40-Under-40 - Rising stars, bright futures (original) (raw)

Lighting (Illumination in Architecture) aims to inspire and explain by drawing on the present, the past and, of course, the future of lighting design. Once again we are looking forward and taking an informed guess at who will lead the profession in years to come, by identifying 40 rising stars under 40 years old. Of course, it is a sample from the pool of talent that the industry draws on, which is growing continually as appreciation of lighting design deepens around the world. Every continent, bar Antarctica, is represented on this year’s list, and although formal lighting education is very much in evidence, the men and women on it have entered lighting design from many directions and disciplines. Art, academia and automotive design are just a few. What they have in common is a desire to share their knowledge, as activists – in their regional chapter of the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America or the International Association of Lighting Designers, for example – presenting at conferences, taking part in light festivals and, above all, mentoring and supporting colleagues. The most effective propaganda for lighting design is their work, their creativity and the benefits that they deliver by designing with light and for people. Once considered narrow and arcane, lighting design has joined the mainstream and itself demands a broad mix of skills, from conceptualising to collaboration, computer simulation to commissioning. It is significant, though, that so many of the 40 Under 40 have begun by studying architecture before being led by curiosity, opportunity or artistic intent into designing with and through light – that fundamental source of energy and experience. Neils Bohr (among many) is credited with saying, ‘it is difficult to make predictions, especially about the future,’ but we are confident that this year’s 40 Under 40 will cast a long shadow – albeit only where they intend to.