Reading Reflection 1: Light and Space

In Jack Burnham’s Light as Sculpture Medium and Robin Clark’s introduction to Phenomenal: California Light, Space, Surface the reading shows artists have grown to use and accept light as a material in their works. Both readings share and idea of artistic lineages that light has gone through evolution for it to be a common understanding and believed in art. In Burnham's reading he talked about how light sculptures in the 1960s were using light not just as a aesthetic piece of decoration but also as a component of sculpture artwork. Clark in his reading also talked about how in the light and space movement people began to experiment with manipulating light and perception to give the audience a different immersive experience. Both readings highlighted how artists moved on from traditional practices and used light to interact with space and the viewers.

In the third reading Practically Nothing: Light, Space, and the pragmatics of Phenomenology by Dawna Schuld talks about the phenomenology of light and space, emphasizing how light and space can affect human perceptions. She explores how artists that use light create an environment that makes viewers more aware of their surroundings and light is shaped from how we experience space. This connects to the first two readings where the artists mentioned were not experiencing light by seeing but by feeling/interacting. Her reading shows when artists exploring light as a medium have used light not just as a material but as a way to engage the senses and create immersive experiences.

Artists such as Dan Flavin and Doug Wheeler's artworks interested me and extended my knowledge of how light and space can play in media art projects. Dan Flavin's work in Light as Sculpture Medium "has used fluorescent fixtures and incandescent bulbs for painting reliefs,". His works work together in its environment and interacting with space to make it look like its coming alive. 

Doug Wheeler in Phenomenal using light to construct spatial illusions and alter your perceptions in immersive environmental experiences. His works tends to envelope the viewers in a luminous space and taking them away from traditional boundaries. I enjoy one of his collection of works the synthetic deserts where the viewer is in a space that is meant to suppress all but the lowest ambient of sounds. Like his other works it really takes the viewer into new dimension that forces you to be reminded of your own conscious. His works are able to shape space and affect your perceptions well.

Light and space are crucial elements in media arts projects, influencing how audiences perceive and engage with the artwork. The artists explored in these readings demonstrate that light serves more than just an illuminating function—it shapes environments, generates illusions, and immerses viewers in unique experiences. With technological advancements, artists are expanding on these concepts, using light to challenge perception and deepen audience interaction in modern art.