Best way to light an art exhibition

[noise]

Hi all

 

Have been asked to help light an art exhibition that is taking place in a chapel which will be quite dark.

 

This is not for a professional art exhibition, it's a memorial event.

 

Not sure what the best way to go about it, whether should just place some uplighters around the room, or look into lighting each piece of artwork separately?

 

Any ideas much appreciated...

[Judge]

Light each piece if you can. We really need to know more about how many pieces you are dealing with, and crucially what opportunities you have for placing lights. Birdies are great for this sort of thing and they are cheap enough to hire. And you can runs loads off 13a power.

Also, go to Ikea or some bargain store and buy a big ol' bag of tealights - those little candles. Use liberally in alcoves and on window ledges. Work wonders for general ambience esp in old churches.

[kerry davies]

Please don't use uplighters. Not good for artworks except a few installations. Flat, even lighting with each piece individually illuminated is best.

In our gallery we use those cheapo LV tension wire lights (until the grant comes in) and our chapel is a historic listed building. Use tealights but also any spare church candles which have beeswax added will make it smell appropriately. Use the venue to the max, don't try to hide the fact that you are in a place of worship, pools of light in a darkened church are incredibly atmospheric, play with it.

[David Ripley]

Agreed no up lighters

 

Your lighting will depend on the medium. Oils can be quite shiny so lighting will need to be focussed to avoid glare. The same applies to anything behind glass

 

Be aware of intensity as well, make sure the art is highlighted but also that people can move around safely, read catalogues and information about the pieces. Unlikely in this case, I think, but too bright a light can damage paintings, fade them as it were so don't go mad.

 

You'll also need to consider how close people are to the artworks as this could cause shadows, defeating your best lighting. Is there a rope or similar to set a viewing distance that you can work to. This needs to be discussed with whoever is organising the show as there is atension between placing units to avoid galre vs causing shadows if people can go right up to the paintings

 

HTH

 

DAvid

[ramdram]

We have a gallery at our venue, once used for displaying the works of art(?) from local artists...(at £8k a pop???) Now, for the foregoing reasons, it is closed...

 

Anyway the space was lit so as to emulate a "proper" gallery in that the light is from above and enters as it were through a sort of clerestory window or skylight...think Tate or RA, say.

 

This link (usual disclaimers) demos the idea of high placed lights:

 

http://www.sxsevents.co.uk/art-exhibition-lighting-exhibitions-effect-gallery

 

I gather this eliminates reflections of lights as you gaze at "normal" to the surface of the canvas.

 

I recall that artists used, in an atelier, the northern light, certainly the studios on the roof of PCAD in Plymouth all face North. In short the light needs to be flat, not coloured or over bright.

 

HTH

[Don Allen]

Light each piece seperately. I fpossible use two key lights per art piece. usually they only get one straight on because of budget restrictions. Try to get your lighting at 45 degree angles to avoid shadows from the public. Use stubby birdies to get wide beam angles. Look at suspending a lightweight grid to get cables and lights off the floor, or if you are using partitioning or dividers to hang the art on , try to get it in star shapes of 3 or more arms, then you have a central point to run boom arms out to hang the birdies on sample image. Like wheel spokes. If not go high and use narrow angle long nose birdies to limit the beam width so you don't spoil the ambience of the candles.

[Bryson]

Our installed gallery lighting system is made up of Par38 fixtures on tracks, from above. We use a variety of Par38 lamps to get different beam angles. We attempt to light each piece individually, but sometimes we end up having to wash an area instead if the fixtures run out (we have about 120 for a 7500sqft room).

 

In terms of "design" then we attempt to go for 45 degree angles but it's usually dictated by the postion of the nearest bit of track.

 

Open white, all the way. Don't get clever with the colour.

 

In your situation I'd investigate some means of getting a bunch of birdies overhead. Uplighters will make the room look nice, but won't do the exhibits justice.