Industry
Switched On London
Now in its second year, Switched On London illuminated 15 installations including Tower Bridge, Tower of London, HMS Belfast, Hay’s Galleria and Southwark Cathedral. A new feature saw urban settings, including Bermondsey Street Car Park and London Bridge Post Office, making their lighting debut. Also new were interactive installations such as Breathing Trees in Potters Fields and the Shadow Play in Playwright’s Yard outside the Southwark Theatre.
The message from London is about highlighting the impact of lighting from a social, economic and environmental perspective and, as such, it has (inter)national application.Combining the latest energy efficient technology (including LED) with the expertise of environmentally responsive lighting designers, Switched On London offers solutions for lighting sustainability, presenting realistic carbon neutral alternatives to the wasteful and inefficient lighting that currently operate in London and cities worldwide.
All the 2008 projects will be audited for their energy usage to demonstrate that alternative technologies can provide better lighting whilst using less energy. A good example from the 2007 festival was Tower of London’s scheme, which dramatically lowered the Tower’s power consumption.
“Switched On London is an opportunity to 
educate the public in the capital about the value of energy efficient lighting in the urban environment,” said Paul James for Switched on London. “Badly designed exterior lighting wastes energy and creates light pollution. However unlike 24 hour office lighting – a major problem in London – the answer is not to simply turn the lights off at night. Through the services of professional lighting designers and the latest technology we will show that lighting need not be wasteful but inspiring, practical and, because it is a Festival of Light, fun.”
The Mayor of London Ken Livingstone said: “I fully support the Switched on London 2008 campaign and will be making sure that City Hall takes part in the event again this year. Switched on London is to be commended for their campaign to promote the use of energy efficient lighting in London at night. By using more efficient lighting, organisations and households can save money and help to tackle climate change.”
RK __________________________________________