In collaboration with lighting control specialist Lutron, the [d]arc thoughts talks programme will take place on the Gallery level of the Business Design Centre this November.

Hear from over 30 design professionals from all areas of the industry – lighting, interiors, architecture, specification, manufacturing and more – on the topics that really matter.

Due to popular demand, this year’s programme will be twice the size, with TWO programmes running side by side.

The main [d]arc thoughts talks programme in association with lighting control specialist Lutron, will once again take place in the conference hall space on the Gallery Level.

This year’s programme will be split into themes – covering the Business of Design, Interiors + Lighting, and Designing for People and the Planet, which will be split further into content around wellness, sustainability, and the environment.

A splinter programme will run in the Associations Lounge also on the Gallery Level and feature talks run by industry associations LIA, IALD, ILP, and SLL. There will also be panel discussions in collaboration with Women in Lighting and DALI Alliance and much more. Use the link below to see the full Associations Lounge programme.

Curated by the [d]arc media editorial team and with expert guest moderators, this year’s LiGHT talks programme is set to be the best yet.

Click here for Associations Lounge Programme

Wednesday, 20 November


THE BUSINESS OF DESIGN

11:30 – 12:15  | The Next Generation of Design      

Moderator: Samta Nadeem, Curatorial Director, STIR World

Speakers: Sacha Abizadeh, Growth Director, WSP; Tiziana Regalado, Lighting Designer, MSLD; Isabelle Lane, Lighting Designer, MSLD

More info coming soon.


12:20 – 12:35 | Introducing: Business of Light

Speaker: Anna Sbokou, Founder, ASlight

Business of Light exists to engage, educate, and elevate the next generation of lighting leaders. With a board comprised of luminaries from all aspects of our lighting industry, the Business of Light works to empower individuals through education and mentorship to grow and sustain lighting businesses. Come and learn about the kinds of programming BOL offers, and how you can leverage the knowledge to accelerate your business!


12:40 – 12:55 | Time to Step Up – The role of a lighting designer

Speaker: Marcus Steffen, Founder, MSLD

Marcus Steffen discusses the place a lighting designer currently has in the industry, and how this will need to evolve to ensure that we survive a fast-changing industry.


13:15 – 13:30 | Taking the Leap

Speaker: Luke Artingstall, Founder, Artinlight

Here, Luke Artingstall, lighting designer and founder of Artin Light shares what it takes to create your own brand and path in the industry. Believing that every step in his career has – in its own way – provided him with the tools to get where he is today, Luke will also share how the fundamental aspects of “being a designer” have helped to build stronger relationships and his business.


13.35 – 13:50 | The Value of Light – AI Takeaway

Speaker: Juan Ferrari, Project Director, Hoare Lea

Juan will explore how light is more than just illumination — it is a language that shapes emotions, influences well-being, and transforms environments. Its value transcends mere functionality, enriching both tangible and intangible experiences. Light carries time within it. It’s about envisaging the future because every light you see is already in the past, connecting us to both what has been and what is yet to come.


LIGHT + INTERIORS

14:10-14:55 | Using Lighting Design to Enhance Accessibility in Interiors

Presented by the BIID

More info coming soon.


15:00-15:15 | The Relationship between Interior Design and Architectural Lighting

Speaker: Jo Calver, Creative Director, Isla James Interiors

Lighting is the secret to a successful interior. Interior Designer Jo Calver will take a closer look at lighting’s relationship with fabrics and colours in the home, feature lighting, colour temperature, the power of light and shade, and how layering your lighting can add to the complexity of your design.


16:20 – 16:40 | In Conversation with Frankie Boyle

This year’s featured artist, Frankie Boyle will delve deeper into the inspiration and products powering Intra-spectrum, as she sits down for an exclusive Q&A with [d]arc media managing editor Helen Ankers. Following the session there will be an opportunity to meet Frankie and the formalighting team, while enjoying a complementary glass of fizz, all while taking in the beautiful light art installation.


Thursday, 21 November


WELLNESS

11:15 – 12:00 | In the Driving Seat – Lighting Controls for People and Planet

Presenter: Dr Shelley James, Age of Light Innovations

Speakers: Paul Nulty, Founder, Nulty+; Ravi Lakhani, Head of Smart Solutions, Cordless Consultants; Miguel Aguado, Product Management, Lutron

This session will begin with a brief overview of the latest research into optimising strategies that balance human health with environmental impact. It will then move on to highlight the current performance gap due to the lack of integrated solutions.

