(International) – New international architectural and decorative lighting design awards launched in collaboration with Light Collective. Oscars style peer-to-peer concept and unique darc night event set to be game changer.

Leading international lighting design publications mondo*arc and darc have teamed up with creative consultants Light Collective to create the darc awards, a unique international architectural and decorative lighting design awards concept. The launch party will take place at the incredible arts space Dilston Grove in Southwark, London on February 5th 2015 featuring a special lighting scheme by Light Collective and will also feature an animation by Kerem Asfuroglu of Speirs + Major with his Dark Source series. The darc awards process will culminate in darc night in London in September 2015.

“With our database of over 1,000 international lighting design practices, as well as interior designers and architects, there is a unique opportunity for every practice to get involved in the awards process,” commented Paul James, awards director and publishing editor of mondo*arc and darc. “We intend to make the darc awards the most accessible and global awards programme ever – after the shortlists have been chosen by an expert panel of international lighting designers, each of the 1,000+ lighting design practices and their designers will be invited to vote on their favourite projects via our specially developed website. Using the model developed by the Oscars where all members vote on their peers work, the darc awards will give every designer a vote, making this the only truly peer-to-peer lighting design awards in the world.”

All the projects and the companies who have submitted to the awards will be present on the website so that, over time, the darc awards website becomes a comprehensive online lighting design resource that can be used by designers and clients alike for inspiration and promotion.

There will also be product categories (two architectural and one decorative) that will follow the same philosophy resulting in a comprehensive online database of products. The products will be voted on by the very same lighting designers who are looking to use them in projects.

Martin Lupton and Sharon Stammers of Light Collective commented: “Having been involved in many lighting awards programs over many years, this is a great opportunity to build on all of those experiences and try to create a different version of celebrating the best of lighting design where the judging is in the hands of everybody. Helping to shape darc night in collaboration with mondo*arc has given us a chance to create an awards ceremony that is by the people, for the people – it’s the Oscars of lighting design!”

High end lighting manufacturers partnering the awards so far include Lucent, Innermost, Megaman, LSE Lighting and KKDC. More announcements will be made shortly. 

Each partner will be given the opportunity to collaborate with lighting designers to create a stunning installation in the awards venue via a series of lighting schemes as part of darc night in September 2015, an atmospheric party in a unique venue in London with light art and street food. This breaks all the awards rules and will be unlike any other awards ceremony to date.

The darc awards has been welcomed by the lighting design profession. Nick Hoggett, Partner at dpa lighting consultants, said: “I feel the darc night concept is excellent because the projects will be assessed by a wide group of international independent lighting designers and established light artists. This will reflect a truly global opinion of well informed and experienced practitioners engaging many people in the judging process rather than the normal select few. I know the team behind this will deliver something completely different and special which will be refreshing amongst the plethora of awards programmes that feel so similar.”

mondo*arc and darc magazines are members of Lighting-Related Organizations (L-RO), a global professional community of people who work with light and lighting in the built environment, and is part of the United Nations – International Year of Light and Light-based Technologies 2015 (IYL2015). 

The darc awards and darc night will be part of the IYL2015 related activities program and will be promoted by the L-RO to raise awareness for the lighting design profession and showcase the importance and beauty of light.

www.darcawards.com