Month: November 2024

As this year’s edition of Nobel Week Lights takes place, Fagerhult continues its Principal Partnership of the Nobel Prize Museum’s growing light festival. The event is a tribute through the art of light to the Nobel Prize laureates and their contributions to the greatest benefit to humankind.

Nobel Week Lights is open to the public and takes place at sixteen locations around central Stockholm from December 7th through 15th. The partnership between Nobel Week Lights and Fagerhult links our solid shared passion for light, science, and innovation.

“The light festival has quickly become a very popular event that attracts Stockholmers and international guests during Nobel week. We are delighted to offer this opportunity to experience fantastic light art and be part of celebrating this year’s prize winners,” says Erika Lanner, head of the Nobel Prize Museum, which presents the festival with several partners.

The light festival showcases the creative interpretations of Swedish and international artists, each offering a unique perspective on illuminating the December darkness of Stockholm.

“This is our second year of partnership, and we are glad to continue exploring light taking shape through art. To us, the connection between light and human interaction is significant. It is an honor to be a part of such an insightful event where we all can experience and learn more about how light makes us feel,” says Henrik Clausen.

One of this year’s highlights is the Danish art collective Vertigo’s “The Wave” installation. This interactive journey through light and sound, located along Norrbro just outside the Swedish Parliament, invites visitors to become part of the art. The immersive nature of the installation allows visitors to walk through and around the construction, influencing the audible and visual content. The art piece, standing 3.6 meters tall and 80 meters long, is a testament to the power of human interaction in shaping the experience.

“To us, light and research are closely connected. We lean on each other as we explore new technology together with human interaction. Light has unique properties when it comes to connecting people,” says Henrik Clausen.

About Nobel Week Lights

Nobel Week Lights is open to the public and attracts a large international audience. It offers 60 guided tours to experience large-scale public light art around Stockholm.

Nobel Week Lights was initiated and produced by Annika Levin, Alexandra Manson, Lara Szabo Greisman, and Troika AB. The festival is part of the Nobel Week program. It is presented by the Nobel Prize Museum and with the support of the City of Stockholm, Stockholm Chamber of Commerce, Fagerhult, FAM, Grand Hôtel Stockholm, Einar Mattsson AB, Erling-Persson Foundation, Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, and numerous other partners.

Ely Cathedral has been awarded the prestigious gold Eco Church Award by the Christian conservation charity A Rocha UK in recognition of their dedication and commitment to taking action on climate change. Ely Cathedral is part of a national community of over 7,500 churches and cathedrals addressing the environmental crisis using the scheme, becoming only the 3rd Cathedral to achieve this award.

The Cathedral’s recent Annual Report demonstrates 2023 as the lowest year in carbon emissions, a reduction of 42% from the peak in 2019. Ely Cathedral’s community environment group, RENEW, was formed in 2019 and joined forces with the Cathedral Chapter’s Environment Working Group in 2021 to use the Eco Church framework strategically and methodically to get as close as they can to ‘net zero’ by 2030.

One of the key upgrades made to the Cathedral was to replace the existing lighting system with a more energy-efficient LED system, to reduce energy usage and lower the building’s carbon footprint. CBG Consultants offered a comprehensive lighting design service with a focus on sustainability and energy management to aid Ely Cathedral in meeting their award goal. The upgraded lighting scheme uses high-quality LED light sources with smart controls, which allows the lighting across the whole Cathedral to be pre-set and changed to meet the needs of various worship services and events.

Ely Cathedral has achieved gold standards across all areas of the Eco Church survey, but they have also implemented initiatives that demonstrate their creativity and forward-thinking approach, including cutting paper use by adopting downloadable service sheets, regular litter picks, an innovative approach to food waste and engagement with Fareshare, a national charity that turns food surplus into meals.

The magnificent land and gardens around the Cathedral are being managed to respect the surrounding nature, including recently planted hedgerows, a release site for rescued hedgehogs and plans to plant an orchard. The lighting design is considerate of the impact on the wider environment, reducing unwanted light spills and pollution to be sympathetic to local wildlife and residents.

Bruce Kirk Director from CBG Consultants said, “We are extremely proud of Ely Cathedral for achieving this rare Gold status and showcasing their commitment for taking action on climate change. We were thrilled to support Ely Cathedral’s journey through our expertise and passion in promoting sustainable design. Our rigorous design standards and years of technical expertise mean that we strive to mitigate the negative impact whilst maximising the benefits of good lighting design to meet best practices. This has brought positive changes to the Cathedral and helps them to improve their carbon footprint moving forward.”

The Very Revd Mark Bonney, The Dean of Ely, added, “We want to say a huge thank you to CBG Consultants for supporting us in our journey to achieving the gold Eco Church Award. The LED lighting solutions and thoughtful design have ensured that the lighting uses less energy and produces a reduced carbon footprint while still providing the high-quality illumination we require for our services. It is enormously gratifying that our care for God’s creation and respect for the natural world has been recognised in this way. This award is a fantastic recognition of all that we do – and will continue to do – to create a sustainable future for this world.”