20.09.2023

Lighting concept for the centre of Potsdam

Soundless Music Light composition by Ruairí O’Brien for On the Road in Light 2024

At today’s meeting of participants for Potsdam Unterwegs im Licht 2024, we presented our conceptual approach for the coming year to the participating cultural institutions in Potsdam. Together with lead partner P3 Projekt, we participated in the public tender of the state capital Potsdam and won the bid with our concept proposal. On 20 January 2024, a new 7-hour Soundless Music light composition by Ruairí O’Brien will now be performed in Potsdamer Mitte as a framework for the individual programmes of the participating Potsdam cultural and art institutions.

By the end of the year, we will complete the artistic concept and work with our technical project partner TLT on the lighting implementation for the façades of the 15-20 participating houses, which will offer all visitors an immersive light experience in January with a uniform corresponding light design.

Participating institutions 2024:

• Bäderlandschaft Potsdam GmbH (blu)
• Bildungsforum Potsdam
• Brandenburgische Spielbanken
• Extavium
• Filmmuseum Potsdam
• Garnisonkirche
• Haus der Brandenburgisch-Preußischen Geschichte
• Landtag Brandenburg
• Museum Barberini
• Naturkundemuseum Potsdam
• Potsdam Marketing und Service
• Potsdam Museum – Forum für Kunst und Geschichte
• St. Nikolaikirche Potsdam

19.06.2023

Lighting Historic Cairo

Saving cultural heritage and historic buildings needs not just protection concepts but re-vitalisation concepts to bring new life to the buildings and historical areas of our cities

Lighting design is one of the most important tools to (re)activate old and to initiate new life while enhancing the beauty of our shared heritage.

Temporary lighting installations can motivate and inspire cities, communities, politicians, decision makers and building owners to save and celebrate what’s existing. This is also a clever way to see „Climate Change Architecture“ because we should use what’s existing to its optimum before we build new.

Photo shooting of my Lighting Elective students final installation at AlQalam tonight in Islamic Cairo …

Thank you AlQalam (School for Calligraphy) and Dr. Ing. A.Labib M. Mahmoud (Owner of the building) for allowing us to use the location …

TEAM:
Assoc. Prof. Ruairi O‘Brien
T. A. Ashraf Osam
Students: Abdelhamid Ibrahim Abdelhamid Kotob Salama, Ahmed Osama Ahmed Essameldin Mohamed, David Ehab Shehata Gendy, Fouad Gamaleldin Fouad Gharib Mostafa, Lina Mahmoud Mohamed Ismaiel, Manar Sameh Aboelsoued Elsayed Abdelatif, Mariam Tamer Mohamed Elkhodary Mahmoud Seoudi, Martina Sameh Gamil Kirollos Boktor, Moreen Essam Abdelmalik Aziz Rofail, Seif Tarek Mohamed Abdelfattah Mahmoud, Mirna Hany Mounir Abdelmaguid Elsayed, Sarah Refaat Abdelhafez Mohamed Elbardeny Urban, Youssef Amberto Youssef Gergis

German University in Cairo

05.05.2023

Light and Heritage: Revitalizing the Old Cotton Mills of Flöha, Saxony, Germany

Construction begins Autumn 2023.

Flöha’s “Old Cotton” is a historical landmark that has played a significant role in shaping the region’s identity and economy for over two centuries. Established in 1809 during Napoleon’s time, the spinning mill evolved into one of Germany’s largest and most modern factories by the late 19th century. Although production ceased in 1994, the city of Flöha recognized the cultural and economic value of the brownfield site and launched the “City Center” project in 2001 to revitalize the area.

The name “Old Cotton” represents the rich legacy of Saxony’s oldest spinning mills, which operated continuously for an extended period. The Heritage Quarter holds a special place in the city’s history, and the iconic industrial architecture of the old cotton mills continues to define Flöha’s identity and image.

Moreover, the entire area, including the adjacent park and the industrialist’s villa “Immenhof,” enjoys monument protection. To support the city’s vision of developing the heritage buildings quarter of the old cotton mills as the new city center and market square, Ruairí O’Brien.Lichtdesign has created a unique lighting concept. This concept accentuates the beauty of the site and complements Flöha’s ambitious plans to create a vibrant cultural hub in the heart of the city.

Client: Stadt Flöha
Landscape architecture: Lohaus · Carl · Köhlmos Part GmbB landscape architects · urban planners
Lighting design: Ruairí O’Brien . Lighting Design

06.03.2023

„Soundless Music“ – Lichtkultur sehen und verstehen

Lecture by Ruairí O’Brien at the Licht2023 in Salzburg

Developing an understanding and awareness for what constitutes good quality lighting among architects, urban planners, politicians, decision makers and most importantly the users of our built environment, requires greater enlightenment and energetic input from the lighting design profession. In this lecture using examples from my work, I discuss “seeing and understanding” the role lighting design could play in establishing a future “Licht-Baukultur” in our built environment.

