Project: The Incandescent Bulb Memorial
Location: St. Catharina Cemetry
Kai Piippo began working in lighting design in theatres at the age of 18 years. Since 1991 he and Niklas Ödmann run “Ljusarkitektur”, one of the leading lighting design collectives in Europe. In their work they refer to the natural (day- and night-)light qualities as much as to scenic lighting possibilities of electrical light. In relation to human perception, architectural environments and sustainable developments they constantly expand the repertoire of lighting design according to technical possibilities, emotional needs and aesthetical values.
In the city where the first industrial manufactured light bulb was produced in 1891 Kai Piippo builds a memorial for the incandescent light bulb which will be replaced by latest lighting technologies in 2012. European Union governments have agreed to remove from the market all incandescent light bulbs and started to do so in September 2009. The memorial is rooted in the understanding of the incandescent light bulbs as one of the most venerable inventions of its time and not only as a technical solution but also - in their unique lighting qualities connected to associations of “warm” and “home” - as a part of world cultural heritage.
