Light is a beautiful language: Rogier van de Heide

Q How can light play an important role in showcasing and defining a cityA In Amsterdam we believe that light is very important because we make lights in a public space and light is a language for everybody Cities have become international environments such that you have to speak everybodyrsquos language and culture Light is important for everyone and it is a good medium to communicate optimism progress and inspiration to a global audience because everyone can connect with itThe city of Amsterdam comes to life during the Amsterdam Lights FestivalQ What were the logistic challenges for such an event Amsterdam Light FestivalA The logistical challenges include of course the transportation of the artworks We get artworks from 30 countries all over the world so light artists reach Amsterdam and install it Also we are in the city for almost two months and it is a real challenge to keep everything in operation for two months We have a large maintenance fee mdash where we need to move around the entire city to maintain the technology and provide repairs wherever required All of it also depends of the kind of city you are in In case of Amsterdam the weather is quite harsh In the winters we have frost storms and occasionally there are a few accidents related to the artworks In such cases we have just one day to repair it So these are the big challengesThe House of Cards at the Amsterdam Lights FestivalQ Have you been to Mumbai earlier How can crowded cities with a space crunch overcome such hurdles and yet give the visitor a sense of spaceA Yes I have been to Mumbai before It is a very big city It is full of inspiration and ambition I was happy to be there when I had come down to give a lecture on lighting What was great was that everybody has progressive thoughts and were looking forward to all possibilities At the same time there was a great sense of tradition We had a nice ceremony burning candlesGood lighting design can also help give direction I am involved in several projects here for traffic to flow much better good lighting to reduce jams and accidents I would look into the power of lights that goes beyond the illumination of streets I would create beautiful focal points that direct people much better Light is a beautiful language that goes further to illuminate The city should organise a few workshops with a few designers to tackle the challengesAs far as the challenges related to Mumbairsquos crowds go of course people have their dreams to pursue here But there is also something that people share that brings them together In terms of the meaning of what the city stands for it would be great to not be irritated by crowds and the traffic and look at why everyone has come to Mumbai which is for shared values and ambitionMarine Drive promenade with sodium vapour lightingQ In an age where we need to conserve energy how can this maxim be followed with light that consumes electricityA The city can save tremendous amount of energy and nowadays it does not have much to do with the light source Everywhere it is all about LED it has already become the standard If you purchase the lighting for a city it is all about LED and digital The real intelligence goes into the composition of it One needs to work out scenarios that modulate and change over time depending on clouds on the climate and on the function it has in the public space There are so many elements mdash like whether to include bright lights or perhaps dimmer lights therein they have the opportunity to save huge amounts of energyIt is not so much as the light source but it is what we as designers do with it how we can contribute to public space deciding when it has to be more and when it can also be less The lights of today can change their brightness over time and this should be the real opportunity ldquoto conserve energyOn September 19 and 20At EEMAX GLOBAL Conclave and Awards 2015 Taj Lands End Bandra WLog on towwweemaxglobalcom