{"id":20664,"date":"2022-12-15T10:44:43","date_gmt":"2022-12-15T17:44:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/darksky.org\/?p=20664"},"modified":"2023-08-23T23:48:05","modified_gmt":"2023-08-24T06:48:05","slug":"kerem-asfuroglu-monthly-star","status":"publish","type":"darksky_news","link":"https:\/\/darksky.org\/news\/kerem-asfuroglu-monthly-star\/","title":{"rendered":"Kerem Asfuroglu: Dark arts and community lighting"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><i><span>Each month DarkSky International features an DarkSky Advocate from the worldwide network of volunteers working to protect the night. This month we\u2019re highlighting the work of Kerem Asfuroglu in the U.K. and Ireland with an article by Megan Eaves.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Meet IDA Advocate Kerem Asfurgolu!\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ytODXNuARqU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><span>Lighting designer, artist, and dark sky advocate \u2013 and I would add philosopher and light historian to that list \u2013 Kerem Asfuroglu is one of those rare individuals that approaches light pollution from almost every angle. Hailing originally from southern Turkey, Kerem earned an MA in Architectural Lighting Design from Hochschule Wismar in Germany and then moved to London, where he worked for eight years as a designer at a commercial lighting firm. During that time, he worked on a range of high-profile projects, including the Battersea Power Station Redevelopment, Covent Garden Site-wide Lighting Improvement, Marble Arch Place Development, and Shakespeare<\/span>\u2019<span>s New Place Visitor Experience.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span>\u201cMore and more, light pollution and the issues surrounding it gained momentum, and we had a better understanding towards it,\u201d Kerem says. \u201cI couldn&#8217;t help but realize that maybe these big projects we were working on, which were driven with commercial ambition where light becomes a visual embellishment tool, were not necessarily the right way of doing things.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter wp-image-20674\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/darksky.org\/app\/uploads\/2022\/12\/6-300x151.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-20674\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption pt-4 mx-5 md:mx-0 !mb-0 !mt-0\">Walkways lit with dim, shielded, and low CCT lighting,<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><span>Not long after, Kerem founded his own lighting firm, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dark-source.com\/\">Dark Source<\/a>, born out of a personal art project. \u201cI wanted an artistic outlet, and it started as a little bi-monthly magazine \u2013 at the time, it was known as <\/span><i><span>Arc<\/span><\/i><span>,\u201d he recalls. \u201cIt was published as two-page short stories every two months. And that was a great place for me to project some creativity and have an outlet that explored our relationship with light and darkness.\u201d&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span>I first met Kerem on a Zoom call during the depths of the 2020 lockdown. We connected because we were both working toward dark skies in one of the world\u2019s most light-polluted cities: London. It takes a particular brand of person to take on light pollution in a major metropolis, and you don\u2019t need to spend 10 minutes with Kerem to sense the passion and duty of care with which he approaches his work.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span>One of Kerem\u2019s recent artworks is <\/span><i><span>Penumbrella<\/span><\/i><span>, an installation that shows how light pollution in central London is so extreme that wasted light can be used to charge solar panels at night. The device is an umbrella with mini-solar cells that leech energy off of surrounding glare and wasted light to power itself instantly without batteries or sensors. Kerem says the idea came when he was imagining a future so light-polluted that people would carry umbrellas to shield themselves and create their own darkness.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Penumbrella\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/cndVS5s1188?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><span>Since 2019, Kerem has been working with the town of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/profile.php?id=100068890360095\"><span>Presteigne<\/span><\/a><span> (pronounced &#8220;preh-steen<\/span>&#8220;<span>) in Wales to implement new street lighting with the goal of applying to become the first DarkSky International Dark Sky Community in Wales.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span>\u201cInitially, we started off with a very small group within the community that really wanted to push for [dark sky lighting],\u201d says Kerem, adding that first, they did a test, retrofitting street lights on Presteigne\u2019s main street. The community response was overwhelmingly positive. \u201cIt kind of snowballed into this unstoppable movement. The county council is now planning to roll it across maybe 20 towns. And that&#8217;s the kind of overarching, ripple effect that we wanted to achieve.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter wp-image-20671\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/darksky.org\/app\/uploads\/2022\/12\/1-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-20671\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption pt-4 mx-5 md:mx-0 !mb-0 !mt-0\">This community shows a good example of responsible outdoor lighting.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><span>Through the initiative of DarkSky Officer Dani Robertson, Kerem also re-designed the lighting scheme at Plas Y Brenin, an outdoor sports center located in <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/snowdonia.gov.wales\/discover\/landscapes-and-wildlife\/dark-skies\/\"><span>Eryri (Snowdonia) Dark Sky Reserve<\/span><\/a><span>. The project won several design awards, which Kerem attributes to a broad approach with finesse. \u201cThis is not about just downlighting to death, and it just looks very flat,\u201d he says. \u201cYou can still have drama; you can still have contrast; you can still have theatricality or some architectural illumination, as long as it&#8217;s done judiciously.