A lighting intervention for Fort Lane
Dark and narrow, Fort Lane gives off a feeling of uncertainty and danger at night. With the main source of light being the harsh red neon light running the length of the lane, Fort Lane exudes a sinister quality. While Queen St, running parallel, has been given colourful and playful lighting, Fort Lane seems disregarded. Surely a dark, narrow passage like this could be given more importance, especially since it is deprived of both natural and artificial light. I saw potential for the site to be re-lit with more colour and life. Luminescence, my proposed design intervention aims to capture the imagination of pedestrians while making their path safer at night.
When I visited Fort Lane at night, I wondered how could anyone feel safe and welcomed in a space like this. I got thinking about how to incorporate colour and light to this urban place to give it more visual appeal.
We were briefed to look at Fort Lane through a cinematic lens as we formulated our design interventions. In cinema, lighting creates atmosphere and mood as well as making action visible. I selected a micro-site within the lane: the threshold space between Fort Lane and the entrance of Imperial Lane (which runs through to Queen Street). Imperial Lane’s interior colours are dark and gloomy and I wanted to bring a sense of filmic vibrancy to the space. Luminescence’s clear acrylic panels provide a slight separation between café customers and pedestrians, but because it is transparent it does not block off the lane entirely. LED neon lights placed between panels of opal acrylic will produce a diffused light effect. Colours change regularly and synchronise with events like Christmas or Pride Month.
With this design intervention, I aim to bring light, colour, and a sense of security to Fort Lane at night for pedestrians and café users.
