How to Light Artifacts Wrong

Lighting exhibitions of light-sensitive artifacts is really tricky to do well.

We often do it wrong — and end up with dimly lit beige objects, on dim beige fabric panels, in dim beige rooms.

So … beige.

Why?

For a valuable light-sensitive artifact to draw the eye and look important, it still has to pop (appear as the brightest object), even though almost no light is allowed on it. 

So what do we do?

We can’t change the color of the artifact, or light it more. 

That means we have to make everything else seem darker, or make everything else seem less brightly lit, or both.

Hm.

So don’t start with the room.

Start with the collection objects in the space. Make sure whatever the eye sees nearest the object appears to be lit less, and appears darker in color. 

Light-colored object? > Medium or dark-colored background.

Dark-colored object? > Very dark-colored background. (Seems wrong, but it’s not.)

The goal is to make sure that your pupils don’t get smaller whenever they look away from the object. Pupils do that whenever they look at something bright.

Now it’s time to consider the whole room — last. Make the room feel relatively darker-hued, and relatively less brightly lit, compared to the objects.

You don’t have to make it pitch black to make it feel this way. It could be painted white, but just not lit much at all.

Here’s the thing:

Good lighting of sensitive objects isn’t just about lowering the light on the object.

It requires rethinking the whole room — objects first.

Warmly,
Jonathan

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MtM Word of the Day:
Pupillary response. Constriction or dilation of the black-looking opening in the center of your eyeball. Pupils constrict (get smaller) very quickly when you see something bright, but dilate (get bigger) much more slowly when you see something dark.