Thursday, December 23, 2021
Friday, December 17, 2021
New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center
It's always nice to have the opportunity to come back and refine a project with spread lenses and color filters and that's what we were able to do with our second and final trip to the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center in New Bedford, MA.
A few accessories here and there to add some drama and visual interest and this fantastic museum is ready for the public.
Photos c. 2021 New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center
Wednesday, November 24, 2021
Tuesday, November 16, 2021
Congratulations, Motorsports Hall of Fame!
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Photo from MSHFA |
We were honored to work on the lighting design for the Hall of Fame's re-design with Jack Rouse Associates several years ago. For more about the ISHY Award, check out MSHFA's recent newsletter.
Thursday, October 28, 2021
They don't make them like they used to...
This photo is of a streetlight maintenance vehicle owned by the Philadelphia Electric Company in 1910. Just one more application specific tool who’s time has come and gone. Eat your heart out manlifts everywhere!
If you happen to have any cool photos of old-school lighting tech we would love to see them!
Thursday, October 21, 2021
CBS - The National Comedy Center
Monday, September 6, 2021
Thursday, September 2, 2021
The wonders of technology - selective chromatic lighting
When it comes to lighting museums, particularly those with sensitive cultural treasures, one of the most frequent challenges can be how to balance the desire to display light sensitive objects to the public with the need to preserve those objects from the degradation caused by exposure to light. Numerous techniques and standards have been developed over the years with which we have all become familiar, but an article in the latest edition of Lighting Research & Technology offers the possibility of an interesting out-of-the-box option.
The article, in general, poses the idea of illuminating highly sensitive objects with what it calls “selective chromatic lighting”, which amounts to lighting an object with only the wavelengths of light which would be reflected by that object. Essentially, we are talking about lighting an object with a high resolution photographic projection of the object itself to reduce damaging light absorption.
While, in practice, this may be prohibitive on a large scale for multiple reasons, on a small scale it does pose some interesting possibilities. Imagine, for example, that you had a highly sensitive handwritten letter, black ink on paper, which would ordinarily be limited to 30 lux or less. The concern, beyond a yellowing of the paper, would be the fading of the pigment in the handwriting which would reduce the legibility over time. The possibility posed by the article is this: What if you illuminated the letter with a high definition photograph of the letter projected from an LED light source and aligned with the original. Then, for all intents and purposes, you are only illuminating the empty white page and minimizing the light which would fall on the text itself. While certainly not an everyday solution, it is one which current technologies make much more conceivable than in days gone by.If you have some time we recommend the article. A link to the abstract is provided below.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/14771535211025404
Thursday, July 8, 2021
USA Today - 10 Best New Museums
Check out the link to see the complete list!
Friday, July 2, 2021
Thursday, June 24, 2021
Thursday, June 17, 2021
Project in Progress: National Air and Space Museum
CHANGE IS IN THE AIR!
Here are some behind-the-scenes updates from the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC.
We have been working on this project since 2016 and the installation phase of the project has finally begun! Click this link to check out more photos of the project so far! These galleries will be opening to the public in 2022.
Thursday, June 3, 2021
Crook Point Bascule Bridge
Thursday, May 20, 2021
Mock-up Day!
It’s mock-up day at the Mystic Seaport Museum... we are testing small format LED lighting systems for inclusion in a new display structure for a gallery show opening this fall... stay tuned for more in the coming months!
Thursday, May 6, 2021
The Amazing Survivor Orchid!
Our office orchid is blooming again!
This amazing plant has continued to surprise us and survive lots of adverse conditions/office moves, etc... Have we mentioned our Office Manager has a black thumb?!
Our orchid gives us hope that we'll all soon be blooming again and enjoying life as these crazy times move into the past. If the orchid can survive and bloom - so can we! Remember though to take care of yourselves, we've all lived through some trying times... and deserve care and patience as we try to bloom again.
Thursday, April 22, 2021
New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center: Focus Trip # 1
Abernathy Lighting Design recently spent an enjoyable day in historic downtown New Bedford, MA doing a preliminary aim & focus for the new exhibits at the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center.
With exhibits designed
by Proun Design and no small measure of help from the local fishing community,
the new installation is looking great!
There are still some things left to do as we wait on some last minute bits and pieces but we are looking forward to finishing things up next month. So if you happen to be in New Bedford, stop in and learn something new about the fishing industry in New England!
Thursday, March 11, 2021
Women in Country - Interview with Kathy and Chris
Thursday, February 25, 2021
Mystic Seaport Museum: Figureheads & Shipcarving
Since the dawn of civilization, cultures have adorned the bows of their boats and ships. In the 19th century, those decorations took on the more formal, carved forms we know today as “Figureheads”. These carvings could range from lions and unicorns to damsels and saints. They gave each vessel its personality and reflected the values and culture of the time. During the age of steam-power, a lack of rigging and sails on steam-powered vessels meant that the bow of the ship held less prominence than it once did. Sadly, figureheads then fell out of favor, but the figureheads themselves still live on.
Abernathy Lighting Design is proud to have played a part in bringing these prominent figures back to life in the Mystic Seaport Museum’s latest gallery opening. For over 40 years, the museum’s figurehead exhibit in the Wendell Gallery has served as a showplace for these unique artifacts. From fully renovated gallery interiors and reconceived exhibits to a new lighting system, the gallery has recently received a well-deserved facelift. Working with the museum’s in-house exhibit design team, Abernathy Lighting Design designed and executed the new exhibit lighting layouts to enhance the overall gallery aesthetic. Adding small theatrical touches, such as textural water and carefully controlled uplighting allows each of these historic pieces to shine in its own unique way.
Thursday, February 18, 2021
SPAM Shout Out
If you ever find yourself near Austin, Minnesota (aka The City of Spam) we hope you can check out the SPAM Museum, that we worked on back in 2016.
Check out this recent article by CBS Minnestota for more about the museum and more fun SPAM facts!
Thursday, January 28, 2021
Happy Opening!
Happy Opening to the Nickelodeon Playtime in China!
We are proud to have worked on this project with Jack Rouse Associates. Check out this article by blooloop for more photos and details on this indoor family entertainment center with areas themed around Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Dora the Explorer, Paw Patrol and more!
Thursday, January 21, 2021
Congratulations, Jason!
The certification process, governed by the Certified Lighting Design Commission, is designed to assess the ability to operate as a lead architectural lighting designer in a professional and proficient manner by considering a person’s imaginative, technical, and professional responsibility skills.
“We congratulate Jason on earning the CLD. This global benchmark of performance demonstrates his proficiency in developing, guiding, and completing lighting design projects,” said David Becker, Chair of the Certified Lighting Design Commission.