Programme details (topics, speakers, timing…) are subject to change. Please check back for updates.

Speakers

Moderator: Andres Torm | Conference Moderator

Andres has been hosting events and conferences for ten years and during this period, has had the privilege of meeting the brightest minds and experts of their fields. He is thankful and delighted to be part of this exciting conference in Tartu bringing people together internationally. Creating atmosphere and environment through light and lighting is an art that can change our perception significantly. Andres strongly believes that our surroundings shape the way we feel and interact. He is eager to learn and discover new knowledge during the conference. As a host and moderator, he will do his best to create inspirational atmosphere through his voice and presence. He is disciplined yet spontaneous, energized and yet calm.


Public Lighting in Tartu

Raimond Tamm | Deputy Mayor, City of Tartu

Raimond Tamm works as a Deputy Mayor for the City of Tartu and is responsible for communal services, city transport, entrepreneurship and innovation. His fields of expertise are entrepreneurship, smart city, spatial planning, energy policy, economic policy and environmental policy. Raimond is also the coordinator of the SmartEnCity lighthouse project which is about development and implementation of integrated smart city solutions.

Tiiu Kelviste | Head of Geospatial Solutions, City of Tartu

Tiiu Kelviste is the Head of Geospatial Solutions at the City of Tartu. Tiiu studied Geoinformatics and cartography at the University of Tartu and is working in the city government from 2015. The main resposibility of Tiiu is the management of urban spatial data and geoinformation systems development projects, development and implementation of strategy in the field; coordination of activities related to the use of spatial data in Tartu City Government and agencies administered by the City Government.

Jaanus Tamm | Project Manager, City of Tartu

Jaanus Tamm has been working in the Tartu City Government since 2010 as a project manager. Jaanus is responsible for initiating and implementing both international and domestic projects, mainly in the areas of mobility, street lighting and the smart city. Jaanus is also a member of the steering group of the Tartu City Energy and Climate Plan “Tartu Energy 2030“.

Elo Liiv | TAVA2021 main organiser

Elo Liiv is an Estonian sculptor, installation artist and educator. Being proficient in classical sculpture she has also kept pace with changes in the field. She likes to experiment with video mapping, light, and kinetics. Liiv has completed several monuments in Estonia and loves to create a shift in public space, composed with visuals and light. Her works reflect worldviews and social issues. To promote lighting education, Liiv has been supervising light art and lighting design workshops since 2005 and has been involved in organizing light festivals in Estonia.


Panel Discussion: Smart Steps Towards Smart Lighting

Philip Ross | Founder of design studio Studio Philip Ross, and author of the white paper

Dr. Philip Ross founded his design studio ‘Studio Philip Ross’ in 2014, focusing on design of interactive luminaires and lighting environments. His work is a continuous search for how a lighting product or system could invite meaningful human behaviours and experiences, supporting values like creativity, openness and harmony. Ross has created several award-winning designs, authored international patents on interactive lighting, and has his work shown in exhibitions around the world. Philip is currently working with LUCI on a white paper about ‘smart lighting’.

Helene Qvist | Smart City Consultant, City of Albertslund

Helene Qvist is working as Smart City Consultant in the City of Albertslund, right outside of Copenhagen, Denmark. With a wide arrange of projects in the city, Helene’s job is to keep track of autonomous busses, smart lighting projects, sensor driven waste management etc. The projects usually span from innovative public-private partnerships to getting the operating staff engaged. Helene is also the municipality’s link to the DOLL Living Lab, where the city tests smart urban services together with private companies and the citizens.

Zoltán PAP | Managing Director, BDK Budapest

Zoltan Pap graduated in 1983 with a Master in Economics in Budapest. Having spent several years in public administration, tourism, banking and private bussines he joined as managing director at BDK Budapest Flood and Public Lighting Co.Ltd in 2011. BDK is a joint venture company of the Municiplaity of Budapest and the Electricity Company of Budapest owned by E.ON. It is responsible for the operation and reconstruction of the public lighting, decorative lighting and Christmas lighting of Budapest. Under Zoltan’s leadership, the company has significantly contributed to the increase of energy saving by reconstructing the lighting inftrastructure of the city among others, through the implementation of a 10.000 LED exchange project during the last 3 years that goes on by 4000 LED implementation every year. With his contribution, the city approved a Lighting Masterplan in 2015, renewed in 2018. He is representing Budapest in LUCI since 2011.

