How To Choose The Best Special Display Lighting For Your Needs
Special display exhibitions give artists an opportunity to display their work for everyone to see. With this unique opportunity, it’s important for the exhibit to have adequate lighting for the viewing pleasure of the visitors and to truly showcase the artists’ work. Here are the factors you must consider for a proper special lighting display for an exhibition or an artwork:
The Right Light Fixture for the Display
You can use both portable and permanent light fixtures for special display lighting. However, there are instances wherein a permanent light fixture is your only choice. In such cases, you will have to use a temporary structure for placing both the light fixture and the exhibit for display. Here are the best light fixtures for illuminating exhibit displays:
01
Mounted display lights
There are two kinds of display lights that you can use – spot and flood. Spot display lights emit a round light while a flood display light evenly washes light over the area. You can use either of these for illuminating paintings. But for small sculptures and other irregularly-shaped displays, the washed-out lighting of a display floodlight works best.
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Flood accent lights
These are floodlights with a smaller focus. This is best used for featuring the displays and features of an exhibit. This is a permanent fixture so you will need to place it on a portable or temporary structure to use it. You can use this for illuminating displays placed on walls, platforms, and floors.
03
Blast accent lights
You can get this in warm white, cool white, or RGB lighting. Although it is best used for general lighting, you can also use it to splash some color and set a mood for your display.
The Right Light for the Display
The right lighting for special displays depends on three factors – brightness, color temperature, and light bulb type.
Brightness
Brightness is measured in lumens, which is the unit for how much visible light is emitted by a bulb. As a rule, display lighting should have three times the brightness of the area's ambient lighting. Since most outdoor ambient lighting only reaches up to 300 lumens, you will only need around 900 lumens for your display lighting.
Color temperature
Color temperature, which is measured in Kelvin, sets the atmosphere for your display. Lights with a lower kelvin (maximum of 2700K) have a cozy and inviting ambiance while those in the mid-range (around 3000K) evoke a warm and welcoming atmosphere. For a crisp and invigorating ambiance, you want bulbs rated at least 5000K.
Light bulb type
Certain light bulbs have different uses even if some of these are already considered obsolete due to LEDs. LEDs are great for illuminating paintings since LEDs do not emit too much heat or UV light. However, with its limited color temperature on the lower range, it cannot match incandescent bulbs in creating a warm and comforting glow.
Contact Us!
Do you have an upcoming event exhibition requiring special display lighting? We can help you with it! We have significant experience in designing and installing outdoor lighting systems of all kinds. Contact us today to get a free estimate.
