Light is what allows us to perceive the world around us

Vishal Singh, Founder and Managing Director, Vizion in conversation with Leandra Monteiro talks about the important role lighting plays in project design and the overall lighting market in India.   What are the principles of lighting design you follow? With a laser-sharp focus on innovation and craftsmanship, Vizion combines scientific temper with artistic ingenuity to create holistic lighting solutions. We are driven by a singular motive - to uplift environments through effective illumination – and we achieve the same through a blend of minimalist aestheticism, material finesse, and cutting edge technological prowess.   How do you bring emotion into a room though lights? Lighting plays a crucial role in evoking moods and feelings. The effects of lighting hue and intensity are well documented with regards to their ability to affect user health and spatial perceptions, and an effective lighting strategy relies on these metrics to shape experiences and create evocative spaces. ; For instance, in residential spaces, we utilize bespoke lighting solutions to establish the hierarchy between public and private zones, use illumination to lend intimacy to a space, and rely on colour and diffusion of light to aid users’ natural circadian rhythms. In cultural spaces such as museums and exhibition galleries, on the other hand, light can be used to create points of focus, guide user movement, and even inspire awe and wonder. No matter what the space, choosing the optimal light source with the required specifications is paramount. Lighting systems must also be picked for their flexibility,  their CRI (Colour Rendering Index), temperature, life and efficacy. How important is lighting in the context of architecture? Light is what allows us to perceive the world around us, in the first place – it is what lends architecture its depth, usefulness, and meaning. Lighting, as a means of controlling and channelling light, is an inextricable component of architecture at any given scale. Appropriate lighting measures must be developed in tandem with the architectural scheme of a space to make it aesthetically pleasing as well as functionally efficient; even the best of spatial experiences cannot be brought to life without lighting. It is important to consider how something as abstract as lighting can change the way we perceive the world around us. Given that light interacts with different objects and surfaces differently, designers need to engage in R & D, prototyping and developing numerous iterations before finalizing the blueprint. The simplest way of understanding the importance of architectural lighting is identifying that it is a combination of technology, and attention to design detail — which enriches the spatial experience for the user. What is your lighting style? We at Vizion favour clean, linear geometry, devoid of unnecessary ornamentation. Our luminaires are designed to make a statement, without making any noise. We source cutting-edge technology from Europe’s finest lighting manufacturers to create products that compete with international players in both form and function. One project that you found particularly challenging and why? For Vizion, the Jawa Showroom stands out as a unique design challenge. Our brief required us to create an aesthetic and functional lighting scheme that highlighted their merchandise and created an immersive environment within their showroom. The design intent was to create an experience for the customers that harkened back to the 80’s and gave a college-goer vibe to the space. Taking into account the functional requirements as well as the variety of furnishings in the space, we devised a cohesive illumination strategy to compliment the array of merchandise, by creating visual focal points for the visitors through directed lights at the displayed bikes. To highlight the brand narrative, we also used diffused lighting to highlight wall motifs as a complementary addition to the merchandise.   How do you see the lighting design market in India, is it given due importance? The lighting design market in India is still in its infancy. While lighting has always been a crucial component of design, bespoke lighting strategies have been seen as non-essential until fairly recently. This holds especially true in India, where the lighting market have been driven by imported products and typically installed en masse. In fact, the absence of high-quality, bespoke lighting systems within a disorganized market – despite the cut-throat competition for market share – is what led to creation of Vizion, as an attempt to create a unique signature for architectural lighting in India. However, Indian consumers as well as designers are becoming more aware of the practical as well as humane benefits of effective illumination. This will only be propelled by a growing awareness of smart lighting solutions as well as an increased focus on homegrown initiatives.