Rik van Stiphout | Programme Advisor Light & Culture, City of Eindhoven

Rik Van Stiphout was co-initiator of the Eindhoven GLOW light festival in 2006. In 2008, he achieved a breakthrough in the usual public lighting approach by engaging Philips Design to set a strategic direction for an innovation in public lighting and to develop a set of « experience scenarios »: examples of how people in the future would experience the public lighting as they go about their daily lives. This resulted in the iF-winning (2010, category ‘Advanced Studies’) ‘Creating a Public Lighting Experience’ vision. Rik still works for the City of Eindhoven as a strategic thinker.

Youngho Baik | Member of Advisory Committee Urban Lighting Seoul

Young-Ho Baik has over 25 years of experience in the lighting industry. He has a long track-record in marketing and strategy, lighting product management, and new business development. He was awarded the 2013 Seoul City Good Light Award as consultant on LED energy saving and lighting business strategy. He is a member of the Seoul Urban Light Council. He is also an Executive Board member of KALD (Korea Association of Lighting Designers), an urban design committee member of IEFZ, Incheon city, Bucheon city and Gangneung city and a member of Korea smart lighting industry development consultative group.


Panel discussion — Lighting as a cultural strategy: examples from European Capitals of Culture

Beatriz Garcia | Keynote and Moderator, Associate Director at the Centre for Cultural Value

Beatriz Garcia is Associate Director at the Centre for Cultural Value and Senior Research Fellow in International Cultural Policy and Mega Events at the University of Liverpool. She is a member of the European Capital of Culture Selection & Monitoring Committee nominated by the European Commission; and the Culture & Olympic Heritage Commission – nominated by the International Olympic Committee. Beatriz has been at the forefront of research on the rhetoric, impact and long-term legacy of culture-led regeneration interventions since 1999. She has conducted fieldwork on the cultural dimension of every edition of the Olympic Games since Sydney 2000; reviewed the success factors and legacies of European Capital of Culture (ECoC) host cities since their launch in 1985; directed the Impacts 08 programme, a pioneering longitudinal study on the socio-economic and cultural impacts of the Liverpool 2008 ECoC; and delivered the first nation-wide assessment of a Cultural Olympiad, focusing on the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Massimiliano Burgi | Project manager for Lumen-Social Light, Matera 2019

Massimiliano E. Burgi an architect in the restoration and recovery of buildings and historical monuments, using both traditional and innovative building systems. He has participated in  conferences and published articles and booklets about landscape recovery, the architecture of the past, desertification and also about peripheries and communities. He has workedfor the candidacy of Matera as European Capital of Culture for 2019, and was responsible for the “city and citizens” dimension. He works for the Matera-Basilicata 2019 Foundation as project manager and he is responsible for the engagement and participation of citizens (neighbourhoods, schools, associations and volunteering), for community projects

Elvira Stephanie De Giacomo | Executive Coordinator, Matera 2019

Elvira Stephanie De Giacomo’s interest in multiculturalism led her to complete a Master’s Degree in Intercultural Mediation Sciences (English, French and German) at the University of Bari. She then earned a PHD in Economic Geography, specialising in Tourism Geography. She enthusiastically accepted the invitation to be involved in the drafting of the first Candidacy Bid Book for Matera 2019 and followed the procedure from the very beginning. Elvira continued to be involved in various activities and she began working regularly for the Matera Basilicata 2019 Foundation in December 2017. She has been working in the Executive Office, supporting the activities of the Executive and Administrative Offices. Elvira coordinates the activities of all managers across the Foundation creating connections between projects and events.

Helen Marriage | Director, Artichoke / Creative Director, Galway 2020

Helen Marriage is Director of Artichoke, one of the UK’s most innovative creative companies.  Founded in 2006, the company’s presentation of Royal de Luxe’s The Sultan’s Elephant in the heart of central London set a benchmark for large-scale spectacles that invade public space and reinvent the notion of a city’s landscape. Helen’s interests have always centred on the conjunction of art, civic disruption, public engagement and the transformation of daily life. In 2012, she was awarded the prestigious Loeb Fellowship at the Harvard in recognition of her ongoing work with urban life.  She was awarded an MBE for services to the arts in 2016.  She is an Area Council member for Arts Council England in London.

