The Alvar Aalto – Lightings exhibition is open to the public at the Grand-Hornu arts centre in Belgium, February 9 – May 4, 2014. The exhibition includes more than 140 light fittings from the 1930s to 1950s, all on loan from private collections. The Grand-Hornu is a mining complex and world heritage site built in the 19th century, and now serves as an exhibition centre.

Light fitting A 335A has been manufactured in different colours. Photo: Maija Holma / Alvar Aalto Museum.

Lighting plays an important role in Alvar Aalto’s architecture. When designing his buildings, he thought about the natural light, as well as carefully considering the artificial lighting of the interior and exterior spaces. The light fittings he used were both serially produced and special models custom-designed for the individual building. They went together with the interior furnishings to form part of the integrated architectural whole.

The Alvar Aalto – Lightings exhibition has been realized in collaboration with the Alvar Aalto Museum. The Light in Architecture symposium (in French and English, with simultaneous translation) accompanying the exhibition will consider the role of lighting in architecture. The symposium is on March 14.

Further information about the symposium:

www.grand-hornu-images.be/en/actualites/Light_in_architecture/75/

Further information about the exhibition:

www.grand-hornu-images.be/en/expositions/Alvar_Aalto__/62/