For many city-dwellers, connecting with the splendor of the night sky demands an escape from the ever brightly lit landscape of the built environment. This evening event unpacked the complex issues of urban lighting, investigating the impact of light pollution on human well-being and ecological systems, and exploring how light and dark influence our perception of place. We hosted a conversation with Paul Bogard, author of The End of Night: Searching for Natural Darkness in an Age of Artificial Light, along with Margaret Newman, Chief of Staff of the NYC Department of Transportation; Susan Harder, International Dark-Sky Association Representative; Linnaea Tillett of Tillett Lighting Design; and cancer epidemiologist Richard Stevens, followed by a night of stargazing and reflections on the night sky by artists and writers at Columbia University’s Rutherfurd Observatory. This event was presented in partnership with Columbia University’s Astronomy Outreach and the Columbia School of the Arts.

Read more about how lighting affects human perception, specifically with the work of Linnaea Tillet →