Functional Art

This was taken in a restaurant with a cell phone, so it's probably not the best quality photograph, but you get the idea.

When I first saw this lighting display, I just thought it looked cool. But then I thought about the lighting applications that we discussed in class, and I appreciated it much more, both for its functionality and for its artistic flair. I've never noticed that in random public places, such as in restaurants and retail stores, there is actual lighting DESIGN taking place instead of just lights for the purpose of being able to see. It's neat that the designers are able to add to an entire atmosphere of a business.

In this particular design, you can see that the artist chose to create a lantern-type effect by hiding the lights behind a paper shield. Instead of just dimming the lights to create a darker space, the artist added to the feel of the restaurant with the shape, design, and colors of the paper, all of which compliment each other nicely. You can also see that there are other lights to supplement those which are being shielded. I'm glad that the artist added more light instead of thinking, "Not enough light is coming through. I better scratch that design and come up with something else." It is a perfect way of adding a different feeling to lighting while still hanging on to the obvious functionality of being able to see your food.