Have you ever wondered how the artistic installations of Lightscape are created? Have you ever aspired to make your own holiday light display a little more artistic? 

We had the opportunity to talk with lighting designers Lee Fiskness and Travis Shupe while they were programming installations for this year’s Lightscape. Get ready for some insider tips!

First, it’s remarkable to think about how many talented people collaborate to make Lightscape such a magical event. Lightscape is produced in partnership with Sony Music and creatively produced by Culture Creative. Planning takes more than six months and a team of artists, designers, power specialists, rigging and safety specialists, and programming and data managers all help bring the installations to life.

This is the second year Chicago-based lighting designers Fiskness and Shupe have worked on Lightscape. Last year, they collaborated with seasoned Lightscape designer, Christopher Wren. This year, they are programming transitional parts of the show as well as installations that were designed by other artists. They also designed several installations themselves: Love and Be Loved in the Linden Allée, Ricochet and Bright Ideas in the Lakeside Gardens, and Firefly Spheres in the Sensory Garden.

Q: How long have you been designing light displays?

A: I’ve always been into lighting. In high school, I declared I was going to do lighting. But I was first inspired in a fourth-grade science class. We had a flashlight bulb, a battery, and a wire to make it light up. That was what first inspired me, and ever since then I have been finding ways to play with light and electronics. I started in theater, where lighting brings both a practical and artistic aspect to the art form.

Q: What do you like best about it?

A: Lighting is interesting to me because in many ways it’s supportive. It’s needed literally just to reveal things from the darkness, but also it can be this beautifully aesthetic and artistic thing in and of itself. One of the things I like about Lightscape is that lighting is the forward idea and the thrust of what we are doing. So light isn’t just revealing something or transforming it or helping us see an object in another way—it is all of that—but it is also the focus in and of itself, which is rare in our industry.

Q: Where do you gather inspiration for your lighting designs?

A: I like to work with anything that inspires an idea. Then I take that idea and craft it into the environment where it will live. For Bright Ideas, the original design was neon coils spiraling up the trees. When thinking about the overall arch of the design, we wanted to enhance it. So it was our idea have the coils terminate at these oversized light bulbs. It has spectacle, but it also has narrative to it. It incorporates the aesthetics of the path that it’s on, but also creates more of a story. What is going on here? It’s as if the energy of the tree is creating the spark and the energy to illuminate these light bulbs and light our path as we go on this journey. I think of my background in theater as a storyteller. Whenever I’m approaching any of these designs, I try to think, what is the story and how do we take our audience on that journey with us?

Q: How can someone make a big impact with lighting at home (on a much smaller scale than Lightscape)?

A: I think it’s essential to understand the environment you are trying to create. What’s the most important element? Is it color, is it shape, is it what’s not seen, is it the contrast of light and darkness? See how that can apply in your space. Color is a big aspect of what we do at Lightscape, because it’s a very obvious, big, bright choice that we can make, but we also try to make intimate moments that aren’t just a huge spectacle.

Q: What practical tips do you have for installing holiday lights?

A: I would advocate for doing as much as you feel comfortable with. With LED, power is less of an issue, but it’s still important to be smart about how you are doing your power. Make sure you are not putting plugs where there will be puddles of water and things like that. There are apps that help with timers and automation.

Remember that good design doesn’t come in a box, so you have to use the tools you have and give thoughtful consideration to your specific environment. Or just hire someone who is good at it.

Q: What are some holiday light elements that you think more people should use?

A: Thoughtful color. With LEDs, the color is manufactured, and that has taken us into this world of saturation that we never had before. Think about how all of the colors are working together and create a tight color palette. You can blend warm and cool colors, but be intentional about it. Don’t let it be arbitrary. Do some research and create a plan with what you have and what you want to add to complete your design.    
 

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