Description:

Lumen is the expression of the sad truth that I must feel empowered to walk home at night and feel safe. This project explores where that empowerment lies, whether it is under the warm glow of the streetlamps or the knowledge that I am not alone in this feeling of darkness. I often wonder what it would be like to walk home after a night out or an evening at work without fear or uneasiness. The emotions attached to these feelings inspired an artistic journey through the relationship between light and dark in the city.

“Darkness does not exist by itself as a unique physical entity but is simply the absence of light.” Lumen started as an account of my walk home from work in Auckland Central taking photos of places that had absence of light.

The design artefacts of Lumen are a handbound publication of the Artist’s findings and the Lighting Sculpture “Labyrinth”. The publication is an exploration between the relationship of light and dark in Auckland Central. Throughout this project the reader is taken through the journey of Photographic, Illustrative, Sculptural and Rendered pieces that relate to Light and Dark on a personal and societal level. The core thematic of Dark/Light is reflected visually with Black and White Print with Metallic and Neon Dividers throughout the work. Content such as journal scans and drawings were a product of a heuristic investigation, and type and binding techniques a product of my research into Editorial Artists Journals.

Wanting to explore beyond the page, I created a sculpture that explores the material existence of light and dark through mirrored surfaces and hard textures and shapes. Its inspiration of brutalist architecture around Auckland Central and the final scene of 80s Fantasy Film “Labyrinth” create a honest answer to the projects zeitgeist.

Lumen is an account of the material journey I took to exploring my relationship with Light and Darkness in a Central Suburb.