LIGHTOPIA

No other medium has revolutionised our lives and environment quite like electric light. It changed our cities, transformed how we live and work and became a driving force in the fields of industry, medicine and communication. Initiated by new lighting technologies, we are today experiencing a profound change in the world of artificial light, with as yet unforeseeable consequences to people’s lives. LIGHTOPIA explores the evolution of contemporary light, and shows how lighting design has affected modern life, setting these phenomena in a greater, culture-historical context. The book comprises three volumes in a slipcase. In volume 1, essays by renowned authors take a close look at the cultural history of light, from its scenographic significance to psychological aspects. Volume 2 assembles a selection of the most important 100 luminaires from 1900 to today from the Vitra Design Museum collection and includes texts on the development of lighting design. In volume 3, interviews with well-known lighting designers and artists look into how new illumination technologies revolutionise the creative use of light today – from integrated light in facades and textiles to mobile power supplies and light sources like LED or OLED. LIGHTOPIA’s three volumes constitute a unique light design compendium, opulently illustrated and encompassing an exceptional spectrum of examples from design, art and architecture. Authors include Beate Binder, Thea Brejzek, Hartmut Böhme, Fulvio Ferrari, Peter and Charlotte Fiell, Joseph Grima, Bart Lootsma, Sidney Perkowitz and Peter Weibel. With works by Olafur Eliasson, Gino Sarfatti, Ingo Maurer, MischerTraxler, Carlos Cruz-Diez, Wilhelm Wagenfeld, Richard Sapper, Achille Castiglioni, Michele De Lucchi, realities:united, Rogier van der Heide, Ulrike Brandi, Pieke Bergmans and many others. LIGHTOPIA is accompanying the corresponding exhibition, which is shown at the Vitra Design Museum from 28.09.2013 – 16.03.2014.