In 2001, for their 20th anniversary issue Metropolis magazine’s back page featured several architects’ and designers’ quick visions for future designs or objects. Then, much public space was built as a result of private developer incentives – and meanly edged with serrated metal bars and spikes.  Those were the days when benches were removed from subway stations. Now, in the age of Google Streetview and a increasingly laser-like focus on pedestrianization, my vision of a “map

Nightwalking, A Nocturnal History of London, by Matthew Beaumont. The book arrived bedside and surely it “…shines a light on the shadowy perambulations of poets, novelists and thinkers…”(from the publishers, Verso Books). In the  484-page tome the writer investigates the intrigues of night culture from the renaissance to mid-19th century or in authorial time — from Chaucer to Dickens. With his own poetic voice, Mr. Beaumont examines the darkness of penury and ‘houselessness’,

Do you read? Here, this list is for you: publications on urban design, historical light, stories of sleep, nocturnal narratives, the power of disorder and heterogeneous spaces and places, wrapped in a frame to consider when designing illumination for cities. Two more books released in 2015 Cities of Light, Two Centuries of Urban Illumination can be purchased from Routledge Press. For a free download of Rethinking the Shades of Night, visit the Arup night-time website. #urband

Here, the Arup description: “In the past, the attitude of ‘the more light the better’ has led to a general abundance of light, especially in urban areas, but both light and darkness are equally important to our health and well-being,” said Florence Lam, global lighting design leader at Arup. “With the shift towards 24 hour cities, we should not aim to simply recreate the day at night, but instead, we need to carefully consider the role of night-time lighting. We need to desig

Lighting is an essential element of our 24/7 world The world is urbanizing at an unprecedented pace. Once dominant, rural and agricultural populations are now city-bound as people seek new job opportunities and better living conditions. Click to enlarge Numeric projections and issues such as the speed at which large cities have burgeoned into mega-cities, the differentiation between”Mega” and “Global” cities and comparative economic, social and health statistics are numerous.

Public Art at Main Street Garden Park: SPRING Lights Change to SUMMER SpectraScape, the public art installation comprised of video bands of light that scroll across the green glass shelters at Main Street Garden Park will shift from the spring colors – hot pinks and white – to summer soft pink, lavender and yellows – on June 21, as the Summer Soltice transpires. On Tuesday evening viewers will see a dynamic media transmission echoing the summer landscape of the garden park. D

Photo by Leni The NightSeeing program’s intention is to open people’s eyes to an existing nighttime milieu, as well as providing an overview of public lighting theory in an experiential setting. Photos by Leni NightSeeing was presented on January 11th, 2011, as part of the Architecture, Residential, Commercial (ARC) Lighting Show in London.  This interactive experience was a guide to the nocturnal lighting environment, culminating in an hour-long evening walk through The Ange

Visual memories of December 2010 are clothed in a vapor of magenta pink. During the famous ‘Fête des Lumières‘ in December 2010, Philips International Communications invited me to join their Livable Cities event. The event consisted of a panel, dinner and a LightWalk amongst the winding streets of Lyon to directly engage and educate international journalists on issues of lighting in the nighttime environment. Lyon is the third largest city in France. It is located between two

SHADINGS is a hybrid work by composer Laura Elise Schwendinger and lighting artist Leni Schwendinger. Playing It UNsafe Concert Friday, March 4 2011 at 7:30pm View the video! Playing it UNsafe Composer Journeys: The Schwendingers In 1993 Leni undertook a photographic research project in Japan, an exploration of ephemeral architecture and the “kare sansui”; Buddhist dry landscapes.  Her medium, the short-lived black-and-white Polaroid transparency film, enhances the fragile

SpectraScape, the Public Art installation comprised of video bands of light that scroll across the green glass shelters at Main Street Garden Park will shift from the fall  colors – rust and green – to winter on December 21, as the Autumnal Equinox transpires. On Tuesday evening viewers will see green and white tones of light that celebrate the sparse landscape of the garden park proclaiming the start of winter. SpectraScape, inspired by the colors of the seasonal foliage in

