The Illuminating Engineering Society, NYC Section (IESNYC) recently announced the winners of the 2010 NYC Student Lighting Competition during its 10th annual awards reception held at The Helen Mills Theater, New York City.

Asked to develop a three-dimensional, abstract lighting composition to the theme “Liminal Luminosity,” competing students took on the challenge of interpreting the numerous ways light facilitates, defines or bridges a point of transition, while exploring the spatial, psychological, physiological and temporal realms of their chosen concepts.

Sixty-five students—hailing from Parsons The New School for Design, Fashion Institute of Technology, Columbia University, Pratt Institute, Fordham University, New York School of Interior Design, and NYU Tisch School of the Arts—found creative ways of interpreting the theme’s exploration of light. Judges were impressed with the students’ well-developed representations spanning the subtle and the powerful, and with the sophisticated complexity in their separation of materials.

Judges for the 2010 NYC Student Lighting Competition included David Aguilo, Neil M. Denari Architects; Matthew Goodrich, associate, Rockwell Group; John Newman, senior associate, Kugler Ning Lighting Design; Mitul Parekh, associate, LEED AP; Cline Bettridge, Bernstein Lighting Group; Glenn Shrum, owner of Flux Studio and US Coordinator of the Professional Lighting Designers Association, PLDA.

And the award winners are:

First Place – EDGE: PROBLEMS AND PROMISE
J. Parkman Carter, Parsons The New School for Design
MFA Lighting Design & Architecture
Instructor: Nelson Jenkins

Inspired by images of simple points from edges of boundry—ecological, geopolitical, spiritual—Carter visually shows that simple edges demarcate everything that we encounter: body, threshold, building, and horizon. Each side of his box explored how light and edge leads us to and from darkness and to various ups-around-the bend. By dimming a single lamp source or by nudging the top half in relation to the bottom-half of the box, one could see the various edges begin to leak volumes of light.

Parkman received a $2,000 cash award and a trip to the 2010 Professional Lighting Designer’s Association (PLDA) “Practical Lighting Workshop” in Alingsås, Sweden.

Second Place – CUSP
Suerrisa Blecher, New York School of Interior Design
AAS Interior Design
Instructor: Patricia DiMaggio

Blecher was inspired while researching to find an alternative term for a point of transition. The study of light takes place between two intersecting arcs that contain red and blue LED lights; the point of transition is highlighted by the mixing of the red and blue lights of the intersecting arcs to form purple light.

Blecher received a $1,000 cash award and a trip to the GE Lighting & Electrical Institute in Nela Park.

Third Place – LIMINALLY ENLIGHTENED
Megan Pfeffer, Parsons The New School for Design
MFA Lighting Design
Instructor: Nelson Jenkins

Pfeffer received a $500 cash award and a trip to the GE Lighting & Electrical Institute in Nela Park.

Honorable Mention for Craftmanship – MAGIC
Brett Banakis & Bradley King, NYU Tisch School of the Arts, Design for Stage & Film
Instructors: Mary Louise Geiger & Barbara Cokorinos

Honorable Mention for Craftmanship - MAGIC

Honorable Mention for Use of Materials – SUBLIMINATION
Gabriela Grullan, Parsons The New School for Design
MFA Lighting Design
Instructor: Matthew Tanteri

Honorable Mention for Use of Materials - SUBLIMINATION

IESNYC acknowledged the following organizations for their support of the 2010 NYC Student Lighting Competition:

Lead Sponsor – Bartco Lighting
Supporters – Professional Lighting Designer’s Association (PLDA), GE Lighting, Enterprise Lighting Sales
Contributors – Acuity Brands, Boca Flasher, Elliptipar, ETC Architectural, Lightolier
Other Donations – Lutron Electronics

Craig DiLouie

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