Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Who has time for this blogging business?

Ambient, task and other types of light
On to the serious business of lighting.  I make this disclaimer: I am not schooled particularly in what can be a very technical job.  My experience has been empirical, but it does cover a lot of time, close to thirty years, at least.

Lighting can be very subjective and the engineers in this field have made serious attempts to quantify every aspect of lighting which can be a numbing experience with light spread graphs and much talk of lumens and candelas and lux. It is quite hard to get a grip on all of this.  On the other hand, we pretty much all know what the light of a 60 watt incandescent bulb looks like and this makes a handy reference, especially when we get to the “efficacious” forms of lighting, the fluorescent and the LED bulbs.

Back to the topic on hand: Ambient light is the background or “fill” light that illuminates our interiors in a non-directed manner.  It can be harsh and unpleasant as in over-lit fluorescents sometimes found in factories and hospitals or fast food restaurants where too much comfort can result in customers overstaying their welcome. Or ambient light can be soft and romantic as candles on a dining room table with a nice bottle of Bordeaux.  Ambient light is not for reading, applying makeup or creating clever things with your hands. On these occasions we need task lighting.  As the name implies, this is light to help us with creative activities.  However, there is no clear division between ambient and task light as a table lamp can suffice as a reading light if you are sitting right next to it, but becomes a pleasing ambient light to fill a room with a flattering glow. But generally speaking, a task light is usually a small light with a reflector to place light exactly on to your work space and to prevent the light from spilling in every direction.  What is needed is the right blend of ambient and task lighting to get the job done.

The other aspect of lighting is decorative.  While the light may answer to other practical applications, it should also add to the general decorative interior scheme whether it is contemporary minimalism or 17th century antiquity.  Without lighting you are back in the cave.  What is attractive in decorative light is highly subjective and it would be too self-serving for me to pass judgment on the multitude of lighting available today.

So how do orchids relate to lighting design?  That will take some time to explain, but for now it is interesting to note that orchids, among many unique features, are bi-laterally symmetrical not unlike a human face…or a wall sconce.  More about this anon.   This is a Maxillaria from the mountains of South America.  Strange looking, you may think, and it is.  It is quite diminutive, less than an inch tall and smells strongly of rhubarb.  What more could you want?

www.derekmarshall.com

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Starting out...

"Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own blog, or whether that station shall be held by anybody else, these pages must show..."

I have been told by those who know more about these things than I that a blog is necessary for a happy life, and is that not what we all are looking for? Baring the soul seems to be a current theme, and if you will forgive that touch of cynicism, then you will deduce that I am not a youth.  How I came to be a designer and maker of decorative interior lighting does not strike me as a matter of general interest, yet I will give a passing nod to that aspect of my work  Better still, perhaps, if you care, you will read my brief bio here -  Derek's CV


My interests are as diverse as anyone's, I suppose, and this photograph is a good indicator.  This plant, in flower for the first time after 10 years of my nurturing, is a South American Phragmipedium, a lady slipper orchid of exquisite and seductive form. Of all the orchids I grow, and there are not as many as there used to be, this is my current favorite. The ten year wait was worth it.

And how does this relate to my lighting designs? Quite indirectly, and yet essentially as well, as I hope to show you.

Well, that's enough for now.  In future I will try to stick more to the main subject of lighting, but interspersed will be some of the things that help define who I am and what I do.  If you care to read all of that, please come back...and by all means let me know what you think.