Rob & Jame: Week 3

Here is an amber LED sea-turtle friendly bulb. For more examples of sea turtle friendly light bulbs check out this link. http://www.conserveturtles.org/beachlighting.php?page=turtlefriendly)

Rob & James Update:
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As we mentioned last week, when buildings along are retrofitted with turtle-friendly lighting, the entire color palette of the surrounding sky appears to change. One contributing factor is the change in the type of lighting used. Full spectrum light bulbs, that emit all the wavelengths and usually appears white, are changed to light that emits wavelengths that are less disruptive to turtles (580 nm and above), which we see as amber or red. 

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Notice how much darker the sky appears in the “After” photo with fixtures that block light from shining upward. http://palomarskies.blogspot.com/2009_08_01_archive.html

Another factor that changes the sky’s appearance is the type of light fixture used on buildings and streetlights. Regular fixtures scatter light in all directions creating to the bland not quite dark, yellow-white haze that is the sky over cities. Sea turtle friendly fixtures stop light from escaping into the sky changing the color pallet to a richer, velvety blue-black with stars.

Rob hopes to capture this change in his embroidery. His first step was sketching out an idea for the piece - a few buildings, some palm trees and our theme “The City Never Sleeps.” The sky on the right side of the drawing is more brightly lit, indicating the buildings here, have not been retrofitted with turtle-friendly lighting.  On the left of the drawing, the sky is a bit darker, as these buildings project more turtle-friendly lighting on the sky and surrounding beach.

​The next step was a trip to the local sewing and knitting store. Rob scoured the bins of embroidery thread (technically called embroidery floss) to pick an initial set for the piece. Embroidery floss comes in a huge array of colors. Each of these bundles comes with eight yards of floss. While there will certainly be more colors added to the mix over the coming weeks, this should provide plenty of material for testing some ideas on fabric.

​If you’re a born and bred city dweller do you remember the first time you saw a truly dark night sky? Share your story in the comments section; we’d love to hear from you.
 
Stay tuned next week for our foray into the sounds of the city.