Lyon is home to the Lighting Urban Communities International organization.  This city hosts one of the most sophisticated and spectacular light festivals in the world. #lightwalk #urbandesign #International #publiclighting #LeniSchwendinger #LinkedIn #LightWalk #CitiesofLight #lightfestival #LightProjectsLTD #LUCI #Lighting #NightSeeing #cities

Dwell Magazine’s series, As You Light It <link here>, focuses on my idea of the City as home and the NightSeeing™ program. The video takes the viewer on a journey starting in the Light Projects LTD studio and on to the far west side of Manhattan, Triple Bridge Gateway at the bus terminal, Times Square and Bryant Park. Link to learn about my Public Lighting Theory and walk with me (and the camera) on Night City, a movie. #lightwalk #urbandesign #design #publiclighting #LeniSch

Less than one year after the contract was awarded, Light Projects’ illumination and color design for Louisville’s 2nd Street Bridge and Streetscape opened to celebrants on October 13, 2010.  Officially named 2nd Street Transportation Project, the landscape architect was Carman and engineers HDR.  Our client was Louisville’s Downtown Development Corporation (DDC).  DDC and Carman navigated complex approval processes which included federal government agencies, State and City De

Comment> A renowned lighting designer takes a walk in the dark in search of illumination (Full text and images link) In October 2010 my article on the NightSeeing™ program appeared in the Architect’s Newspaper.  It was a welcome opportunity to describe the development of the program, current events and future aspirations. Here, some excerpts: Savor the word “light” and the interior landscape of language evokes images of atmospheric effects—mysterious, picturesque, sublime. Wh

Interview with Leni Schwendinger, Light Artist and Designer (Full text and images link) Cities of Light, Planetizen’s version (Link to The Dirt) On NightSeeing™: It’s important that people see a place where they’ve always been walking around at night and yet see it with new eyes. It’s an inspiring and enlivening relationship with the city that I’m happy to promote. On Triple Bridge Gateway …they folded an aesthetic improvement into the infrastructure budget and it was brillia

In the evening Washington D.C. NW is a monochromatic blend of light. People are the action. The shifting interplay of nighttime dark and light make every city a unique destination. Join acclaimed lighting artist and designer Leni Schwendinger and a group limited to 35 as she presents impromptu the D.C. nocturnal city of light, culminating at the ASLA Gala. This mistress of light sculpture and installation will decode the shadows, emanations, and reflections that define the ni

Free for New Yorkers of all ages:  A fantastical collision of Art and Science to hear gravity firsthand. “Astronomy’s New Messengers: Listening to the Universe with Gravitational Waves”, an exhibition courtesy of the National Science Foundation and the LIGO Scientific Collaboration was on view June 2 through 6, 2010 .  This interpretive exhibition offered an up-close look at the work process of a dynamic group of over 800 physicists and astronomers worldwide who have joined t

Imagine a non-profit’s gala fundraiser where the well-dressed and a population of dedicated black youth mingle with designers and artists guiding team paintings! Notable guests included Mayor Bloomberg, his companion Diana Taylor and Planning Commissioner Amanda Burden This living picture is reenacted every year for the annual Publicolor Stir Splatter + Roll party, silent auction and dinner to raise money to “engage disaffected teenage students in their education by involving

PUBLIC ART AT MAIN STREET GARDEN PARK WINTER LIGHTS CHANGE TO SPRING SpectraScape, the Public Art installation comprised of video bands of light that scroll across the green glass shelters at Main Street Garden Park will shift from the winter colors – green and white – to spring on March 20, as the Vernal Equinox transpires. On Saturday evening viewers will see pink tones of light that celebrate the spring landscape of the garden park proclaiming the end of winter. SpectraSca

Much has been written about the Atlantic Avenue tunnel since Bob Diamond rediscovered access through a manhole to the storied passageway in 1980. Diamond shares this body of knowledge on occasional tours of the tunnel, an exploration I was eager to take – a lighting designer underground for two hours without light, except for the jittering, swirling, white-to-blue light of portable flashlights. For the photo essay, scroll down, to read the entire textual story, link to Urban