Masters of the university

1 August 2011

Would-be lighting designers will have a new route into the industry this autumn after the launch of a new master’s degree in design-led lighting at Edinburgh Napier University. Nick Martindale reports on the genesis of the course and asks if it strikes the right balance

The current state of educational courses available for would-be and existing lighting professionals has been the subject of much debate recently, not least in the pages of Lighting magazine.

Common complaints are the paucity of dedicated courses at undergraduate level and the tendency for courses – such as the renowned master of science in light and lighting at the Bartlett School of Graduate Studies at University College London and the Lighting Education Trust diploma in lighting – to focus more on the scientific and technical elements of the profession rather than the artistic and creative side.

It is this latter point that has been the inspiration behind a new master’s degree in design-led lighting at Edinburgh Napier University, due to start in September this year. The course will be available as either a master of arts or design, depending on whether students take a dissertation or design project report as their final submission, and can be studied as a one-year, full-time course or part-time over two years.

Flexibility

As well as the final project, it includes modules in design research methods, spatial lighting design and a light art and projection option shared with the masters in digital arts. It will also include a heavy practical element, drawing on the experiences of those working in the lighting design and manufacturing industries.

“Through talking to people about lighting education there was a feeling that what was missing was something more design-led.” Malcolm Innes, Lighting Designerand Course Lecturer

The course is the product of years of development by Malcolm Innes, a lighting designer and lecturer at the university. “Through talking to people around the world about lighting education there was a feeling that what was missing was something more design-led,” he says. “People were coming through quite technical courses and then going to work in design practices but the feeling of most professionals was that they wanted people with design skills.”

Technically speaking

The course, though, will include technical elements. “It’s good to know at least a little about the technical side,” says Innes. “But what people will be exploring on the scientific side is actually going into detail about a design element or the particular design approach that they want to explore.”

Innes says he expects the majority of applicants to come from creative undergraduate courses but any “appropriate discipline” will be considered. There are also likely to be a reasonable number of mature students who have worked in the industry for a number of years, he adds.

To date, the course has received a broadly positive reaction. Christopher Knowlton, designer at Christopher Knowlton Lighting Design, studied on the Bartlett course and appreciated the more technical approach after doing a highly creative undergraduate degree, but believes the new course would be a good option for those who already have a more technical background.

“It would be wonderful to have the opportunity to design and experience more, so when you come out of the course you know that at 5m you need one kind of light source and at 10m you need another,” he says. “That kind of experience helps you design more effectively.”

New offerings

Rachael Nicholls is currently a student on the Bartlett course, and says she would have considered the new offering had it been around a year ago. “It sounds like a really good course for those entering the industry who don’t want an academic study of light but who want an in-depth knowledge of lighting design,” she says.

Jean Sundin, director of education for the Professional Lighting Designers’ Association, is also supportive, particularly regarding the focus on the artistic elements. “It’s quite difficult to actually teach the art and design side of things,” she says. “We’re always happy when we see a course going in the design direction because the practical and more technical aspects can be added on later.”

There are, though, some concerns that need to be addressed. Hugh Ogus, chairman of the Lighting Education Trust, says he welcomes the course but raises questions over the degree of concrete information that has appeared so far and a perceived lack of liaison with other bodies.

“With another hat on I’m involved with the Society of Light and Lighting and they’re very anxious to know more about it, as are the Institution of Lighting Professionals,” he says. “It really is important to keep in touch with the existing accrediting institutions, even if you’re being quite radical in the way you’re going about teaching it, which in itself is to be applauded.”

Knowlton, too, admits that signing up to a new course will always require something of a leap of faith, particularly when up against established alternatives. “It will be interesting in a year’s time to see how the course has done,” he says.

How you can help

Over the past few weeks Malcolm Innes, course lecturer on the master’s in lighting at Edinburgh Napier University, has been running a survey of industry professionals to see how they may be able to support the new programme.

The reaction was encouraging, with many people offering to appear as guest speakers, but there remains a need for manufacturers to provide equipment and take students on to their premises to show them how luminaires are made.

“There’s often a disconnect between the design side and the manufacturing side and we want to smooth that over so young designers going into practice have some idea of how these products are actually created,” he says. a further priority is to secure funding from the industry so students can take part in site visits and attend conferences and workshops. “Any amount of money is useful,” says Innes. “It costs so much to actually study but I’m really keen for them to travel as much as possible.”

For anyone who is interested in helping to establish the course in practical ways, you can complete the survey here.