Piia Rantala-Korhonen | Director of Oulu2026, City of Oulu

Piia Rantala-Korhonen works as Director and Advisor to the Mayor of the City of Oulu, responsible for International Affairs and the bidding office of Oulu2026 European Capital of Culture. She has worked with art and culture in many organisations on a national and international level. She holds a Master of Science degree from the University of Helsinki. She has completed postgraduate studies in governance, leadership and management.


Open Conference Sessions (OCS)

Ársæll Jóhannsson | Project Manager, Department of Environment and Planning, City of Reykjavík

Ársæll is a project manager at Reykjavík City’s Department of Environment and Planning.  He is project leader for the city’s LED infrastructure project, Civil Engineer from Reykjavik University 1994 and a Carpenter from FV 1990. In addition to that, Ársæll has been leading interdisciplinary group work regarding Reykjavik City’s lighting strategy which is now under review with the City’s council. It all started with a small question in 2012:  Ársæll “How do we phase out the mercury lightbulbs?”. Today, over 30% of the city’s luminaires have been upgraded to LED and another 20% are in stock or in the procurement phase.  Ársæll expects the upgrade to be completed in 2024.  Furthermore, the City is aiming for a smart light/city controllable platform in the following year or two.  Ársæll was also a board member of „Ljóstæknifélags Íslands“ (e. Illuminating Engineering Society of Iceland) 2014-2017

Eva Tallo | City Lighting Chief Specialist, City of Tallin

Eva Tallo has worked with light in several manners over 20 years. She has established an architectural lighting company, made several architectural lighting projects and also different light installations for exhibitions. She is a co-founder of NGO Valgusklubi, lighting designer and coordinator of several lighting events included ‘Guerrilla Lighting’. Currently she is working in Tallin City Government as a chief specialist of city lighting.

Fréderic Durand | Project Manager, City of Lyon

Frédéric Durand joined the public lighting department of the City of Lyon in 2000 after several experiences in the energy department. For more than twenty years, he has been learning about and adapting  urban lighting technologies through experimentation and measurement. Present from the start of the LUCI network, he became involved in the LUCI Light and Art Commission and then participated in the Art & Culture Pillar working group.

Jeronimo Rios Sanchez | Business Professional Operator, Empresas Públicas de Medellín (EPM)

Jeronimo Rios Sanchez is an electronic engineer, automation specialist of the Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana and Lighting Designer. He has more than 15 years of experience in public, exterior and decorative lighting. Currently, he is the leader of the christmas lighting electronics laboratory associated to the EPM Lighting Department. Jeronimo has been part of the development of pilot projects in smart and innovative lighting systems. He has participated in different work teams at the Technical Regulation of Lighting and Public Lighting (RETILAP). He is  Professor in Lighting Design under RETILAP for architectural and decorative lighting.

Pia Rantanen | Urban design Manager, City of Helsinki

Pia Rantanen has an architecture degree from Tampere University of Technology (M.Sc.) and an industrial design degree from Aalto University (M.A.). She has also studied architectural lighting design. In the City of Helsinki she has specialiced in urban design and city scope, city lighting, public art and light art and service design.  

Luc Joosens | Chief Product & Marketing Officer, Schréder

Luc Joosens is Chief Product and Marketing Officer and member of the Executive Team of the Schréder Group since August 2020. In his function he is responsible for driving and executing the product and marketing strategy as well as  driving profitable and sustainable growth for Schréder. Luc holds a Degree and Master in Commercial Engineering and has developed over 2 decades of international experience in product management, marketing, sales and general management leadership roles, working in companies such as Sony, General Electric, Emerson and now Schréder. As the leading independent outdoor lighting solution provider worldwide, Schréder believes that lighting can empower people, impact lives, support communities, and transform spaces, cities and the planet.

