Commenting on the overall concept, the curator said, “I love to create a sense of destabilisation. The idea was to create a serial environment with identical boxes in which the artworks are all at the same level. The moment the visitor gets closer and looks inside the box, that's when they'll catch the unique nature of every artwork." The sequence of works was ordered according to a fast-paced rhythm that employed continuous alterations to create ongoing variations, forms and changes of direction, and so on until total cancellation was achieved. "Intimate and common, unique and serial, fragile and blinding. The magic of light inscribed in an object called a lightbulb becomes (a) fetish, icon or idol,” stated Martina Sanzarello.

Interior Night. Bright Artifacts was curated by architect and journalist Michele Calzavara. It transformed the environment in a unique way showing the power of light. The exhibition showcased interior architectural photographs in which artificial lighting plays a prominent role. Interior Night. Bright Artifacts can be defined as a study in duality, interpreted with spaces and volumes that evidence the relationship of opposing perceptual qualities such as light and dark, open and closed, public and private. The exhibition featured both established and emerging designers. Calzavara suggested, “The distinguishing factor of exhibitions on architecture is that the latter cannot be present itself. It has to rely on substitutes, and when it comes to light, photography is one of the most fitting. However, Interior Night. Bright Artifacts is not a photographic exhibition in the strictest sense, rather a short journey across images that have punctuated modern and contemporary design with interiors containing luminous insights that surprise, give pleasure and are still capable of stoking new ideas."

HELEN BINET. Nature, Time and Architecture, curated and designed by architect and curator Massimo Curzi, showcased an original selection of images from contemporary photographer, Hélène Binet. Binet is an acclaimed French-Swiss photographer who has captured the essence of some of the world's most famous buildings. Through her images, she traces the path of light on architecture, revealing how it caresses and accentuates its lines. The artist observed, "We need light to see objects, but light needs us to be perceived (through the object as a vector)."

HELEN BINET. Nature, Time and Architecture explores the relationship between natural light and architecture, nature and time, and provides a visual narration of works by some of the leading masters of architecture. The set-up was devised to provide an opportunity for pause and reflection while visiting the fair. It presented a collection of photographs that explored the relationship between light, architecture, nature, and time, presenting a visual chronicle of the works of some of the most notable architects. Hélène Binet’s photographs portray places where the gradual movement of natural light across surfaces, shapes, and materials inspires us to contemplate the mystical interplay between light and architecture. "An extraordinary body of work in black and white, carried forward consistently and stubbornly, focusing on the eternal relationship between light and shade in some of the most important architectural works in history," explained Curzi, while Binet commented, "In selecting the images for this exhibition, we started from my earliest photographs, like those that bear witness to the work of John Hejduk, working up to the more recent ones of traditional Korean architecture. The aim remained unchanged: with delicate associations, juxtapositions of images, shadows and silences, I hope to trigger the imagination of the observer and take them somewhere not too far removed from the architect’s initial sketch."

Dawns. The Lights of Tomorrow, curated by architect and design researcher Matteo Pirola, explores the intersection of technology and poetry through a series of lighting fixtures, designed by creative minds that replicate natural phenomena. The exhibition featured various luminous atmospheres, including dark, twilight, and pure light, and was designed by From Outer Space. The light art works within the exhibition focused on light being not an object, but a subject, natural or artificial, and an atmospheric and environmental ever-changing phenomenon. The research and works, which have shaped this lighting installation, are a balance of technology and poetry, and a re-interpretation of luminous objects. “Lighting design, in our sensitive contemporary world, is a conveyor of atmospheres and symbols, permanently lit subjects in which a narrative between technology and poetry is spun between the extreme points of luminous horizons from which the objects that will illuminate the future will appear,” said Pirola.

STIR’s coverage of Milan Design Week 2023 showcases the best exhibitions, studios, designers, installations, brands, and special projects to look out for. Explore Euroluce 2023 and all the design districts—5Vie Art and Design, Brera Design District, Fuorisalone, Isola Design District, Tortona District, and Milano Design District—with us.