Stories with Light

Stories with Light is a cabinet of curiosities: a colourfully illustrated collection of facts, anecdotes and ideas about light and how we use it, that can be enjoyed in any order, though for ease, they are arranged into three sections: Light, Lighting, and Illumination. The journey begins with how we perceive light in both literal and conceptual senses, before exploring the ways in which we've generated artificial lighting, not so much asking how many people it takes to change a light bulb, but rather how many it took to invent one, and whether it was what we truly needed. The final section, Illumination, examines our evolving relationship with light and lighting, particularly within urban environments. Around 250 years ago, the Great Illumination marked an extraordinary surge in our consumption of artificial light. This transformation was met with the same mix of suspicion, fascination, and anxiety as today's digital revolution. Concerns over health, privacy, and safety emerged alongside a widening technological divide between urban and rural areas. The Great Illumination reshaped work patterns, spread ideas, influenced trade, and fuelled consumption - all at significant environmental cost.