Major art exhibitions have become extremely popular and attract huge numbers of visitors, who expect to see their favourite works of art presented in a professional but inspiring way. This was one of the considerations in the brief to L A P D when designing the lighting for the Turner, Whistler, Monet Exhibition at Tate Britain.L A P D's approach was to create ambient lighting levels very much lower than guidelines recommend. With the addition of dimmable luminaires fitted with sculpture lenses and framing heads to capture the individual pieces of artwork, L A P D created an ambience similar to that in which the paintings were first seen. To convince the curators and architects RFK that this approach would achieve the desired impact, the designers used a full size mock-up, which dispelled all doubts.
The lighting had to interpret Turner's atmospheric effects, Whistler's Thames Nocturnes, and Monet's revolutionary paintings that went on to inspire the term 'Impressionism', some of the most poetic and evocative images ever produced.
The implemented design created visual impact throughout the exhibition, from the entry to the Ticket Hall to the last exhibition space, leaving the visitor with a warm feeling, a sense of wonder and a glow of appreciation.
