In collaboration with lighting control specialist Lutron, the [d]arc thoughts talks programme will take place on the Gallery level of the Business Design Centre this November.
Hear from over 30 design professionals from all areas of the industry – lighting, interiors, architecture, specification, manufacturing and more – on the topics that really matter.
Due to popular demand, this year’s programme will be twice the size, with TWO programmes running side by side.
The main [d]arc thoughts talks programme in association with lighting control specialist Lutron, will once again take place in the conference hall space on the Gallery Level.
This year’s programme will be split into themes – covering the Business of Design, Interiors + Lighting, and Designing for People and the Planet, which will be split further into content around wellness, sustainability, and the environment.
A splinter programme will run in the Associations Lounge also on the Gallery Level and feature talks run by industry associations LIA, IALD, ILP, and SLL. There will also be panel discussions in collaboration with Women in Lighting and DALI Alliance and much more. Use the link below to see the full Associations Lounge programme.
Curated by the [d]arc media editorial team and with expert guest moderators, this year’s LiGHT talks programme is set to be the best yet.
Wednesday, 20 November
THE BUSINESS OF DESIGN
11:30 – 12:15 | The Next Generation of Design
Moderator: Samta Nadeem, Curatorial Director, STIR World
Speakers: Sacha Abizadeh, Growth Director, WSP; Tiziana Regalado, Lighting Designer, MSLD; Isabelle Lane, Lighting Designer, MSLD
More info coming soon.
12:20 – 12:35 | BOL Presentation
Speaker: Anna Sboku, Founder, AS Light
More info coming soon.
12:40 – 12:55 | Time to Step Up – The role of a lighting designer
Speaker: Marcus Steffen, Founder, MSLD
Marcus Steffen discusses the place a lighting designer currently has in the industry, and how this will need to evolve to ensure that we survive a fast-changing industry.
13:15 – 13:30 | Taking the Leap
Speaker: Luke Artingstall, Founder, Artinlight
More info coming soon.
13.35 – 13:50 | The Value of Light – AI Takeaway
Speaker: Juan Ferrari, Project Director, Hoare Lea
More info coming soon.
LIGHT + INTERIORS
14:10-14:55 | Using Lighting Design to Enhance Accessibility in Interiors
Presented by the BIID
More info coming soon.
15:00-15:15 | Interior Design and Architectural Lighting
Speaker: Jo Calver, Creative Director, Isla James Interiors
Lighting is the secret to a successful interior. Interior Designer Jo Calver will take a closer look at lighting’s relationship with fabrics and colours in the home, feature lighting, colour temperature, the power of light and shade, and how layering your lighting can add to the complexity of your design.
16:20 – 16:40 | In Conversation With…
This year’s featured light artist will delve into the inspiration behind LiGHT’s first ever light art installation.
More info coming soon.
Thursday, 21 November
WELLNESS
11:15 – 12:00 | In the Driving Seat – Lighting Controls for People and Planet
Presenter: Dr Shelley James, Age of Light Innovations
Speakers: Paul Nulty, Founder, Nulty+; Ravi Lakhani, Head of Smart Solutions, Cordless Consultants; Miguel Aguado, Product Management, Lutron
This session will begin with a brief overview of the latest research into optimising strategies that balance human health with environmental impact. It will then move on to highlight the current performance gap due to the lack of integrated solutions.
A panel of lighting designers, property technology consultants and manufacturers will discuss barriers and solutions for integrated lighting control strategies.
12:05 – 12:20 | The 90% Challenge: Redifining the Indoors
Speaker: Alexander Cadish, Phos
We spend about 90% of our time indoors, which translates to less than an hour outdoors each day. For humans, the built environment has become our new habitat. Yet, we often invest less thought into the biological needs of our living spaces than we do when designing enclosures for animals in zoos.
So, what does it mean to live naturally? And how can integrating elements of nature into our environment to enhance our quality of life? The answers might surprise you in some profound ways…
12:25 – 12:40 | Maximising Wellbeing in Residential Environments
Speaker: Hugo Lindsay-Fynn, Palladian
More info coming soon.
13:00 – 13:15 | Is Beauty a Building Block?
Speaker: Martina Frattura, Founder, The Beauty Movement
Lighting Designer Martina Frattura explores the relationship between beauty and light, while addressing the contemporary relevance of aesthetics in the built environment.
13:20 – 13:35 | Neurodiversity & Lighting
Speaker: Seraphine Gogate, GDM Building Consultanta
In this session, we will explore the latest research on how various light and lighting parameters affect neurodiverse populations. We will highlight the emotional side of lighting design, discussing how inappropriate lighting can increase anxiety, stress, and discomfort, whereas well-designed lighting can promote calmness, safety, and emotional stability.
SUSTAINABILITY
13:55 – 14:40 | Why are we still talking about sustainability? When what we need is radical action…
Moderator: Harry McKinley, Editor, MIX Interiors
Panelists: Adam Strudwick, Principal, Perkins & Will; Ruud Belmans, Creative Director, We Want More; Rachel Hoolahan, Sustainability Lead, Orms; Thomas Lommee, Open Structures
More info coming soon.
14:45 – 15:00 | An overview of the environmental assessment landscape in the lighting industry
Speaker: Irene Mazzei, Stoane Lighting
We will discuss the progress and current barriers that still prevent the application of these approaches in a consistent way across the industry, accompanied by the illustration of some practical examples of lighting Life Cycle Assessment.
15:05 – 15:20 | Creative Alternatives to Cat A
Speaker: Jonathan Rush, Hoare Lea in collaboration with Recolight
All too frequently, relatively new luminaires from Cat A fit outs can end up in the waste stream. However, recently the design community and developers are beginning to work together on creative alternatives. Here Jonathan Rush of the End Cat A Lighting pressure group looks at some success stories.
ENVIRONMENT
15:25 – 15:40 | Starlight Certification & Outdoor Lighting
Speaker: Jordi Rocasalbas, LEDS C4
The Starlight certification aims to preserve the night sky and protect the environment while ensuring people’s safety and wellbeing. It focuses on reducing light pollution and using technologies that minimise the environmental impact of outdoor lighting.
We will explain how to light a project meeting Starlight and showcase good practises, going straight to the practical points.
15:45 – 16:05 | Turn the Tide! A Pilot Project for Sea Turtle Conservation
Speaker: Chiara Carucci
What do a lighting designer and a marine biologist have in common? Discover how the ongoing pilot project within the EU LIFE21 TURTLENEST initiative is protecting loggerhead turtles. This talk dives into the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration for wildlife conservation and the role of informed design to achieve overall sustainability.
16:10 – 16:30 | Dark Frontier
Speaker: Kerem Asfuroglu, Dark Source
At no point in our history, have we produced and consumed light more than now. This has led light pollution to increase at an alarming rate impacting on the wellbeing of all earthlings while changing our perception of the night. The presentation will consist of dark sky friendly lighting design precedents and explore the trends in tackling light pollution.