25th European Lighting Technology Congress, March 26-29, 2023, Salzburg / Austria

Ruairí O`Brien : Soundless Music – Lichtkultur sehen und verstehen

Monday, 27.03.2023, 11:20 a.m., Europa Saal, 2nd floor

www.licht2023.at

03.02.2023

Calibration of the lighting fixtures for the St. Josef Church Dresden

With the support of four lasers, the first large luminaire of our lighting design for the community center of St. Josef Kirchgemeinde in Dresden Pieschen was positioned today on the historic vaulted ceiling of the large community hall.

The unique luminaires and individually created “light” spaces provide a variety of lighting scenarios to assist the parish in hosting church and festive activities, civic meetings, public and private events.

More information at the following link

20.12.2022

Lighting concept for Bad Vilbel

We are pleased that our contribution in the selection process for a lighting concept for the historic center of the well-known mineral water / spring city Bad Vilbel has been awarded the Zuschlg.

The spring city BAD VILBEL is located in the south of the federal state of Hesse, in the immediate vicinity of the metropolis Frankfurt am Main.
The focus is on the inner city area with the main shopping street Frankfurter Straße, the river bank, the adjacent spa park areas, the festival grounds with the Burgpark and the connections from the inner city to the railroad stations (Bad Vilbel and Bad Vilbel Süd), which together form the historical and social heart of Bad Vilbel.

As part of the nationwide “Living Centers” program, this urban core area is to be upgraded with a new and innovative lighting concept.

We are pleased to be able to develop a lighting concept for Bad Vilbel with the following contents:

• An attractive, innovative and sustainable lighting concept to improve the evening ambience.
• Staging of the historical building fabric in the appropriate architectural lighting scenarios.
• Improvement of the citizens’ sense of security at night.
• Developing temporary lighting concepts for special events, holidays and celebrations.

This wonderful project will accompany us through the year 2023 and in this spirit I wish all friends and colleagues a happy, healthy and successful year 2023.

5th October 2022

„Lights Out“?
Or
„The Right to Light at Night“

A commentary by Ruairí O’Brien:

„Lights Out“ is the call from many to save energy and even to win the so called „Energy War“.

I ask all to Re-Think or question this simple call …
It is not the quick solution it appears to be.
The answer to our „energy wasting“ problems needs more holistic diverse action.

If our inner city areas go black in winter then the economic costs will be worse …

City businesses and City culture are under enough pressure from „stay at home“ online offers, comfort food delivery, comfort internet shopping, comfort online Tv and Streaming services.

Light at night in the city is celebrating the democracy of public space and life itself.

I have taught students for over 20 years about the „right to darkness“ and the importance of reducing unnecessary glaring light and light pollution in our cities at night.
With GOOD and intelligent LIGHTING design concepts we can SEE MORE at night WITH LESS LIGHT.

That is where we can save energy and improve the beauty and quality of our cities (and reduce light pollution).

If this crisis helps us to unlock the potential of good light and to debate the importance of „LICHTKULTUR“ for modern healthy beautiful cities then this can be great, but it should not lead to „LIGHTS OUT non culture“.

Posting An excellent interview with Helmut M. Bien in the FAZ which gives a very good overview of the nuances involved in this debate.
Well worth reading … !

https://zeitung.faz.net/fas/rhein-main/2022-10-02/5bc408efce63fcc8cb417de1ef0991a6/?GEPC=s5

Titel Image to the article in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Sunday, 02.10.2022
“The most important thing is to think about light”: staging at Frankfurt’s Römer during the Luminale festival of light culture in 2020, Photo: Francois Klein,

https://zeitung.faz.net/fas/rhein-main/2022-10-02/5bc408efce63fcc8cb417de1ef0991a6/?GEPC=s5

01.09.2022

Energy saving can be “designed”!

Cities are “the place to be” and deserve good LIGHT.
The revitalization/development of city centers needs LIGHT, it is a question of quality and not quantity.
Cities and buildings need better and more intelligent lighting concepts …
We should try to protect and promote sustainable “City LIFE” by using the current debate about energy waste to rethink the quality of lighting in our cities.
Light attracts and creates moods for interaction and exchange, our cities need to be attractive to be (economically) sustainable.
“See more with less light” and enjoy city life – this is possible with holistic creative concepts and dynamic intelligent lighting technology. Achieving the right balance of light and dark in cities is first and foremost a creative task. Energy saving can be “designed”!
Ask a lighting designer first….
This is a call to urban planners, politicians, decision makers, offices and citizens to take the chance to discuss openly with lighting designers about “LIGHT CULTURE” and energy, the culture of good and sustainable light in our cities and towns.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Drawing is from a lighting concept for the revitalization of an unused industrial building, “Spinnereimaschinenbau” in the city of Chemnitz, Germany (2018).

