Date of Issue：28 June, 2022
・Activity1/Night Walks in Basel（2022.05.10&13）
・Activity2/Night Walks in Singapore, Live Stream (2022.04.21）
Lighting Detectives News Letter Vol.110 Download PDF version

During the Basel Architecture Week 2022, Transnational Lighting Detectives together with local lighting design firmHübscher Gestaltet led two guided night walks in two of Basel’s less known areas: Dreispitz and Klybeck.

Night Walks in Basel

Basel Architecture Week 2022
2022.05.10 & 05.13　Lisbeth Skindbjerg Kristensen+Kelly Bannwart+Michael Hübscher

■ At the Biegining　
In January 2022, Kelly Bannwart and Michael Hübscher from the Basel Lighting Design office HÛBSCHER GESTALTET contacted the Lighting Detectives to ask if it would be possible to do a col laboration during the
upcoming Basel Architecture week.
It was quickly agreed that Lighting Detective core member Lisbeth Skindbjerg Kristensen, who currently lives in Basel, would participate.
The theme of this year’s Architecture week was “Reale Räume” (Real Spaces) of three current development sites: Dreispitz Münchenstein), Bachgraben (Allschwil) and lybeck (Basel). The AWB uses various formats to promote dialogue between experts and local protagonists.
The Forum offered an opportunity to discover these sites and exchange views on the urban transformation process
with the various stakeholders.
For the night walks Hübscher Gestaltet had chosen to focus on the areas of Dreispitz and Klybeck. Both areas are
currently undergoing transformations from mainly industrial to mixed use and residential neighbourhoods.

■ Night Walk 1

Basel Dreispitz
May.10(Tue) Dreispitz (21h to 23h) Number of participants: 14 (with various backgrounds, mostly not related to lighting)
Dreispitz is a mixed use semi-industrial area located in the southern part of Basel (Münchenstein).
The area originally contained warehouses and old industrial buildings. In the past two decades, a transformation of the
area has slowly been taking place, and today. Dreispitz is also home to the FHNW Academy for Art and Design, The House of Electronic Art, several small to medium size businesses, as well as apartment buildings.
Besides from the area around the Academy of Art and Design and its adjacent Plaza, the lighting is still very much influenced by a utilitarian and industrial approach with a primary focus on traffic safety and building security.
The main topics for the evening’s discussions were functional lighting, lighting levels, light pollution, security, and light trespassing, as well as issues of glare and adaptation.
To show how lighting can quickly transform the ambience of a space, we also made a small “light-up” intervention in an area much in need of some focal points.

■ Night Walk 2

Basel Klybeck
May13 (Fri) Klybeck (21h to 23h).
Number of participants: 18 + 1 dog (a few lighting professionals)

Klybeck is a neighborhood located in north-eastern Basel on the brink of the Rhine river. The area has long been dominated by the presence of large industry giants such as BASF and Novartis, but it also has several residential areas as well as a local park.
Despite of the presence of large corporate buildings, Klybeck has quite a community feeling. The walk lead us into the more residential areas and through the Horburg Park.
As on the previous night walk the discussions quickly centered around the relationship between the site and the lighting, appropriate lighting levels, light pollution, and light trespassing, as well as issues of glare and adaptation.
All participants had been asked to bring a flashlight, so we also held a small “light-up ninja” on a parking garage.
Unfortunately this was stopped by the police, who had been alerted by worried neighbors who thought we were illuminated activists. Luckily it all ended in a peacefully manner and everyone had a good laugh. （ Lisbeth Skindbjerg Kristensen）

Lighting Detectives Night Walk at Kampong Gelam – Ramadan Live Streaming

Muscat Street, Singapore 2022.04.21

Reiko Kasai, Mayumi Banno, Sun Young Hwang, Quratuaini Jamil, Sherri Goh

Our first group walk since 2019 to soak in the festive lights and atmosphere of the Islamic Ramadan period.

■ Live Stream from SINGAPORE
Kampong Gelam is a famous heritage area in central Singapore known for its strong muslim cultural identi t y . Prior to the pandemic, it is a place popular with tourists and locals alike for its food and textile shops.
Businesses and foot traffic took a big hit due to the covid restrictions and the area has changed significantly post pandemic.
Many more food and beverage businesses have popped up. However the textile shops are on the verge of closing due to lack of sales. The lighting environment has evolved to reflect these changes and it made the most direct impact to the atmosphere at night.

In conjunction with Ramadan (the month of fasting for Muslims), we took a walkthrough Kampong Gelam together with Mr Mende to appreciate the festive lights and atmosphere on 26th April evening. Starting off with dinner at the specific time to break the fast with the whole community, we did a livestream for Lighting Detectives Instagram, hosted by Aini and Sunyoung.
We explored the Malay heritage area, watched the projection on the mosque Masjid Sultan and ended off the night at
Haji Lane which was bustling with nightlife.
It was fun and refreshing for us to be out amidst the crowd again, giving new meaning to the festive season. (Sherri Goh)