Lighting Design for Museums

The primary role of light in a museum is to highlight works of art without damaging them. The lighting designer considers both the conservation standards of the works (depending on the materials used), the architecture, and the limitations of the exhibition space. In a museum, light should create a mood for discovery, exploration and learning in a creative environment. But very often, it is difficult to fulfil the task of conservation and the desire for discovery at the same time. If you've ever wondered how we approach museum lighting projects, read the paragraphs below!

In addition to visibility, light also creates perception. And a play of light and dark should transpose us into the museum's story. In the following paragraphs, we will detail how the lighting design team can achieve such results.

Influența luminii naturale într-un muzeu

În majoritatea muzeelor este prezentă atât lumina naturală cât și cea artificială. Lumina naturală influențează producția de melatonină și ritmul circadian al omului. Prin lumina naturală oamenii își dau seama ce perioadă a zilei este, ce anotimp sau ce condiție meteorologică. Însă cantitatea de lumină naturală dintr-un muzeu trebuie controlată deoarece poate fi dăunătoare. Aceasta poate crea reflexii necontrolate, acel fenomen de strălucire indirectă (=glare). Acest fenomen va crea un disconfort vizitatorilor. Dar, marea problemă a luminii naturale este că în timp distruge operele de artă. Este foarte puternică și conține un nivel ridicat de raze ultraviolete. Uneori pentru a proteja exponatele se pun filtre UV în geamuri sau se renunță de tot la lumina naturală. Această tehnică e numește “Boite fermée”.

Analizarea obiectivelor

Pentru proiectarea de iluminat pentru muzee se iau în considerare:

operele de artă, poziționarea lor și materialul din care sunt făcute. Materialele prezintă diferite sensibilități la lumină, așa că se tratează diferit: pigmenții de vopsea de pe o pânză, o frescă, o monedă de aur sau o statuetă. De asemenea, este important dacă acestea se află pe plan vertical, orizontal sau sunt tridimensionale.
panourile descriptive ale operelor de artă. De asemenea, acestea trebuie tratate cu importanță din punct de vedere luminotehnic. Trebuie să aibă o iluminanță cu o valoare suficientă pentru a putea fi citite, dar in același timp să nu distragă atenția de la operele de artă. De obicei acestea de luminează de la distanță cu un spot extrem de focalizat.
spațiul de circulație al vizitatorilor. Acest obiectiv reprezintă siguranța vizitatorilor prin muzeu. Podeaua trebuie să fie suficient de luminată pentru a crea un traseu vizibil, astfel încât eventualele obstacole ( trepte, diferențe de înălțime) să fie observabile.

Timpul de expunere la lumină reprezintă un alt factor standardizat care trebuie respectat pentru a nu deteriora exponatele.

Redarea corectă a operelor de artă

Pentru a nu deteriora calitatea percepției asupra operelor de artă se recomandă păstrarea uniformității pe suprafețele plane și puține umbre pe cele tridimensionale pentru a evidenția caracterul volumetric. De asemenea, lumina trebuie să redea corect atât culoarea cât și textura obiectului expus.

Important este și indexul de redare al culorii, CRI-ul. Este necesar să se analizeze spectrul de emisie al sursei. CRI-ul general se calculează ca fiind media valorilor de la R1 la R8 (8 probe de culori diferite). Deseori acesta este întâlnit ca Ra, “a” fiind abrevierea de la “average” (=medie). Există și CRI extins care reprezintă media de la R1 la R14. Acesta cuprinde și culori intense precum roșu aprins. CRI-ul are valori de la 1 la 100. Cu cât valoarea este mai mare cu atât reprezintă o redare mai bună a culorii. De exemplu, lumina naturală are CRI 100. Însă pentru muzee se cere o analiză mai amănunțită. Să presupunem că tablourile pe care le luminăm sunt cu nuanțe predominante de albastru închis. Atunci atenția trebuie focalizata asupra R12. Chiar dacă media CRI este mare, dacă valorile corespunzătoare pentru R12 sunt mici, nu se vor reda culorile corect.

Avoiding Reflections, Shadows and Glare

For the visitor, it is essential to avoid reflections and shadows, which can be determined by the correct positioning of the lighting fixtures. Considering that many paintings are equipped with protective glass, the lighting fixtures must be placed outside the “offending zone”. This term represents a calculated volume within which lighting fixtures cannot be placed in such a way as to eliminate reflections and glare.

