Value of Darkness
Re-imagining the binary narrative of darkness.
Scientifically:
The Netherlands is one of the most enlightened countries in the world. Resulting in a lot of light pollution, which is an environmental and societal problem.
However, as the term light pollution already implies, it focusses on light.In a world of abundant and increasing artificial lighting, a better understanding of why we should protect or preserve darkness is needed, as well as a new perspective on darkness since historical studies illustrate that darkness has a lot of negative connotations.
Stone, T. (2018). The Value of Darkness: A Moral Framework
for Urban Nighttime Lighting. Sci Eng Ethics 24, 607–628
Lutz, A., Dunne, J. D., & Davidson, R. J. (2007). Meditation and
the neuroscience of consciousness: An introduction. In P. D. Zelazo, M. Moscovitch, & E. Thompson (Eds.), The Cambridge handbook of consciousness (p. 499–551). Cambridge University Press.
Creative:
During performative night walks data was collected on the amount of darkness with the use of a self made darkness detector in city center Leiden, the Netherlands. However, the collected data showed there is not any darkness.
In order to make the citizens of city center Leiden aware of the lack of darkness in their surroundings and the benefits of darkness they are missing out on, the data was transformed into a painting by numbers exercise. This is because, research shows painting by numbers is experienced as medative and thereby comes close to the benefits of darkness.
Throughout the painting by numbers exercise citizens could see and interact with the data about the lack of darkness and at the same time experience the mimicked benefits of darkness.
Concepting
Storytelling
Production
Year: 2021