Shedding light on the role of Darkness
The Art of Darkness project kicks off!
What if darkness was an asset? The beginning of 2025 marks the launch of the Art of Darkness as Cultural Heritage of Urban Landscape project, a Horizon Europe funded initiative aimed at redefining darkness as a valuable cultural, aesthetic, and ecological resource within urban landscapes.
LUCI is very excited to be one of the leading partners within this project.
Coordinated by the University of Oulu – an associated member of LUCI –, the project will unite in the next 3 years researchers, cities, and creative professionals to explore the aesthetic, cultural, and sustainability potential of darkness in urban landscapes and cultural heritage contexts.
Partners gather in Finland to launch the project
The kick-off event took place in Finland last week, with presentations from all partners, and fruitful working sessions, allowing for the first exchanges between partners and setting the stage for a strong collaboration and impactful results we expect to obtain in the next few years!
A special thank you is due to the University of Oulu and the City of Oulu for the introduction to the Finnish way of life during the darker months, their warm welcome and the organisation of the event.
A Light and Darkness Walk offered us the opportunity to visit one of the future pilot sites of the project. And, to top it all, we were graced with beautiful skies and sightings of the aurora borealis.
More on the Art of Darkness project
With a total funding of €3.87 million, Art of Darkness brings together a diversity of partners, that also includes LUCI’s city members Montpellier Metropolitan Municipality, the City of Oulu and the City of Tallinn, LUCI’s associated member Eindhoven University of Technology, as well as the University of Bologna, Aalborg University, Tallinn University of Technology, and the Finnish Light Art Society FLASH.
The initiative will install five artistic pilot trials across cultural heritage sites in Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, and Italy. The co-designed trials will study and develop sustainable and socially inclusive dark-time experiences, combining architectural lighting, light art, and the aesthetic qualities of darkness.
Key Objectives:
- Cultural Awareness of Darkness: Promoting well-designed darkness through architectural lighting and light art in cultural heritage contexts.
- Pilot Trials: Studying and developing dark-time experiences that integrate sustainability and cultural heritage through co-design with local stakeholders.
- Piloting Model: Create a replicable model for implementing dark-time design strategies in other regions.
- Policy Development: Delivering recommendations to support design of sustainable urban lighting and cultural heritage environments.
- Collaboration: Strengthening partnerships between researchers, cities, and Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI).
Methodology and Expected Outcomes
The Art of Darkness methodology is participatory and transdisciplinary. It involves stakeholders from disciplines such as architecture, lighting design, light art, environmental psychology, cultural anthropology, and engineering, as well as, citizens, municipality officials and CCI professionals.
The project’s outcomes will allow us to rethink urban lighting strategies by integrating darkness into sustainable and innovative cultural heritage practices. A key deliverable will be the Art of Darkness Piloting Model, a replicable framework for designing dark-time experiences that can be adopted across Europe and beyond.
By bridging disciplines and involving diverse stakeholders, Art of Darkness seeks to inspire a new wave of cultural and ecological awareness, emphasizing the significance of darkness in a good balance to artificial lighting, to create meaningful, sustainable urban landscapes.
Photo and video credits
©LUCI; ©Aapo Mäntykangas, University of Oulu