▼
We might imagine our vision to be akin to a cinema
screen, a flat surface on to which a picture of the world
is projected to be seen in our brain; however, sight is a
peculiar sense in that we do not see directly. The back-to-front, upside-down images received on the retina are
not corrected by optical apparatus, but sent as signals to
the brain. This is not visual information sent in the form
of a real picture, but information about luminosity and
colour that the brain constructs into a virtual image. So
if we are to develop alternative thoughts on workplace
lighting we need to understand the opposite of light
and appreciate the impact dark has on our sight.
In low levels of light a sensory shift occurs as we begin to
rely on information coming to our skin. We reach out,
strain our ears and become more alert to other sensory
cues for information. But before completely handing
over responsibility to the other senses, vision itself, in
semi-darkness, could be described as becoming tactile
so that things out of reach are perceived in a method
akin to touch. In very low levels of light the eye picks up
small pieces of information; a glint of light on a polished
surface, the shadow of an outline. The piecing together
of visual information in the darkened space allows for
a narrative to be constructed with a beginning and
an end. It also allows for the possibility of alternative
endings and other interpretations, enabling the brain
to be creative in completing the picture, whereas in
bright light the whole scene is identified in a moment.
Our vision is very efficient at short-cutting that narrative
where light levels are too high. This has implications for
how we think or imagine in an everyday setting. Low
light allows us to think by spacing out the information
that we perceive and breaking down the absolute
distinctions of things. In bright light, information
clamours for our attention. There is no depth of field
or hierarchy in an artificially lit office; all points of
the room, following lighting guidance, are in high-
resolution and lit evenly, flattening perception radically.
In contrast there are two main influences of bright
light on the human body. One is the daily winding of
the circadian clock to ensure that we sleep and wake
at the right times, the other is an immediate alerting
effect. It is this second influence that has been adopted
as the argument for increased levels of light in the
workplace, biologically significant enough to promote
productivity. Is this really still necessary now we
CG
I
by Th
e
Ne
ig
h
bo
ur
hoo
d
