Have you ever been in a space that gave you a sense of peace and reverence, and inspired a feeling of awe? You might not have realized what invoked such a strong emotional experience.

What do you think of when you imagine a candlelight dinner, a brilliant colorful sunset on the ocean, the piercing ray of light from a small opening into a dark interior, or the dappling of light and shadow under a tree in the summer? All of these experiences with light have a subtle yet powerful impact on our mind. The ability to calm, relax, revere, and inspire is the power of lighting.

That is why lighting is such an important part of a successful worship space. Lighting design is a synergy of the artistic fused with technology. Following are some of the artistic elements of a successful lighting design for worship spaces.

Layers of Light
To explain how a lighting designer develops a lighting system in layers, think of how an artist proceeds with painting a beautiful landscape. The artist starts with a background layer of paint, and from there the background is developed. Next, the middle and foreground elements are added using color, texture, and shadowing. As the painting develops, the artist could add many more elements to the final composition. Some of those elements vary in prominence: subtle background versus secondary and primary focal points.

Overall, these layers of paint, color, texture, light, and composition work together to create a work of art. When skillfully and successfully created, the composition is one that evokes a strong personal feeling—something that the viewer can relate to.

Like an artist, the lighting designer envisions the space in its entirety, as if it were a composition. The designer evaluates the composition, studying how the various focal points and elements will be incorporated and enhanced to create the desired visual experience. Various lighting techniques, differing brightness levels, and patterns will be layered to create a visual sense of importance.

Ambience
The first layer of illumination to be "painted" is ambient lighting. Like that of the artist's background layer of paint, ambient lighting is a base layer to which other lighting is added. It provides a low, general level of light that allows the congregation to travel through the space and view the faces of others. The congregation will also appreciate the vertical surfaces surrounding them, and even the ceiling plane above them. There are many ways to create an ambient layer of light: it can come from indirect sources, general glow of pendants, specific use of wall washing, and others.

The second layer of illumination is task lighting. This layer is very important and generally is found to be lacking in worship spaces that were designed 30 to 100 years ago. Task lighting provides the congregation with the appropriate light levels for reading music and scriptures.

Task lighting must take into account the age of the occupant. A 60-year-old, for example, may need up to twice the light level for reading as that of a 20-year-old. Therefore, task lighting must be carefully designed to allow both young and old to easily read, without annoying glare.

Accent
Successful lighting design requires a third layer of illumination: accent and architectural lighting. This layer is used selectively to highlight items of visual and hierarchal importance, such as areas of focused activity or significant architectural or interior features. The eye is naturally attracted to areas of greater visual brightness. This layer comes from focus-ed beams of light that provide approximately three to ten times the light level of the ambient or task lighting. Accent or architectural lighting might be used to highlight the altar, pulpit, lectern, baptistry, or other interior architectural or worship features.

Sparkle
The last layer of light to be added is sparkle. Like a candle in a restaurant or the light of a setting sun reflected off ocean waves, sparkle is an integral element to any successful lighting design. In worship spaces, it might come from stained glass windows, candles, or be a part of a decorative chandelier or wall sconce. Sparkle can also come from creative architectural lighting: a glint of light off of a gilded light fixture, sculpture, or other interior element.

Whether your worship space is 100 years old, or just being designed, a professional lighting designer will incorporate layers of light to create the best possible solution for a beautiful and inspirational environment.

Mollie M. Clarahan, LC, IALD is a lighting design specialist in Ferndale, Michigan. She consults with Michigan churches and architectural firms in lighting design for worship spaces. She can be reached at lumenationsinc@cs.com.