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span>Now, Kerem is working with the town of Newport, Ireland, alongside local dark sky champion <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/darksky.org\/wild-atlantic-skies-in-irelands-county-mayo\/\"><span>Georgia MacMillan<\/span><\/a><span>, to implement an ambitious lighting master plan for the town that will support and extend the impact of neighboring <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mayodarkskypark.ie\/\"><span>Mayo Dark Sky Park<\/span><\/a><span>.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span>\u201cThe most public consultations I\u2019ve ever had was for Newport,\u201d Kerem says, referring to the high level of community engagement and support that the Newport lighting plan has received among locals. \u201cYou&#8217;re meeting people, they&#8217;re asking questions. It\u2019s fantastic.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter wp-image-20672\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/darksky.org\/app\/uploads\/2022\/12\/1a-300x88.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-20672\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption pt-4 mx-5 md:mx-0 !mb-0 !mt-0\">A before and after photo of implementing responsible outdoor lighting.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><span>So much of my conversation with Kerem for this article centered on the importance of the diverse variety of backgrounds, skills, interests, and contexts that different individuals contribute to the dark sky movement.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span>\u201cWe can only do so much [individually], but as we come together \u2013 this is what I like about the dark skies movement,\u201d he says. \u201cI think we&#8217;ve not felt this invigorated until now because we know the numbers. We know how many people are interested in this. And if I encounter a problem, there are definitely people to call and whom I can consult.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span>Kerem is quick to remind me, too, that the success of the dark sky movement could not happen without hard-working, passionate communities.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter wp-image-20673\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1536\" src=\"https:\/\/darksky.org\/app\/uploads\/2022\/12\/5-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-20673\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption pt-4 mx-5 md:mx-0 !mb-0 !mt-0\">A serene photo of a park bench with responsible outdoor lighting.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><span>\u201cI hope people never forget, it was actually the small communities that made this success. Dark sky destinations are not just about having no light pollution. They\u2019re cultural beacon points, as well. You go there and you get inspired by something, and then when you come back, you bring it back with you. And then the inception is already there. That clock is now ticking. You&#8217;ll do something about it \u2013 maybe in a week or maybe two years down the line. But it&#8217;s in you now.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><i><span>You can follow Kerem on Twitter <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/keremasfuroglu\"><i><span>@keremasfuroglu<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span> and Instagram <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/darksourced\/\"><i><span>@darksourced<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span> or learn more about his work at <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dark-source.com\/\"><i><span>dark-source.com<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><i><span>To join the DarkSky Advocate Network, <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/darksky.org\/who-we-are\/advocates\/\"><i><span>go here<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>!<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kerem Asfuroglu founded lighting firm Dark Source to creatively address light pollution. He&#8217;s involved in initiatives to implement dark sky lighting in communities such as the town of Presteigne in Wales.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62,"featured_media":26032,"template":"","categories":[1287,633],"tags":[438,116,723,722,720,502,358,681,721,78,719,718,83],"advocacy_type":[123,285],"events_terms":[],"locations_terms":[],"admin_issue":[],"class_list":["post-20664","darksky_news","type-darksky_news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-monthly-star","category-news","tag-art","tag-darksky-advocate","tag-georgia-macmillan","tag-ireland","tag-karem-asfuroglu","tag-light-design","tag-mayo-dark-sky-park","tag-monthly-star","tag-newport","tag-outdoor-lighting","tag-presteigne","tag-solar-panels","tag-wales","advocacy_type-advocacy","advocacy_type-monthly-star"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/darksky.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/darksky_news\/20664","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/darksky.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/darksky_news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/darksky.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/darksky_news"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/darksky.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/62"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/darksky.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/darksky.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20664"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/darksky.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20664"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/darksky.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20664"},{"taxonomy":"advocacy_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/darksky.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/advocacy_type?post=20664"},{"taxonomy":"events_terms","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/darksky.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/events_terms?post=20664"},{"taxonomy":"locations_terms","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/darksky.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/locations_terms?post=20664"},{"taxonomy":"admin_issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/darksky.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/admin_issue?post=20664"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}