Light at Night

How much darkness do we need in order to see?

To what extent is a current night space artificially constructed? What are cognitive and social patterns that mediate the perception of the night?

 

My research is based on my strong interest in the ‘constructed environment’ in relation to ‘how we see the world’. The thesis makes reference to the night in accordance with the dimensions of place, media and identity. I believe if I want to see and understand the world I live in, I need to consider my surroundings as a growing, artificially constructed, mediated space, not only in the virtual form of the Internet but also in physical spaces. 

 

The increased use of light at night in cities significantly transformed the atmosphere of the night during the nineteenth century (see for example Schivelbusch, 1995). This accordingly changed the appearance of the urban night and shifted the practice and perception of it. How is the night in this regard connected with place, practice and time? How does a round-the-clock environment shape our understanding of the night as a period of time and space?