Travelling for Landscape: Ruth Chittock

Ruth Chittock (University of Kingston) won the 2017 LI Student Travel Award for her research proposal, ‘In Search of the Night’. She spent two weeks in California and Nevada.

Little free gallery

© Isabel Swift

What was the idea behind your proposal?

To explore the effect that light pollution has on our health as human beings; to investigate what designers can do to minimise these effects; to experience the beauty of a pristine night sky at a designated ‘Dark Sky Park’; and to understand the importance of the preservation of the night sky for future generations.

Why did you choose the location you did?

The remote location of the Great Basin National Park in Nevada means that light pollution is at a minimum. Rangers at the park have developed an extensive night sky programme and hold an annual dark sky festival to educate and inform visitors about the power of the night sky.

What did you learn from your trip?

The way that we light our environment has direct consequences on our health and wellbeing. This often overlooked aspect of landscape design can play a powerful role in the design of healthy towns and cities. Not only can creative lighting solutions help to improve our health, they can help to reduce our consumption of energy, which has a direct effect on our environment.

How has your trip influenced you and your practice?

I now take a more holistic approach to design. The inclusion of lighting design at an early stage of the design process can help to shape a space and even influence the form and layout, creating an environment which actively promotes our health and wellbeing.

Did your trip reveal new opportunities for landscape practitioners?

My trip made me realise that there is a real opportunity for landscape practitioners to become much more involved in the lighting design for projects. There is opportunity to improve our education on the topic of lighting and the effect that it has on our bodies and minds so that we can create healthy spaces. It is our responsibility to preserve and protect the night sky for future generations.