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Top gallery chiefs to share lighting insights at LuxLive

THE TEAM behind the radical LED relighting of London’s venerable Royal Academy of Arts are gathering at this year’s LuxLive event to share their insights, learnings and challenges from the project.

Claire Sadler, estates operations service manager at the Royal Academy of Arts; Pavlina Akritas, senior lighting designers, Arup; and Giorgio Pierini, design liaison manager at iGuzzini, will discuss the conservation concerns over the protection of the priceless works and how these were satisfied.

The bold and ambitious lighting installation features 1,500 LED spotlights controlled by wireless Bluetooth technology and boasting beacons which allow interaction with visitors’ mobile phones.

The luminaires chosen have a colour temperature of 2700 K – so that they can blend in  with the halogen lamps still present in certain areas of Burlington House – as well as a high colour rendering index of 97, even for critical colours such as red (the R9 is over 90).

The installation enhances the chromatic nuances of the works on display, improving the conservation conditions by keeping UV and IR emissions to an absolute minimum. The LED chips used are within a two-stepMacAdam ellipse, which guarantees long-term colour uniformity across the lighting installation. 

Moreover, the luminaires were especially painted to blend in with the colours of the exhibition halls and to create a sense of aesthetic consistency. They were also installed on pre-existing tracks, using adapters, in order to allow frequent scene changes. 

The use of special drivers featuring a dimming capability ranging from 100 per cent to 0.1 per cent coupled with the Casambi Bluetooth interface, which can be regulated via a simple app, emphasise the versatility of the lighting scheme.

Last but not least, the system also features iBeacon technology, which could be activated communicate with visitors’ mobile devices within the beacon range, to convey information relating to relevant art pieces.

The installation enhances the chromatic nuances of the works on display, improving the conservation conditions by keeping UV and IR emissions to an absolute minimum.

The use of special drivers featuring a dimming capability ranging from 100 per cent to 0.1 per cent coupled with the Casambi Bluetooth interface, which can be regulated via a simple app, emphasise the versatility of the lighting scheme.

• The presentation on the Royal Academy of Arts takes place 12.25pm on Wednesday 14 November 2018 in the Lighting for Museums and Galleries conference track of LuxLive 2018. Speakers include Claire Sadler, estates operations service manager at the Royal Academy of Arts; Pavlina Akritas, senior lighting designers, Arup; and Giorgio Pierini, design liaison manager at iGuzzini. See the full programme for the Lighting for Museums and Galleries conference HERE. LuxLive 2018 takes place on Wednesday 14 November 2018 and Thursday 15 November 2018. Register for free HERE.