16.05.2022

International Day of Light

Today we celebrate the Unesco international Day of Light, as every year since 2018.

Among other things, it aims to raise awareness of the role that lighting design and the targeted use of technologies play in achieving greater energy efficiency or limiting energy waste and reducing light pollution, which is also key to maintaining the visibility of the night sky.

International Day of Light is held on May 16, the anniversary of the first successful use of the laser, in 1960, by physicist and engineer Theodore Maiman. The laser demonstrates how a scientific discovery can bring revolutionary benefits to society. It is celebrated with many different events around the world, where all participants can develop an understanding of the role of light in science and culture.

More information can be found here.

06.05.2022

Installation works New Work – lighting concept

Photos of our office extension project, which is close to completion, from the joint inspection with the management of the future user. We accompany this project not only architecturally, but also with a lighting concept for modern working environments of today, tailored to the individual requirements of each area. In the next few days, the installation of the luminaires will be completed, but there is still some work to be done before the object can be handed over to our client in the fall.

We are looking forward the newly created space being used and offering our client a workplace where people like to stay and work well.

22.04.2022

International Dark Sky Week – April 22 – 30, 2022

For us as lighting designers, the protection of darkness and thus a responsible use of light is very important. In lighting design, the motto is: Less is more. That’s why we support this year’s “International Dark Sky Week” to draw attention to the problems that light pollution causes. Light pollution can disturb wildlife, affect human health, waste money and energy, contribute to climate change, and block our view of the universe.

So get informed about light pollution and support International Dark Sky Week.

24.01.2022

Unterwegs im Licht 2022, Freitag

Since last Friday, until tonight, our urban “Soundless Music” light composition for Potsdam Unterwegs im Licht 2022 is running. The photo shows Potsdam’s Nikolaikirche in a blue dress of winter light, with which our composition started on Friday evening. Over spring-like green light moods on Saturday and summer-like yellow-orange light scenes on Sunday, the four days of Unterwegs im Licht 2022 end today with a thoughtful backdrop of dark red tones, which are accompanied by light moods from ALL MAIN COLORS of the color spectrum for the FINALE at 9 pm.

Photo by Alexander Rentsch.

Link to the issue:

https://www.berlin.de/tourismus/brandenburg/veranstaltungen/4722010-3479097-unterwegs-im-licht-in-potsdam.html

https://www.stadtmagazin-events.de/events/unterwegs-im-licht-im-naturkundemuseum-potsdam/?occ_dtstart=2022-01-22T09:30

„Soundless Music”

The illuminated Potsdam city center 2022

This coming weekend our “Soundless Music” LIGHT concept will be presented in the City of Potsdam.

Starting Friday and ending Monday we have developed a lighting concept that sets the city each evening in a color composition that expresses in “Soundless Music” the universal process of THERMODYNAMICS.

If you want to know more click here.

The HOUSE of LIGHT

Daylight design in architecture

For this year’s first Design Studio at the German University in Cairo, Ruairí O’Brien worked with his students on the importance of daylight in housing.

LIGHT is an energy, life and mood-giving force in architecture.
The special properties of the morning, midday and evening sun can be used to model and shape the architectural volume (the importance of northern light). Light can be used to shape walls, position openings, and form roofs.

For example, energy conservation also begins with providing excellent daylight to building occupants and reducing the need for artificial lighting. Understanding how light and shading can be used to create thermal comfort for occupants is critical to building success.

The architecture of light is about beauty and the intelligent use of resources.
Daylight can be used for free and its tremendous value is widely underestimated in the building industry. Architectural design begins with an understanding of this resource.

