On 15th October, The Society of Light and Lighting (SLL) welcomed teams of lighting professionals for the annual SLL Ready Steady Light competition, in association with Rose Bruford College and the International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD).
In its 29th year, SLL Ready Steady Light is one of the Society’s flagship events. The competition provides a space for creativity and play, a return to the basics of design and engineering. Each year, the SLL welcomes teams of lighting designers, manufacturers, and students to create external lighting installations, using a limited selection of equipment and in only 180 minutes. The teams have to overcome challenges without a budget and within time constraints.
As always, there were three awards up for grabs. A panel of expert judges decide the winners of the SLL Technical and Artistic Award, supported by the IALD, with the coveted Peer Award decided by the contestants taking part.
Team UCL 2, led by Craig Turner won the 2024 SLL Technical Award, judged by Dan Lister, SLL President and Arup UK Lighting Practice Leader and Dr Jemima Unwin Teji, Lecturer and Programme Leader: MSc Light and Lighting, University College London. UCL 2’s design was called March on Time.
Team iGuzzini, led by Giorgio Pierini, won the 2024 Artistic Award, judged by Kevin Rosenstand, 18 Degrees and Beatrice Bertolini, Equation Lighting, both IALD Regional Coordinators, and Sofia Alexiadou Programme Director BA Creative Lighting Control, Programme Director MA Light in Performance and Freelance Lighting Designer. Their design was called Red Shades of Autumn.
Finally, the 2024 Peer Prize, a much-coveted award was judged by the contestants taking part. Team DPA Lighting Consultants 1 won the award. Their project was called Heart of the Forest.
Congratulating the teams Dan Lister FSLL, President SLL said “Congratulations to all the teams for their creative and imaginative use of light with a deliberately limited palette of equipment, especially our winners from UCL, dpa Lighting Consultants, and iGuzzini.
A big thank you to Rose Buford College and their students for supporting, facilitating, and hosting the event, and to everyone involved in coordinating the teams and making the evening so wonderful.”.
This year, SLL Ready Steady Light welcomed 2 teams from the UCL Light and Lighting MSc, and a team from Rose Bruford College. It provides an opportunity for students to gain some hands-on experience, experimenting with lighting techniques and working alongside practising lighting professionals.
The Society is committed to providing students and lighting professionals with an opportunity to have fun and work together, with the added element of some friendly competition.
Each year, the Society puts out a call to lighting manufacturers who may wish to donate or loan equipment to Rose Bruford College, supporting their lighting education programme and students, along with future RSL events. If you are interested in finding out more about donating or loaning lighting equipment, please contact us at [email protected]. Thank you to this year’s sponsors, Urbis Schréder and Centre Stage Solutions.
Closing the evening, Stuart Page, Dean of Rose Bruford College, said "Every year, I am in awe of the creativity and innovation displayed by the teams illuminating Rose Bruford College. I can’t wait for next year’s Ready Steady Light, it’s the 30th Anniversary. It’s definitely an event I wouldn’t want to miss!".
Students enrolled in Rose Bruford College's BA Creative Lighting Control Course support the event, allowing them to see lighting professionals working in this unique environment. The Society would like to give special thanks to Kai Jones, Millie Graham and Daniel Fisher who led the organisation of SLL Ready Steady Light 2024.
If you have any questions about Ready Steady Light 2024, please email [email protected]. Photos credited to Graham Baker @grahambakergbp.