Is Landscape Lighting an Art or a Science?

29 Dec Is Landscape Lighting an Art or a Science?

By Mike Gambino

In its essence, landscape lighting is an engagement between the landscape lighter and the property owner, much like music is an engagement between musician and audience and a painting is an engagement between artist and viewer. While one can scientifically analyze music or visual art and break it down to its constituent parts; the notes, the rhythm, the color, the contrast, it cannot be recreated from those parts except through the skillful manipulation of the artist.

In much the same way, landscape lighting can be broken down into its parts, and much can be learned from doing so, but to put those parts together in a effective manner requires the artful skill of a true landscape lighting professional. Without that art, the science of landscape lighting is just a collection of parts that will fail to engage the property owner and whomever else views their completed work.

Therefore, landscape lighting will always primarily be an art because the almost infinite variability of the build will not allow for a process of rigidly fixed steps that one could classify as a science.  It will, however, allow for the application of appropriate steps to the interaction, as they are needed to result in a system that operates mechanically well..  In this is the art; knowing when to apply the science that is the elements of landscape lighting- the particular skills, choice of materials, placement etc. and how exactly to do so.

This artful application of the components, or the lack thereof, is the cause of the vastly different level of engagement created by an artist and a novice both using the same components.  A novice musician playing the same notes on the same instrument as a true artist will create music of vastly lesser quality, just as a novice landscape lighter will create a vastly less compelling lighting system than a true landscape lighting professional using the same fixtures, lamps, and placements.  The true landscape lighting artist will know how to assemble them in the proper order and sequence, use them at the right locations, convey them with the right tone, and deliver light with the proper levels, and in doing so create the level of engagement with the viewer that results in an aesthetically pleasing system that lasts.

But while landscape lighting is an art, there is much that can be learned from the science of lighting- the close examination of the parts that great landscape lighters assemble to make great lighting systems. Much like a painter studies color and contrast, and a musician the notes and the rhythm of the masters, so too can landscape lighters examine the parts of the profession and learn from them.  This is where the learning must begin, but not where it is finished.  The art will always be in the way that those parts are put together, and the difference between the master and the novice will be the skill in doing so to the desired effect on the viewing audience.

I would imagine, the most significant challenge for novice landscape lighters would not be what fixture is most appropriate for the best effect, but proper lamp choice and how and where to place it.  I can assume that the same is true for someone learning painting or music- that it is not hard to learn what notes to play or colors to use, but that it is difficult to grasp the organization of the components into an engaging work of art.  This is not a process that can be accomplished quickly.  It takes time, significant repetition, analysis, rehearsal, and a good deal of experience.

This landscape lighting blog is published by Mike Gambino of Gambino landscape lighting inc. all rights reserved. Mike is a professional landscape lighting system designer/ builder and has been designing, installing and maintaining landscape lighting systems for more than 20 years. Mike resides in the Los Angeles area with his wife and 2 sons. To visit his website go to www.gambinolighting.com . To inquire about hiring Mike please click here .

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