Have you always worked with light?

“I actually studied Applied Arts. It allowed me to become involved in the urban environment. I worked as an artist for a number of years, making sculptures, fountains, painted walls. Plastic arts allowed me to be in contact with architecture, something that has always fascinated me. As I developed, light became one of the materials I worked with, just like steel and wood. It was a component we incorporated into our work. But over the years, light got the upper hand. It became the favoured material, the essential element in our projects. Our first project was a water tower, and I think that had a link to sculpture. I accidentally came across a competition for a water tower. I went to see an architect friend and together we developed a light project. We won the competition and were also presented with an award from the Ministry of Culture. A water tower is normally something people want to hide. But designing it with an architect turned this one into an interesting object. What’s more, opening it up, clearing the trees around it and lighting it makes it much less oppressive. It is on show.”

You have undertaken several water tower projects during your career.

“Yes. We have just completed the water tower in Ploubazlanec, in northern Brittany. Water towers are always located on the high points in town and are visible from a great distance. In addition, this one was near the sea, and I wanted to make it a point of light – something like a lighthouse. I also wanted to turn the concrete mass of the tower into a mass of contained water. Movement of the light became important. The volume of light shifts

with the level of the tides. The light swells with the tide; it is almost as if the tower is breathing.”

Did you make use of colour?

“Yes. The design is based on the idea of an enormous shell. So I wanted the colour of a pearl. When the light is at its brightest, it is virtually white. As it dims, it has a pink or yellow sheen. The light arrives gradually, just like the tide coming in. I love to take buildings into the shadow so that the light can flood out. It is almost as if the building is keeping watch.”

You did a lot of interior lighting for Fabre Museum in Montpellier.

“We’ve been working on the museum for severalyears. And just recently we also undertook the exterior lighting. We were asked to work on the façade of the building and on Daniel Buren’s newentrance. We lit the entrance by channelling a flow of light – it is like a carpet of light unrolling. The façade itself had to make an impact. The museum does not have an easy relationship with the space around it and we wanted to bring it alive.”

You use colour again.

“I was hesitant about it to begin with. It is a 17th century building and some people do not welcome the use of colour in such cases. AndI will admit that I do not always agree with the way colour is used in our cities. But I want to give people an image at night which is different from the one they see during the day. Flooding the building with colour is not enough. We did a lot of research into colours and blends, and ultimately produced a three-colour concept with a warm white that changes into amber.The timing is so slow that people don’t realise it is changing. Yet they know it is different. We also added floodlights on the top left. Light must have changes the way people look at the building.”

What about the interior lightingyou did for the museum?

“I think it is important to remember, in a museum, that you are not interpreting the exhibits; you are providing the light in which people can view them. A poorly lit museum will only get a small number of works and few visitors. Museum curators and collectors would not lend out their art works for exhibitions if the basic rules were not respected: good lighting level, good uniformity, good colour rendering.In the columns room, for example, the architect takes the natural light into account. We designed a series of relays so that as daylight declines, artificial light increases. It provides a sense of continuity. We cut out a lot of the natural light,but you still need the sensation of natural light.And it must be handled so that the lighting never becomes poor.”

Poor?

“For me, that’s when you enter a room and don’t feel right.” “Rich light, on the other hand, is all enveloping, it makes you feel good. People don’t think about it – they just know whether they feel good or not. Much of what we do as lighting designers depends on the space we are given. There are times when we have to be discrete and melt into the surroundings. At other times, often with exterior lighting, you can be more assertive, and create a stronger image corresponding to a stronger creative act. Colour is being used more extensively – largely thanks to new technologies. We know we will be able to do things that we couldn’t have done in the past. “We are moving towards a more festive atmosphere in our towns. The outdoor environment is more and more a shared space. Town planning is allowing more space for pedestrians and cyclists.” “I believe the trend is towards more shared space. We are opting for people to flow and come together. Who would want to picnic on an empty motorway? The lighting there is high, harsh.We move towards light where we would like to settle, to talk. We see closeness. And light can create that environment. We are currently working on a project where there are open salons in the town. Light is essential in creating the right atmosphere. Because it is light that can make you feel comfortable. And emotion is often linked to comfort.”