UNESCO has proclaimed 16 May as the International Day of Light.
International Day of Light
. The purpose of this initiative is to improve public understanding of the about how light and its related technologies affect everyday life and are essential for the future development of humanity, as well as drawing attention annually to the central role that light plays in areas such as science, culture and art, education, sustainable development and in fields as diverse as medicine, communications and energy.
The International Day of Light will be celebrated on May 16 each year, in honor of the first emission of laser light on May 16, 1960, obtained by Theodore Maiman with a ruby laser. This date has been chosen as a paradigmatic example of how a scientific discovery provides revolutionary tools for the global benefit of society, in communications, in health technologies and in many other applications.
The first celebration of the International Day of Light will take place on 16 May 2018, at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. In Spain, the Central Act of celebration will take place on the same day at the Faculty of Physical Sciences of the Complutense University of Madrid.
Since the celebration of the International Day of Light provides us with a great opportunity to raise awareness about the importance of the culture of light, from the Association of Authors of Illumination -AAI- and the Professional Association of Lighting Designers -APDI-, we have invited prominent creators from the fields of art, design, theatre, theatre, photography and architecture to share their visions and opinions about this important initiative and about the role that light plays in their lives and in their professions.
THE LIGHT FOR DANIEL CANOGAR
- UNESCO has proclaimed 16 May as International Day of Light. What is your opinion of this initiative?
Very suggestive because it is such a broad term, so universal and so transcendent for life in general that it catches my attention, it is very commendable. They should also make the International Day of Darkness and International Ozone Day, but in any case I find it very interesting because light is such an important vital element that it is worth drawing the attention of society. Without light there is no life, therefore without light there is nothing.
- To what extent is it important to improve public understanding of the central role that light plays in our daily lives?
I would speak of the culture of light rather than its importance. In this sense I think it is very important, not only natural light and its scientific and cosmic processes, but also the use of light in space and architecture, how it can improve the quality of life in schools, hospitals and in a wide variety of spaces where it is a fundamental factor for human welfare. When I travel I find countries where the citizen has a very sophisticated culture of light, but in others it is very coarse. I find it very interesting to understand why a space changes so much depending on the lighting and why it makes us feel more or less comfortable.
- What properties of light do you value most on a personal level?
I am very interested in light in the context of darkness. The light that pierces the darkness like a kind of ray that makes it much more physical, much more spatial. I think it all goes back to my first experiences as a photographer, in the lab alone, ancestral memories of another photochemical era that deeply influenced my appreciation of light and dark, even now that I no longer work with photography. But those first experiences greatly marked my relationship with light as something truly magical.
- And on an artistic level? What role does light play in your work?
It is essential. There are other themes that appear recurrently in my work: memory, trying to visualize the invisible, but for me the backbone of my work is always light and darkness. The first photos I took years ago to the work I do today. It is a bipolarity that marks us all as human beings and symbolically it is very much used in creative and artistic expressions. For me light is the central thread of my artistic work.
- From your experience would you say that light is an art or a science?
I don’t know why you have to choose, I think both. But for me it is art, the scientific part I live in a very superficial way. Light is very difficult to control, it always does unexpected things. Maybe it’s because of the scientific part that I don’t know, but as an artist I try to take advantage of those sometimes wonderful surprises that have opened up very interesting creative paths for me, when, for example, a light has suddenly bounced off a mirror. I am currently projecting on different sculptural materials, seeing how he transforms them, how he creates a totally different experience. But that doesn’t mean I’m not interested in the scientific side of it, which I should certainly be more informed about.
Born in Madrid to a Spanish father and an American mother, Daniel Canogar’s life and career have been spent between Spain and the United States. Photography was his first means of expression, but he soon became interested in the possibilities of the projected image and art installations.
Canogar’s work lies somewhere between humanism and science, exploring how our senses adapt to the new electronic time-space and its constant technological advances.
The central axis of his works is based on light, using various translucent supports such as fiber optic cables or methacrylate, thus giving shape to his installations, with great plastic creativity.
At the beginning of the 80’s he made his first exhibitions, although his first individual exhibition was in 1985 at the Aele Gallery in Madrid. From this moment on his work has gained great international value and interest, being exhibited in some of the most prestigious art centres in the world.
