The talk is to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Augustine Fresnel's Wave Theory of Light, which also coincides with UNESCO's International Year of Light 2015. Fresnel's findings are the basis for the lecture, which will discuss: '200 years of Fresnel: Why everything we light and look at today depends on what he said' and will be presented by Peter Phillipson.
"I am delighted that the Society of Light and Lighting Fresnel Lecture is being sponsored by Philips, alongside the International Association of Lighting Designers," says Phillipson. "Thanks to their support it means that 200 years of Fresnel's wave theory will be celebrated as it should be."
The lecture has now become an industry wide event, where lighting designers in the architectural, theatre and other fields will convene at The Royal Institution in London to learn more about Fresnel's work.
The audience can look forward to guest appearances, artefacts and live experiments. Attendees can also get up close and personal with the prototypes of the Philips Strand Lighting competition finalists, which will be on display in the lecture space. Not only that, they'll be able to see the winner announced live on stage by one of the judges after the event.
The competition, which closed at the end of last year, challenged entrants to 'upcycle' a vintage Strand PATT 23 or 123 theatre lantern - a lamp that was one of the first to use a Fresnel lens in a professional entertainment lighting application. Over 90 people registered their interest and the entrants have been whittled down to three finalists by a prestigious judging panel, made up of renowned lighting designer Rick Fisher, architect Patrick Downing and Philips technical director Mike Simpson, with the designs to be fully manufactured and displayed at Frankfurt's Prolight and Sound 2015. The overall winner will also get their hands on a special Philips giveaway, presented to them at The Fresnel Lecture.
To register your place at the exciting event simply email Juliet Rennie at sll@cibse.org. Booking is essential, as places are expected to go very fast. The Royal Institution of Great Britain can be found on Albemarie Street, London, W1S 4BS. The nearest tube is Green Park.
(Lee Baldock)
