Beforelight and IAAC Fab Lab Barcelona organize the “Creating participatory light 
prototypes” Workshop within the European-funded project Urban Lightscapes. 
 
Urban Lightscapes is a European Project focused on the multifaceted study of urban lighting, 
through an interdisciplinary platform that involves artists, designers and citizens, with utter goal to 
promote open dialogue and residents’ active participation. Involving three activities: a 
symposium, a workshop and light installations, Urban Lightscapes aims to change the way 
citizens perceive open spaces and urban lighting, aspiring to be a successful example of an 
interdisciplinary and social collaboration with positive influence in public lighting. 
 
The aim of the workshop is to design and fabricate a Participatory light Prototype/lighting 
Process, promoting users’ participation in creating different light interventions in their 
neighborhoods. 
 
Every citizen should be able to have a saying in his neighborhoods lighting conditions. The 
workshop proposes to promote this participation using 2 Participatory Methods: 
 
      1. Customized Design and Personal Fabrication (phase 01) 
      The user gets involved in the development of a concept for the neighborhood. 
 
      Through the design phase users can customize the form, materiality, surface and color of 
      the lighting devices as well as the lighting type and the location of the lighting sources. 
      Through the fabrication process participants will have the possibility to participate in the 
      materialization of the customized designs. Using CNC fabrication equipment they will 
      have the ability to personally and locally fabricate their designs in a short fraction of cost, 
      in comparison with other methods. 
 
      2. Interactive Design (phase 02) 
 
      Users will have the ability to program their customized lighting prototypes and choose the 
      inputs that will influence their performance. 
 
      Sensors of light and presence are embedded in the prototypes. Through physical 
      computing users will decide when the lighting prototypes will light up and in what color, as a way        
      of visualizing information from the urban environment and as a tool for efficient lighting function. 
 
During the workshop, the use of different light sources-devices as Led stripes, lamps with 
ordinary lamp holders will be explained , along with different light conditions that they can 
produce, such as Linear lighting, spot lighting, lighting surface, self illumination etc. The 
participants will have the chance to use the Participatory Methods in order to apply their concepts 
for making a “participatory light prototype”. 
 
The Workshop will be hosted at IAAC FabLab Barcelona on Friday 22 November 2013-up to 
Sunday 24 November from 10:00 to 21:00 and conducted in English. 
 
Attendance will be limited to 25 people, with a symbolic fee of 45 Euros, and could concern 
designers (urban, industrial, light, textile, etc), architects, engineers etc. 
 
To book a place in the workshop please state your interest until Friday 15 November, in the 
following email: [email protected] 
 
You can find more info about the project Urban Lightscapes 
twitter: urbanlightscapes @_beforelight 

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