A panel of lighting designers, property technology consultants and manufacturers will discuss barriers and solutions for integrated lighting control strategies.


12:05 – 12:20 | The 90% Challenge: Redifining the Indoors

Speaker: Alexander Cadish, Phos

We spend about 90% of our time indoors, which translates to less than an hour outdoors each day. For humans, the built environment has become our new habitat. Yet, we often invest less thought into the biological needs of our living spaces than we do when designing enclosures for animals in zoos.

So, what does it mean to live naturally? And how can integrating elements of nature into our environment to enhance our quality of life? The answers might surprise you in some profound ways…


12:25 – 12:40 | Maximising Wellbeing in Residential Environments

Speaker: Hugo Lindsay-Fynn, Palladian

Home interiors are something of a wellbeing battleground. Electromagnetic frequencies generated by home tech – particularly wireless and Bluetooth – are not conducive to good health. Sustainable advances, including triple-glazed, energy-saving windows, are in danger of having a negative impact too, cutting out the sun’s most energy-giving lightwaves – and then, there’s the flickering problem that comes with many low-energy LED and fluorescent bulbs.

Ensuring homes have enough light of the right temperature and lux/intensity levels, whilst prioritising health, sustainability and people’s technological needs, is a complex ambition. What is the right pathway through?


13:00 – 13:15 | Is Beauty a Building Block?

Speaker: Martina Frattura, Founder, The Beauty Movement

Lighting Designer Martina Frattura explores the relationship between beauty and light, while addressing the contemporary relevance of aesthetics in the built environment.


13:20 – 13:35 | Neurodiversity & Lighting

Speaker: Seraphine Gogate, GDM Building Consultanta

In this session, we will explore the latest research on how various light and lighting parameters affect neurodiverse populations. We will highlight the emotional side of lighting design, discussing how inappropriate lighting can increase anxiety, stress, and discomfort, whereas well-designed lighting can promote calmness, safety, and emotional stability.


SUSTAINABILITY

13:55 – 14:40 | Why are we still talking about sustainability? When what we need is radical action…

Moderator: Harry McKinley, Editor, MIX Interiors

Panelists: Adam Strudwick, Principal, Perkins & Will; Ruud Belmans, Creative Director, We Want More; Rachel Hoolahan, Sustainability Lead, Orms; Thomas Lommee, Open Structures

In this panel discussion we ask, when it comes to sustainability, is the pace of change too slow and the scale of ambition too small? If so, what are the revolutionary design ideas, bold new approaches and seismic creative shifts required to affect meaningful, timely change.


14:45 – 15:00 | An overview of the environmental assessment landscape in the lighting industry

Speaker: Irene Mazzei, Stoane Lighting

We will discuss the progress and current barriers that still prevent the application of these approaches in a consistent way across the industry, accompanied by the illustration of some practical examples of lighting Life Cycle Assessment.


15:05 – 15:20 | Creative Alternatives to Cat A

Speaker: Jonathan Rush, Hoare Lea in collaboration with Recolight

All too frequently, relatively new luminaires from Cat A fit outs can end up in the waste stream. However, recently the design community and developers are beginning to work together on creative alternatives. Here Jonathan Rush of the End Cat A Lighting pressure group looks at some success stories.


ENVIRONMENT

15:25 – 15:40 | Starlight Certification & Outdoor Lighting

Speaker: Jordi Rocasalbas, LEDS C4

The Starlight certification aims to preserve the night sky and protect the environment while ensuring people’s safety and wellbeing. It focuses on reducing light pollution and using technologies that minimise the environmental impact of outdoor lighting.

We will explain how to light a project meeting Starlight and showcase good practises, going straight to the practical points.


15:45 – 16:05  | Turn the Tide! A Pilot Project for Sea Turtle Conservation

Speaker: Chiara Carucci

What do a lighting designer and a marine biologist have in common? Discover how the ongoing pilot project within the EU LIFE21 TURTLENEST initiative is protecting loggerhead turtles. This talk dives into the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration for wildlife conservation and the role of informed design to achieve overall sustainability.


16:10 – 16:30  | Dark Frontier

Speaker: Kerem Asfuroglu, Dark Source

At no point in our history, have we produced and consumed light more than now. This has led light pollution to increase at an alarming rate impacting on the wellbeing of all earthlings while changing our perception of the night. The presentation will consist of dark sky friendly lighting design precedents and explore the trends in tackling light pollution.