Siegrun Appelt :
Langsames Licht / Slow Light

With the erection of new flood protection in Spitz the promenade along the Danube was also redesigned. The artist Siegrun Appelt developed the light concept Langsames Licht / Slow Light for the latter. It stands for the connection of an environmentally aware and an artistic approach to the treatment of light and lighting. The notion of perception is extended in this concept from an aesthetic to an intellectual space. For Siegrun Appelt the project is a continuation of her stringent artistic agenda, where she engages with the subject of light and lighting. Well-known works by the same artist are, for example, the large installation 68.719.476.736 in a Museumsquartier courtyard in Vienna, as well as her project for the Architecture Biennial in Venice. The promenade lighting in Spitz is only the beginning of an extensive project for the Wachau that the artist has conceived in discussion with local communities and societies. She is also collaborating closely with lighting firms in the region and experts on nature conservation as well as teaching staff and students at the University of Technology. The works developed in this cooperation range from the adaptation, or redevelopment, of lighting systems for whole communities to tourist destinations, to purely conceptual projects, subtle interventions that allude to regional light phenomena. As always, the aim was to find environmentally friendly solutions as well as new and sustainable forms of lighting systems.

For the Danube promenade in Spitz, working in collaboration with two firms Siegrun Apppelt has developed an entirely new flexible energy-saving LED lamp where both the direction and the colour of the light can be finely adjusted. In discussion with the local community, the lighting was programmed for the different seasons, for specific occasions and for the rhythm of day and night. The area is a nature reserve that ought to have a natural light. So light use is optimised and energy is saved. The formal manifestations of Appelt's light designs are also marked by exceptional sensitivity. For the promenade lighting she took into consideration that people stroll casually along the route so had the lamps along the bank deviate slightly from a straight line. In doing so, she introduced a gentle "oscillation" to the light. This is the aesthetic value, which is not to be separated from the environmental value of her work. Siegrun Appelt: "With this comprehensive concept for Langsmaes Licht / Slow Light as an artist I am primarily concerned with a deepening of my engagement with the relationship between natural and artificial light, and their impact on people's perception. More strongly than in previous projects, I attempt to combine artistic considerations with scientific experiments, social issues and economic developments." In doing this, the artist always pursues concrete guidelines which she lists on a website setup specially for the project.
(Cornelia Offergeld)