topos 102 | Darkness

TOPICS

Darkness – a term with which we associate discomfort, fear, risk. It is the absence of light that has driven and inspired humans to conceive of ever more powerful and efficient ways of lighting rooms, buildings, cities, even landscapes. New technologies have made possible forms of illumination that are revolutionising the ways in which space can be lit. At the same time architects, artists and lighting designers are developing a new appreciation for darkness, which – who knows – may soon need to be protected against light. Topos 102 presents cutting-edge contributions to these questions and topics:

TOO BIG TO HANDLE
Daan Roosegaarde's delightful transformation of a dyke

INTO THE LIGHT
Light vs. darkness – a love-hate affair

DARK SKY – LESS LIGHT IS MORE
A new approach for planning with lumen

PLAYING WITH BEAMS
Light artist Philipp Geist sets urban spaces in motion

DARK METAL IN KIRUNA
What happens when the lights go out in a mining city?

DARKNESS: FACTS AND FIGURES

MORPHING MEDELLÍN
A metropolis frees itself from the gloom

ARABIAN NIGHTSCAPES
What Occident can learn from Orient

DREAMING THE CITY
Changing urban perception with video art

LIGHTS OUT!
Threatened by extinction: starry skies

ORCHESTRATING THE NIGHT
Mobilising masses with light and fire