Pr. Debra Skene | Professor of Neuroendocrinology, University of Surrey, UK

Debra J. Skene, PhD, is a Surrey Distinguished Professor and Section Lead for Chronobiology at the University of Surrey, UK. She has over 30 years of research experience studying the human circadian timing system and circadian rhythm sleep/wake disorders as experienced by blind people, shift workers and older adults. Her team conducted pioneering work on the spectral sensitivity of the human circadian axis, demonstrating the presence of a novel photoreceptor, besides the traditional rods and cones, that was sensitive to short-wavelength blue light. She also discovered that older people exhibit reduced responsiveness to the acute effects of blue light. Dynamic lighting, integrative lighting solutions, blue light-blocking filters on phones/laptops and blue light-blocking glasses are products developed as a consequence of her original work. These findings have contributed to the first international standards and lighting design guidelines quantifying circadian lighting and melanopic equivalent daylight (D65) illuminance.

Steve Lau | Vice President, YD Illumination

Steve Lau has been an active advocator and contributor to LED standardization work for the past two decades. He is currently Secretary of CIE Division 4 responsible for transportation and exterior applications. He is a member of TC2-79 Integrating Sphere for Photometry and Spectroradiometry. He is also the TC Chair of the technical committee of TC4-58 (Obtrusive Light from Colorful and Dynamic Lighting and Its Limitations). He is a well-known speaker, giving presentations and sharing research results internationally.

Andrius Deimantas | CEO at UAB “Vilniaus apšvietimas”

Andrius Deimantas began his career in a public institution. Later, he worked for an investment management company, where he mastered asset and investment fund management. Andrius then took the position of the Head of the Financial Service in “Vilniaus apšvietimas”, where he was also appointed to lead the Information Technology and GIS groups. Currently, he is the CEO of “Vilniaus apšvietimas”. Numbers, insights, analysis, process management and optimization are his favourite activities. Andrius is fond of ideas that are based on reason, numbers, manageable information, decisions that are made after considering the possible consequences and achievements. He has great ambitions for this company and innovative ideas on how to improve the lighting of Vilnius.

Amran M. Noor | Senior Principal Assistant Director, City Planning Department, City of Putrajaya

Amran M Noor is an Architect and Urban Designer at Putrajaya Corporation for the local authority for the city of Putrajaya, the Administrative Centre for Malaysia. After completing his Degree In Architecture in Malaysia, he continued his studies at Oxford School of Architecture, Oxford Brookes University, United Kingdom. He completed his Postgraduate in Architecture and Urban Design before pursuing his Master in Urban Design at Joint Centre for Urban Design. Upon returning, he worked at various prestigious international architectural firms, among which Team 3 International and ATSA Architects. In mid 2002, Amran was the Project Architect at Putrajaya Holdings, the main developer for the City of Putrajaya. Since 2004, he has joined the City Planning Department at Putrajaya Corporation and currently the Senior Principal Assistant Director, heading the Urban Design & Building Control. Among his scope of works is being in-charge of the overall Putrajaya lighting particularly the façade lighting, in line with Putrajaya Lighting Masterplan and Putrajaya Signage Advertisement Design Guidelines that were approved by the Cabinet of Malaysia.

Marc Gatti | Deputy Mayor in charge, City of Pessac

Marc Gatti has a brilliant background in Computing & Signal processing.  He joined the Thales group in 1980 and pursued with a PhD degree in Computing from La Sorbonne University. He later became an Associate Professor in Electronics at Université de Bordeaux (IMS Labs).  Marc has spent five years as a Computing Technical Director then another five years as Director for managing the R&T at the Avionics Global Business Unit Level. Now a Scientific Director, Marc is involved in advanced research in the computing field and has more than 40 publications and 25 patents covering all the domain of embedded systems. He is Director of the Human Autonomy Teaming (HAT) Department in Thales working in the AI and Cognition sector.  Marc was elected in the last municipal elections in 2020 to ensure the post of Deputy Mayor in charge, for Pessac. He oversees the economic development, business, innovation and research with a Smart City approach and its deployment in Pessac.

Ruslan Galiakhmetov | Head of International Relations Department, City of Kazan

Ruslan Galiakhmetov is the Head of International Relations Department at the Municipality of Kazan since 2019. From 2016 to 2019, he was the Head of the Investment and Innovation Department. Ruslan Galiakhmetov holds a Ph.D. degree in Business Administration from the University of Bologna (Italy) for a doctoral dissertation on Economic use of patented inventions in Europe. Since 2015, he is also an Associate Professor of Management and Public Administration at Kazan Federal University.