I am Carlijn Timmermans, founder and lighting designer of C.Light.Wise, and organizer of Light Challenge ’25 acquired by Municipality Heerenveen.
The Light Challenge is very close to my heart and as a lighting designer I am thrilled to be able to organise this edition. Twice I have had the opportunity to coach a student team and also twice I have been part of the jury panel. The value the Light Challenge has for people, the environment and the field of light in the broad sense of the word, and the value it gives to participants, partners and users of the project areas is indescribably unique. The chance to work with fellow students from different studies on a real-life issue is an experience that will stay with you forever and challenges you to look beyond your comfort zone. Everyone brings their own knowledge about (artificial) light and darkness; lighting designers, biologists, astronomers, you name it. The trick is to work together in this. The knowledge that experts share through Masterclasses and that teammates from different disciplines can share with each other is a big plus to the standard study curriculum.
Now that we have the world of innovation and technology at our disposal and can illuminate anything you can think of, it does not mean that this is a good thing. In my opinion, it is necessary to go back to basics and investigate why, for whom or what, when and how we use (artificial) light. In this way, we can reduce light pollution and make our environment more liveable for all users. I wish all students lots of success and fun with this Light Challenge and look forward to the research and design process!
- Take notice of what light does, to everything -