Photo 1 : Paul Weller (Illuminator Dan Hill, photo Sarah Rushton-Read©)
Photo 2 : Oscar Gallardo (AAI), supporting “Save the tungsten”.
Supporting the Save Tungsten Campaign
The A.A.I., Association of Lighting Authors, supports the Save tungsten campaign organized by the A.L.D., an association of lighting designers based in the United Kingdom.
Based on the fact that the European Union, in compliance with the Ecodesign Directive 2009/125/EC which sets the phasing out between 2009 and 2016 of traditional incandescent lamps, mainly those for domestic use, as however lamps for special uses, where are the lamps for theater, television, stage and photography would not be affected by these requirements, we believe it is now necessary to try to preserve the incandescent light, a vital tool for lighting. At least until this social technological change that affects our society culturally, and our profession aesthetically, achieves the necessary adjustments to meet the needs of the performing arts.
“Incandescence – The Magic of Light”.
Stage lighting is storytelling with light. . . light that creates the air that surrounds the artist, magically creating a “place” in which the theatre: actor and audience, come to life. We need light on stage, sunlight, moonlight, twilight, firelight, candlelight, oil light, gas light, footlights, fluorescent, carbon arc, plasma, LED. . . and incandescent light. We know that we live in a time of profound change. It is mandatory that we in the theatre reduce our carbon footprint, otherwise our stages will probably be razed to the ground before our world becomes uninhabitable.
We designers welcome and embrace change. We delight in new things and new lights. But we cannot throw away all the good things we have inherited. We applaud the new light sources, let us learn their characteristics, and enjoy the new opportunities they bring. We must have a flexible light, light can be warm or cool, light can be dim or dazzling, light can change its characteristics subtly or blatantly, a full wavelength of light that can truly reveal all the colors of the spectrum, but above all, beautifully illuminate the human face, the humanity, that lies at the heart of all our work. At the present time, this means that the incandescent lamp is an essential weapon in the arsenal of designers. . . can’t do without it. Nothing exists that offers the subtlety that is fundamental to our scenario. We will use everything that is new, but we don’t have to lose or destroy the beauty of light that has, for so long, been the center of the theatrical world. Preserve the availability of incandescent light sources for theatrical use”.
Richard Pilbrow AML President Friday, March 15, 2013
The A.L.D. has made an open letter to the Industry, where they call upon Designers, programmers, technicians, producers and others from all over the world to support their campaign to put pressure on the manufacturers of the industry (mainly Philips who has stopped researching on the development of tungsten), and while there is still time, to save this light source and its production in the future.
They say that this campaign is not against any light source, LED or discharge, but the attempt to preserve a particularly “beautiful” species under threat of extinction. It is clear that we all want more efficient sources and that current carbon emissions can be reduced, but considering the gradual extinction of tungsten sources is something that makes many illuminators lament.
A written draft statement is being sought, and if you feel you can lend support to this campaign, what is needed is a mailing with your name and if you are a lighting designer with awards, also so we can include them. savetungsten@ald.org.uk
We thank you for your support and dissemination
Save Tungsten Campaigning website : http://www.ald.org.uk/savetungsten
Open Letter to Industry: http://www.ald.org.uk/savetungsten#toc2
List of lamps to be preserved: http://www.ald.org.uk/savetungsten#toc3
List of designers supporting the campaign: http://www.ald.org.uk/savetungsten#toc5
Networking and contact:
E-mail : savetungsten@ald.org.uk
Twitter : https://twitter.com/SaveTungsten
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/SaveTungsten
