An omnipresent force, light holds the power to beautify, heal, energize and inspire. Sunlight enriches crops around the world to feed billions of people, for instance, while electric light enhances human productivity.   

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) hosts the first-ever International Day of Light on May 16, 2018, to recognize light’s impact on science, culture, art, education and sustainable development. Through a range of events, UNESCO gives people a chance to appreciate light and the role it plays in actualizing UNESCO’s mission of universal education, equality and peace.

SORAA is no stranger to the power of simply perfect light, and we’re thrilled to celebrate the International Day of Light with UNESCO. We hope you enjoy this curated collection of quotes from lighting designers and influencers around the globe as we reflect on light’s multifaceted qualities.

1. “Light defines a space. Shadow coupled with light turns objects and spaces into a sculptural architectural moment. It brings beauty, excitement, drama and meaning to spaces that the viewer begins to feel and react to emotionally.” – Darrell Hawthorne, Founding Partner of ARCHITECTURE & LIGHT in “Masters of Light: Darrell Hawthorne”

2. “Lighting is the art of making architecture come alive. It’s that important to a space and that important to a building. It’s an artistic vision that happens right at the beginning.” – Gabrielle Serriere, Independent Lighting Designer in “Masters of Light: Gabrielle Serriere”

3. “Lighting designers are always looking for ways to grow our skills, so we must always remember our main objective is to provide rewarding lighting experiences for those experiencing a space or a specific piece of art.” – Marc Langlois, Lighting Designer at Detroit Institute of Arts in “Color Temperature: The What, How and Why”

4. “Light allows us to powerfully dignify spaces. We want to create light-driven experiences that cause the person experiencing them to feel at ease, but also to amplify the beauty and nature of the spaces we work in.” – Light Artist Rolf Zavelberg in “Light as Art, Not Design”

5. “Personally, I think there is no exact good light or bad light. Different lamps generate different expressions of objects, and it creates different feelings for each person based on individual experiences.” – Cuisine Specialist Sachiko Sachiko in “Food Meets Light”

6. “Light can absolutely alter how people perceive the environment, both consciously and unconsciously, including their emotion, mental state, and thinking about the atmosphere. If a delicate art piece is illuminated in the proper way, the focal light reveals its material and texture so that viewers will feel surprised and moved by the authenticity of the aesthetic.”  – Atsushi Kaneda, Founder, Representative Director and Designer at Worktecht in “When Art and Design Collide: The Conrad Hotel Osaka Takes Luxury Lighting to a New Level”

7. “Light plays a huge part in my creative process, as I prefer to create using both natural light and artificial light to get the best out of the final color combinations. I am fascinated by color field art and similarly, I use large fields of color which are predominant in my works.” – Linear-Geometric Abstract Artist Fraser Renton in “Light+Building Artist Spotlight: Fraser Renton”

8. “Light is visual energy.” – Charles Selander, Director of Specification Sales at SORAA in “Simply. Perfect. Light.”

9. “We’re evangelists for the quality and color of light.”– George Stringer, Senior Vice President of Sales and Channel Marketing at SORAA in “Simply. Perfect. Light.”

10. “For every creature that exists on this planet–humans, plants, and everyything, sunlight is the most natural and kind because we grew up under that light. Every creature needs sunlight to survive. Therefore, sunlight is the best for interior lighting.” – Shuji Nakamura, Nobel Laureate and SORAA Founder in “Color – with SORAA Founder Shuji Nakamura”