Light ambience is used at a site to put people in an artificial situation related to symbolic and cultural references.
The ambience –
magical, romantic, festive – which is
produced by carefully calculated
combinations of shadows, reflections,
colours and contrasts, determines the
public’s perception of the site. It’s the
same with train stations, whose
functions have evolved over the years.
Originally, people just went through
them; now they spend time there,
waiting, shopping. Stations are now
spaces for communication. Lighting
has thus gone from being utilitarian,
then comforting and then cheerful
to functioning as a medium. The most
disparate components – signage,
information boards, advertising –
all come into play, each contributing
to the light ambience. My job is to
make the place “readable” by users –
to take the functional train station
and turn it into a friendly universe in
which SNCF’s identity remains strong
and clear. Boundaries must be created
for each area’s function, and light
ambiences help do this.
Louis Clair, lighting
designer and founder of
the agency Light Cibles
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