IMPULSE + DISCUSSION

GUEST SESSION – LIGHTING

Prof.’in Mary-Anne Kyriakou

Dr. Emrah Baki Ulas, University of Technology Sydney

Ruairí O’Brien, Architekt und Lichtdesigner

“Die Lichtdesigner Community ruft im Allgemeinen und was den Klimaschutz anbelangt, den Kampf für die gute Sache (Licht) auf. Wenn der Kunde es aber möchte und dafür bezahlt, machen wir vor allem schönes Licht, wir beleuchten – unabhängig von den Kosten für die Umwelt, die Architektur oder den öffentlichen Raum, die wir ausleuchten. Sind wir als Community damit im Reinen? Oder ist es uns einfach nicht so wichtig?” Ruairí O’Brien

“The lighting design community in general and as far as climate protection is concerned, calls the fight for the good cause (light). But if the customer wants it and pays for it, we make beautiful light first and foremost, we illuminate – regardless of the cost to the environment, the architecture or the public space we illuminate. Are we as a community at peace with this? Or is it simply not that important to us?” Ruairí O’Brien

ZOOM + MEDIATHEK

Donnerstag, 18.11.2021

Zeit: 08:15-09:30

Weitere Informationen finden Sie Unter:

https://www.detmoldconferenceweek.online/sessions

Under The Waterline

^10th CAIRO VIDEO FESTIVAL

October 2021, on 10 different locations in Cairo

Selection & Program: RUAIRÍ O’BRIEN

Artists and filmmakers help us all understand the hidden codes of city life, and of existence itself. They are the icebergs – there is more to them than what we can see at first sight; they are our “eyes on the street.” The chosen venue for the program is also a supporting expression of the text above and of the videos chosen.

For for information see here: https://www.cvf.medrar.org/under-the-waterline/

Informations-Licht-Skulptur Slaughterhouse Five in der Presse

The current issue of the magazine “diesseits”(www.diesseits.de) of the Humanist Association Germany published an article about Kurt Vonnegut and his book “Slaughterhouse-Five” that is well worth reading. For the illustration of the article a photo of Ruairí O’Brien’s memorial wall and information light sculpture Slaughterhouse-Five in the Messe Dresden was chosen by the Radaktion. Link to the issue: http://diesseits.de/aktuelles-heft.

Lichtkunst im öffentlichen Raum

University of Berlin, on 18.05.2021

UNESCO International Day of Light

Zum internationalen “Tag des Lichts” 2021 präsentieren wir den folgenden Kurzfilm von Ruairí O’Brien. Der Film ist der erste aus einer Reihe von Kurzfilmen, an denen er über das “Licht von Kairo” arbeitet. Dieser erste Film der Serie konzentriertsich auf einen Tag und eine Nacht im Kairoer Stadtgebiet von Maadi am Nil. Der nächste Kurzfilm wird sich auf das Gebiet “Downtown” konzentrieren.

To celebrate the “Day of Light” 2021, Ruairí O’Brien has put a short film online.
The film is the first from a series of short films he is working on about the “Light of Cairo”. This first film in the series focuses on a Day and a Night in the Cairo city area of Maadi on the Nile.The next short film will focus on the area of “Downtown”.

Internationaler Tag des Lichts / International Day of Light 2021

We celebrate the Unesco International Day of Light with “Light of Cairo”, a “micro” film.

Day and night impressions filmed celebrate the simplicity and grandeur of light in our everyday life. In 2001 I stated, people have a “right to darkness” and began recording light scenes during “Light Walks” in cities.

The film will be presented in Vimeo and YouTube on the 16.05.2021

Finde more about the IDL 2021 Event Programme worldwide under: https: //www.lightday.org/events

Less Light to See More

The image above shows a screenshot from the Arte cultural magazine “Twist” with the theme “Design Total!” from May 2, 2021 (excerpt from a light poetry performance by Ruairí O’Brien).

The program, to which we link below the text, traces, among other things, the fascination of lighting design and introduces (from about the 21st minute) two lighting designers for whom less is more: Ulrike Brandi (internationally renowned lighting designer, including the Elbphilharmonie) and Ruairí O’Brien. In the interview, O’Brien makes the case for a “lighting culture” and clarifies his lighting design approach of “Less Light to See More”.

We thank the Arte magazine for the beautiful contribution.

“Twist” vom 02.05.2021 können Sie hier ansehen: Design durch die Zeit | TWIST | ARTE – YouTube

Living and light spaces – challenge to a new kind of lighting design

Light 2021 Online Forum

Wednesday, 24.03.2021

Time: 15:45 – 17:05 Uhr

For more information, please visit: www.licht2021.de

Now and Here – Restaurant, Bistro, Appartmens at the Post Square

5 years anniversary of our planning of the house at the Postplatz. On the occasion of this anniversary, we have reimagined our Postplatz project.

Weitere Informationen finden Sie hier.

Potsdam Unterwegs im Licht 2021

Today actually Potsdam – Unterwegs im Licht 2021 would take place. Because it must be cancelled due to the current Corona situation, we enjoy once again the impressions of last year and hope for a new Unterwegs im Licht 2022.

For more information, please visit: www.ruairiobrien-lightart.com