Daylight Awareness Week 2024
Daylight as a force for good
28 October – 2 November 2024
Celebrate daylight with us!
Daylight matters. It is a vital force that conditions our health and well-being, as well as the environment we live in. This year’s Daylight Awareness Week takes a closer look at how daylight can help tackle some of the big challenges that we face today. A range of online talks, podcasts and articles will explore the potential of natural light as “a force for good”, particularly in terms of health and sustainability.
Unlike in previous years, this edition is not limited to online exchanges. This year, Daylight Awareness Week is literally going out to meet the public, featuring no fewer than three events at the Berlin Science Week festival on 1–2 November 2024 – a panel discussion, an exhibition and a workshop for kids.
We invite everyone to participate by joining our events and sharing thoughts, experiences, and content on our topics. Use #DaylightWeek on social media to spread the word and engage in meaningful conversations.
Download the flyer
Scroll down to see the day-by-day programme
Opening webinar: Geographies of Light
On 28 October 2024, from 17:00 to 18:30 CET, we are delighted to bring you an exciting webinar developed in collaboration with artist and researcher Jo Joelson. She has brought together a diverse panel of experts to discuss our theme for the day: “Daylight as a force for health”.
The webinar “Geographies of Light” will address the impact of seasonal light on human behaviour, health and well-being; how light affects our perception of place; and the role of creative practice in understanding these relationships. Further information is available below in the day-by-day programme.
Participation is free and open to everyone.
Meet us in Berlin!
For the first time, three Daylight Awareness Week events are part of the Berlin Science Week.
The panel discussion “Daylight: the unknown priority in urban planning” on 1 November (first on the list below) will be held in a hybrid mode for all those who cannot join us in Berlin.
Spread the word!
Our events at Berlin Science Week:
(Click on the titles for more details)
Illustrated by Marina Roa from SenseTribe
12:00-13:30
Join a panel of five experts from various scientific and architectural backgrounds as they discuss the importance of daylight and how the lack of it challenges modern cities. A range of solutions to the challenge will be explored, with reference to existing cities and their constraints. Two of the panellists are co-authors of the recent article “Why daylight should be a priority for urban planning”, which provided the inspiration for this panel discussion. The debate will be followed by a Q&A session.
This event can also be joined online. The link to the livestream will be shared on this page.
Further information12:00-13:30
Hast du gewusst, dass Tageslicht Superkräfte hat? Entdecke die Magie der Sonne mit coolen Experimenten, Kunstprojekten und spannenden Licht-Abenteuern – für dich und deine Eltern!
Eine Anmeldung ist erforderlich und die Anzahl Plätze ist begrenzt.
Further informationby Martine Knoop, TU Berlin
Daylight is often taken for granted. Yet its presence, intensity, colour and variations are crucial to our health and the proper functioning of our bodies. Cities around the world continue to grow and become ever denser, making access to natural light increasingly difficult. This is far from being anecdotal and can have real consequences for the health and well-being of city dwellers.“The Sky and its Colours: How Daylight Affects Us” draws attention to this issue and invites visitors to take the time to observe the beautiful colours of the sky and its variations.
Further informationDaylight Awareness Week day-by-day
Each day will be focused on a different topic and relevant articles, podcasts, presentations and other formats will be regularly added below and promoted on social media.
Your ideas and suggestions are welcome!
To kick off Daylight Awareness Week, we will look at the extensive topic of “Daylight as a force for health”. Over the past several decades, research into sunlight and its effects on organisms has brought about a significant leap in our knowledge of how important daylight is for our health and well-being. Understanding your inner clock may help you live a healthier and happier life, so feel free to browse our content and find out more.
We are delighted to bring you an exciting webinar developed in collaboration with artist and researcher Jo Joelson. She has brought together a diverse panel of experts to discuss our theme for the day in more detail.
The webinar “Geographies of Light” will address the impact of seasonal light on human behaviour, health and well-being; how light affects our perception of place; and the role of creative practice in understanding these relationships.
From 17:00 to 18:30 CET, you are invited to join and interact online with:
- Alec Finlay, Artist and Poet, UK
- Prof. Hayden Lorimer, Human Geography and and creative geohumanities, University of Edinburgh, UK
- Prof. Katrin Anna Lund, Social Anthropology, University of Iceland
- Prof. Hester Parr, Human Geography and cross-disciplinary mental health research, University of Glasgow, UK
Discussion moderated by:
- Dr Jo Joelson, Artist, Author and Visiting Fellow at University of Westminster
Dr Jo Joelson will introduce the panel, her place-based light projects and current research programme, The Politics of Light: New directions in art, science and aesthetics.
The ESRC ‘Living with SAD” research team Professor Hester Parr (University of Glasgow), Professor Hayden Lorimer (University of Edinburgh) and Scottish based Artist-poet Alec Finlay will discuss the creative practice and interdisciplinary co-design of the public Wintering Well programme as well as profile the poetic manifesto ‘light is a right’.
Dr Katrin Anna Lund (University of Iceland) will share her thinking on landscape as a vital agent in research focused on the perception of landscape, with a special emphasis on walking and narratives.
As the world grows ever larger, more populous and consuming of resources, we are constantly on the search for finding ways of making it more sustainable. Daylight is one of the few natural resources that are free and filled with untapped potential. Whether it be through its role in energy, city planning, or biodiversity, daylight serves a powerful instrument in our journey towards sustainability.
During this Daylight Awareness Week, the thought-provoking concept of “daylight justice” will also feed into the debates. Although ubiquitous and in principle free, daylight is not necessarily equally accessible to all. Nor is the relevant knowledge about it. What can be done to remedy this? Should daylight be considered a human right? Join the discussion!
This 31 October, the Daylight Academy is putting on its Halloween costume! Traditionally, Halloween in Northern Europe marked the transition into the dark period of the year, and for one day, we invite you to explore the power of… darkness.
While we usually focus on daylight, this Halloween we will dive into the dark side of the force and highlight how both light and darkness shape our world.
Daylight: the unknown priority in urban planning
Panel discussion on 1 November 2024, 12:00-13:30,
Museum für Naturkunde Berlin and online
Lichtzauber: Die Superkräfte des Tageslichts entdecken
Workshop for kids (in German) on 1 November 2024, 12:00-13:30, Museum für Naturkunde Berlin
The Sky and its Colours: How Daylight Affects Us
Exhibition on 1-2 November 2024, Museum für Naturkunde Berlin
More details above or on berlinscienceweek.com.