Choice of Colour Temperature

Regarding the CCT (light temperature), there is no fixed rule. It is chosen according to the exhibits. However, the light’s temperature will influence the visitors’ mood. A great light will give the room modern air, while a warm light will create a cosy and welcoming atmosphere.

1- the best place for positioning the lighting fixtures 2- the right volume for the positioning of the lighting fixtures

Layers of Light

In a museum, there are:

General lighting creates the perception of space, allowing visitors to explore the museum safely.
Focused lighting draws attention to highlighted elements, in this case, artwork. Also, they can have different luminances, thus creating a hierarchy of exposed parts.
Accent lighting brings out certain architectural elements of the room in which the exhibits are located, helping to create the atmosphere.

Another role of artificial light in a museum is to guide visitors from the entrance to the exit.

The differences in values between these light layers give the exhibition space contrast or uniformity. In museums, the clear-obscure technique is often encountered. However, adequately positioned shadows are welcome because they create visual stimulation and allow the modelling of shapes and highlighting of reliefs.

General Lighting in a gallery/ museum — General Lighting

Accent lighting in a gallery/ museum is the lighting that focuses on architectural details of the building — Accent Lighting

Example of a gallery with general lighting, lighting of works of art but also with accent lighting

Example of lighting in a gallery, or an example of museum lighting

The room of a gallery lit uniformly

LED Lighting for Museum and Art Gallery

We recommend the use of LED lighting fixtures. LEDs are much more efficient than halogen bulbs and have a very long life. In this way, energy and maintenance costs will decrease. LEDs produce very little UV and IR rays, which are very harmful to artwork.

What lighting fixtures do we use in a museum?

In many exhibition spaces, the works on display change periodically. Therefore, the lighting must be flexible. We recommend the following lighting fixtures:

systems on the track (track lighting) with different lighting pieces according to needs. Among them I would list: spots with different photometric distributions (narrow, medium, wide)
wall washer type projectors to illuminate the space behind the works (if they are three-dimensional). Thus, the creation of shadows will be avoided.
integrated lighting fixtures. They are incorporated into various boxes that protect the exhibits. For this type of lighting, I used either mini spots with different optics to strictly highlight the works. They can be placed on a rail system for even more flexibility or mounted directly on the surface of the box. We approached this technique to highlight the Museum of History in Bucharest exhibits. Another option would be linear systems such as the wands from the Linea series. They have very minimal dimensions, which makes them difficult to observe. They are used for uniform lighting. We applied this technique within the project at the Gold Museum in Brad township, Hunedoara county.
barn door accessories, framers, or anti-glare systems. They help us to light the desired spaces explicitly.

FAQ

Light can significantly impact how artworks are presented and perceived in a museum. It is essential to understand how lighting can affect colour, shadows, and reflection on the appearance of the artwork. That's why we've put together these FAQs to provide essential information about museum lighting, including what kind of lighting is recommended, how much light is needed, and how reflections can be reduced. We hope this information will be helpful in choosing and designing appropriate lighting for displaying works in a museum or gallery!

Why should we hire a lighting designer for a museum / art gallery?

I’ll quote Steven Rosen, President and Creative Director at Available Light, “Because you don’t know what you don’t know.” A lighting specialist will, first of all, try to create the right atmosphere. And, of course, it will do so in compliance with all standards and regulations while protecting the works of art. A specialist will always be able to mix the technical side with the aesthetic one.

Which light source is best for lighting artwork?

LEDs are much more preferred in such situations because they do not emit UV or IR rays and do not damage artwork. Also, the colour rendering index is much higher than other lighting sources. So, by using these light sources, we will protect the exhibits, and they will be visualized as the artist intended.

How do we start a museum lighting project?

First, the curator introduces us to the concept, the exhibited works, their positioning and hierarchy so that we can make a study of the works (dimensions, materials, chromatics). All this information leads to shaping the lighting concept and choosing the right lighting fixtures.

How much light is needed to display artwork in a museum?

A general guideline recommends 50-75 lux illuminance on the surface of the artwork. Of course, the amount of light is also restricted by the materials and technique by which the artwork was created.

When should the lighting in the museum be changed or updated?

The frequency of changing or updating museum lighting depends on the type of lighting fixtures used and the conditions of use. LED light sources have a longer lifespan and can last for several years. Therefore, a flexible lighting system is recommended. This also works in the case of changing artworks from temporary exhibitions.

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Example of church lighting. Lighting for religious building has different lighting scenes and lighting layers.

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