Bright future

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Perth, 17^th September 2013

As we are in the process of organising a company get together later in the year, I realise that most of my team are in their 20’s and 30’s, all still relatively young and with a long and bright future ahead (which I sincerely hope). Looking back on now nearly 35 years in the business I can only think back at the hurdles, hopes, disappointments and opportunities that have crossed my path. I don’t think you can really compare one generation to another, times are always different, technology is different, lifestyle is different and even norms and standards have moved on to reflect today’s way of life. Can you compare Rod Laver to Bjorn Borg or Bjorn Borg to Roger Federer? They lived in different times with different tennis “technology” From the wood-frame rackets to todays oversized composite material frames. Fitness and health knowledge has improved allowing for better performance and endurance than in the past.

I venture to say it is the same with today’s crop of lighting designers. While we were trained (and mostly self-taught) in hand sketching and manual lighting calculations, communicating by fax and telex, today’s generation has the benefit of actual certified lighting education, computerised visualisation and computation while using social media to communicate (and share) their life and work directly on line. The opportunities to be creative are abound with the LED technology offering so many options and possibility that you nearly need to be blind and deaf not to come out with original or innovative lighting solutions. In that way I think perhaps the older generation of lighting designers were even more creative in finding solutions because of the limitations of the technology and options.

Today’s new generation is growing up in LED world and it won’t be long before they will only know about the old generation lighting systems through history books and technology museums. Is it right or wrong? I don’t think there is a right or wrong.,. we just move with the times, but each of us with its own knowledge and experience baggage…we always find solutions somehow…that’s human nature…

Light Watch 4-157: As it happens Curtin University here in Perth is running their advertising campaign again, using the light bulb as the symbol for a bright future. It was shot a few years ago I believe but still conveys the message though perhaps now using in our eyes old lighting technology 🙂

Here is also the video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=0fDwaY6VebQ