Interior Lighting for Designers

itself also serves as the wireway, providing a
simple method of power distribution.
With either method for lighting art,
excellent color rendering is essential for the
proper appreciation of objects. Continuous-
spectrum, high-color-rendering sources
allow the art to be viewed under spectral dis-
tribution conditions similar to those under
which it was created.

Conservation of Materials
Conservation of materials is a fundamental
concern in the lighting of art. All organic

material is susceptible to pigment change

and weakening from exposure to light and its

accompanying heat. In the museum environ-

ment, these materials include paper, cotton,

linen, parchment, leather, silk, wool, feath-

ers, hair, dyes, oils, glues, gums, resins,

and—because of similarities in chemical

structure—almost all synthetic dyes and

plastics.

Damage is related to wavelength. Ultra-

violet (UV) radiation causes more damage,

but much less UV than visible radiation is

present in all light sources, including day-

DESIGN

Figure 13.25Optimum placement for lighting art.