Week 5: The Function of Lighting

As I sat on the plane to Chicago, I felt I needed to take a picture of the overhead lighting in the aircraft. While it's primary function is to provide illumination for the safety of passengers on board, the lighting also has a dual purpose of providing a gentle and calming ambiance to the aircraft cabin. If the lighting was too bright it would cause stress on the eyes of passengers who are most likely trying to sleep during their flight. On the other hand, if the lighting was too dim, other passengers and the flight staff would be unable to safely move about the cabin space. The airlines decision to install this kind of lighting was able to satisfy the needs of the airline crew as well as the comfortably of the passengers. Applying this same principal to stage lighting would be to consider the purpose of the design as well as to consider it's functionality.