PLDC Conference Warm-up Events Announced

More warm-up events leading up to the PLDC have been confirmed:

  1. Evening reception in Milan/I: April 2015: in preparation
  2. Get-together in New York/USA, 5. May 2015, partnered by iGuzzini USA
  3. Casino night in London/UK: 14. May, 2015 partnered by iGuzzini UK
  4. Evening event in Paris/F: 25. June, 2015 partnered by iGuzzini France
  5. Evening reception in Barcelona/E, September 2015, partnered by iGuzzini Spain

PLDC_2015_VT_P8883.epsAs in previous years, PLDC will be built around a four-track conference. Traditionally, the first three tracks will cover Lighting Application Case Studies, Lighting Application Research and Professional Practice Issues. The fourth track varies from convention to convention and is dedicated to a topic that is currently key to lighting design developments worldwide. For PLDC 2015 in Rome, the Steering Committee has selected a topic in response to on-going market developments and studies: “Light and Culture”. The track will feature presentations on recently completed projects, indicate how lighting has changed in cultural spaces (museums, art galleries, cultural heritage sites, etc.), how different cultures perceive light and consequently how this influences lighting design. The impact of new technologies on the culture of light, and how their application is shaping design or lighting strategies, will also be addressed in this track. The presentations are diverse, for example, Dr. Craig Bernecker/USA will present Sojourn to Senegal: a perspective on lighting for the developing world and Anne Bureau/France will talk about Light on Mars…A cultural overview of the light on another planet. Another interesting one for lighting designers is by Katja Schiebler/D and Arne Hülsmann/D who will present Designing Darkness. A number of presentations will also feature the therapeutic benefits of light and the impact on our circadian rhythms. This can have a huge impact on how we design lighting for spaces such as care homes for seniors, psychiatric care environments and prisons.

Keynote

Austrian media-artist, director, choreographer and composer Klaus Obermaier has been announced as the first Keynote Speaker. His interactive installations offer great inspiration for lighting designers, architects and all related
professions.

Supporting programme

The conference will be accompanied by an informative, inspiring and innovative  supporting programme.
The manufacturers’ exhibition from the partners in the industry is developing at a fast pace – to date almost 75% of the exhibition is already sold out. The pre-convention meeting day is shaping up to be a full additional conference
day; The Cities’ Forum will be inviting lighting designers, architects and city planners to gather and learn about the latest developments. Partner Cities of PLDC will be presenting their ongoing and planned activities and will be joining in the Face2Face talks to network with lighting specialists and discuss cutting-edge topics in city planning and lighting in the public realm.

Based on the evaluations provided by the Paper Reviewing Committee, 15 authors of self-running poster presentations have been selected by the Steering Committee to add additional value to the conference programme. The poster presentations are also classified according to the four conference tracks Professional Practice Issues, Lighting Application Case Studies, Lighting Application Research and Light + Culture.
PLDC 2015 will also offer a new component: Experience Rooms. These spaces are designed to allow attendees to become actively involved in specific activities, experience light and darkness, or play a part in ongoing research studies.

The full conference programme is available at PLDC.

By Julie Allen

16 Mar