Design > Visual Language & Graphics

LIVING THE NORDIC LIGHT

SNøHETTA, Oslo / ZUMTOBEL GROUP / 2015

CampaignCampaignLayout(opens in a new tab)
Presentation Image
Supporting Images
Supporting Images
Supporting Images
Supporting Images
Supporting Images
1 of 0 items

Overview

Credits

OVERVIEW

ClientBriefOrObjective

Since 1992, the Zumtobel Group has commissioned renowned designers from the fields of architecture, graphic design or art to give artistic expression to their perception of light. To this day, the idea behind this series of art books is to create a language of design that reaches out beyond the corporate design guidelines of the individual brands.

This is the 23rd year in which the Zumtobel Group’s annual report has been published as an artwork. Graphic designers, artists and architects have been commissioned with creating these works, including Stefan Sagmeister, Neville Brody, Anish Kapoor, Olafur Eliasson, SANAA and David Chipperfield.

Execution

By interviewing 4 people over 100 years old who have lived their entire lives above the Arctic Circle, we explored the effect of living in, and in the absence of, Nordic Light.

People born in the beginning of the last century are the last living generation to have experienced changes that have had a tremendous physical impact on humanity in the western world. They witnessed two world wars, worldwide changes in transportation, power supply transitions, revolutions, industrialisation and the overwhelming introduction of the digital era. With Living the Nordic Light, the agency aimed to capture individual experiences related to the indisputable presence of light, shade, and darkness, before and after the introduction of electricity. Over time, could the dark winters and bright summers influence the residents’ conscious or unconscious behaviour?

The visual expression of each individual was captured in daylight, freezing their faces in a day lit timeframe. By 3-D scanning their heads, we also froze them physically within the same timeframe. Documenting their stories, their voices, their images, their heads and their environment felt like a historical intervention.

We further reviewed five centuries of efforts by scientists, artists and photographers to unlock the secrets of Nordic Light.

Outcome

“There! There she comes!” they would cry in unison upon glimpsing a bit of the yellow disc. “Thank God,” sighed their mother. “Thank God the sun came back again.”

– Marie Gulbrandsen (1912–2014)

In this annual report, we invite you to discover the phenomenon of light north of the Arctic Circle, with its never-ending summer days and long winter nights, all the way to the mysterious northern lights. The stories and portrais of the cenetarians, the scientific essays, and the visual suite ranging from 16th century naive woodcuts to contemporary internet selfies, play together to create a 400 page exploration of the nordic lights influence on culture, way of living and relationship with nature.

With the wish to challenge the digital format and at the same time compliment the book's content, we created a digital platform exploring the light above the Arctic Circle. By placing special light sensitive cameras on the locations of the 100 year olds, we transfer the light in real time through the website. By clicking "Explore the light" a dynamic infographic reveals itself, giving the user the opportunity to discover phenomenons and timelapses of light. We will track and collect the light for a year.

Relevancy

The Zumtobel Group is an international manufacturer of professional indoor and outdoor lighting, lighting management systems and lighting components as well as LED and OLED technology. Zumtobel Group has 21 production plants in four continents and Sales offices in over 100 countries. The Zumtobel Group includes the o of Zumtobel, Thorn, and Tridonic.

More Entries from Large Business in Design

24 items

Grand Prix Cannes Lions
LIFEPAINT

Promotional Item Design

LIFEPAINT

VOLVO, GREY LONDON

(opens in a new tab)

More Entries from SNøHETTA

2 items

LIVING THE NORDIC LIGHT

Large Business

LIVING THE NORDIC LIGHT

ZUMTOBEL GROUP, SNøHETTA

(opens in a new tab)