The Fabric of our Society

November 2023

Quality of Dark 

Jenny Ivansson
Project Director
L’Observatoire International

Culturally, darkness may connote the unknown or negativity. But it’s just something I’m comfortable with.

Coming from a small village in the countryside of southern Sweden, darkness has definitely colored my life and influenced who I’ve become. I grew up with extended hours of darkness and extended hours of daylight – far more extreme than we’re used to as New Yorkers. You cannot avoid going out after dark; it’s just too restrictive when it gets dark by 2:30 in the afternoon. You go to soccer practice and you ride your bike in the dark on the ice… When you’re a kid, you just don’t think twice about it.

Navigating along a rural road by looking up at the forest’s treetops against the dark sky (because you can’t see your own feet) is a skill I pride myself on. To this day, I have no fear of darkness, and I’m not afraid of darkness in my design work. I’m currently working on an island resort project, and I’m focusing on lighting just specific areas. At L’Observatoire we design just as much with light as with darkness. The Highline is a good example of that. It’s a narrative of darkness and pools of low-height light.

Creating moments of quiet or reflection can give occupants the chance to take a break – visually or actually physically – especially in a big city. Provide for safety, yes. But let people enjoy the night.

A precious resource
Designing with darkness can make light more precious. To view the famous Caravaggio paintings at Church of San Luigi dei Francesi in Rome requires a contribution to coin-operated lighting that lasts just a few minutes. Caravaggio is a master of chiaroscuro, glorious light and shadow, and you’re just a few feet away from these masterpieces. But in the dim chapel, without light, they’re practically nothing.

Similarly, architecture without light is nothing – at least at night. Lighting design is a vital and important profession. It brings forth from darkness a space or work of art, almost like magic. You begin with uncertainty and then you know where you are and you can appreciate the beauty of the architecture.

When I dropped those euros into the coin-operated lighting mechanism, I realized how rare and precious this moment is. And how powerful an instrument light is. So turn the lights in buildings off during migration seasons, so birds don’t perish from attraction and disorientation in the middle of the night. We’ve tried using electric lighting as if it’s limitless. We’ve taken it for granted (along with a number of resources) and we’re realizing how tiny our Mother Earth is.

In Northern Europe, people are very careful with electric lighting at home, even LEDs. Prices for fuel are so high that the electricity bill takes an alarming bite out of their income. When I went to visit my aunt, she was just sitting in the dark. She wouldn’t turn the lights on until I arrived for my visit. It’s frugality, yes. But the real cost has caught up with us.

My husband is a photographer, so he also has a very strong appreciation for light. He grew up in New York City, so he didn’t get that respite of being out “after dark.” In the city, darkness was, and is, considered unsafe. Electric lighting has completely changed how many of us experience night time outdoors.

It’s a choice
Early electric lighting was fun and exciting. This has morphed into more, more, more. New York City is definitely the place for that. It’s the city that never sleeps, and you can live the nightlife just as you would the day. But there are oases like Brooklyn Bridge Park (lighting design by Domingo González Associates) where you can read a book in the moonlight and enjoy the nighttime views of Manhattan. We can have both.

It’s not the unknown we’re frightened of. It’s what other people might do. But we can provide safety with light without overdoing it. Of course, it depends where you are. We’ve exposed ourselves to so much light that many people have trouble with circadian regulation.

We’re getting smarter about what lighting makes sense for enjoying the outdoor spaces. Is it Times Square, or a pocket park in a residential neighborhood? The codes are helping direct us where we should spend our watts and apply lighting where and how it’s needed. A prescription of 10 fc no longer makes sense. We can create beautiful nighttime environments with as much variation of light and shadow as nature provides during the day.