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 Greetings
from the ever-evolving world of Light Projects! With this
newsletter, I would like to introduce the studio's dynamic staff--
beginning with a welcome to our Senior Designer, Eric Chenault, who
joined us in January, 2008. I am thrilled to report that Eric has
fulfilled our expectations in every way. His presence at Light
Projects has elevated our expertise in sustainable, human-centered
and technological design.
Another staff note falls
into the departures department: On behalf of us all at Light
Projects, a fond farewell to Junior Designer Stine Christiansen, who
returns to Norway.
With my
team, this decades-old dream of interdisciplinariansm is firmly
based and thriving. Light Projects' designers, artists and
administrators collectively embody a vision of lumenizing and
humanizing cities-- breathing life into the nighttime
environment.
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  Eric
Chenault,
Senior
Designer
The
Senior Designer role at Light Projects is critical. Eric
Chenault brings his lifelong passion for light-- as a material
having unique qualities and functions. He has contributed his
lighting expertise --in theater, exhibition and architecture -- to
international and domestic projects for more than a decade. He
integrates creative concepts and their technical solutions,
articulating ideas in verbal and illustrative forms. Through
his work at Light Projects, Eric looks forward to evolving urban
environments of light. He is particularly inspired by three
Light Projects endeavors currently under way: the New York
Department of Sanitation Salt Shed; Port Authority's "Triple Bridge
Gateway"; and the East River Jewel Light initiative. "Where
else than Light Projects", surmises Eric, "do you find an artistic
way of lighting winter roadway salt, of encouraging kids to play in
the street on 9th Avenue, and proposing new ways to light all of the
city's bridges and waterfronts?" A native of Virginia Beach, Virginia, Eric now lives in Brooklyn.
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  Courtney
Hewitt,
Design Manager
Courtney
ensures that every Light Projects' client and job meets the highest
standards of design quality and project management. From concept to
implementation, Courtney's blend of creativity, tenacity and
follow-through are integral to the studio's relationship with
clients, designers and contractors. "Light Projects is always
infused with contagious energy and good humor" observes Courtney.
"Leni is an ideal mentor who challenges and motivates her employees
with elevated responsibilities and amazing project
opportunities." A graduate of Pratt Institute's Master of
Industrial Design Program -- and an award-winning furniture designer
with past work experience ranging from exhibition lighting to
graphic design -- Courtney looks forward to building Light Projects'
line of custom designs, including LED fixtures ranging from bridge
lights to pole tops. Courtney, a native of New Hampshire, lives in Little Italy,
Manhattan.
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Ute
Besenecker,
Design Manager
With
architectural training and advanced degrees from universities in
New York, Milan, Italy and Germany, Ute's broad design and
visualization capabilities were shaped through work experience with
architects in Europe as well as the United
States. As our Design
Manager, Ute incorporates all project stages. What Ute likes about
working at Light Projects: "Great team work, fantastic
co-workers. Leni is very inspirational and has a uniquely
open-minded, and creative approach to every condition, situation and
project. Everybody here is like minded and we complement each
other, as parts of a worthwhile endeavor to make living environments
more livable and more fun." Ute was born in Berlin, and now resides in the northern
Manhattan reaches of Washington
Heights. |
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  Darlene
Myrie,
Intern
Darlene
Myrie, our summer intern, has become part of the support team at
Light Projects', assisting with a variety of projects. Darlene
-- with a background in landscape architecture, urban geography and
fine arts -- is well-suited to Light Projects' interdisciplinary
milieu. She is currently studying lighting design at Parsons
-- including Leni's "Designing Urban Nighttime Environments" class.
Notes Darlene, "LSLP is keeping pace with global changes by
strengthening both internal collaboration and external collaboration
with diverse and highly skilled consultants from a variety of
fields." She is pursuing licensure in landscape architecture.
Overall, her interests are in the research, planning and design of
context-sensitive, site-appropriate and pedestrian-friendly
environments. Darlene hails from Toronto and presently resides in the borough of
Queens. |
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 Stine
Christiansen,
[Exiting] Junior Designer
Light
Projects' Junior Designer is a true multi-disciplinarian with
responsibilities as materials librarian, draughtswoman and designer.
Stine's road to lighting design includes the study of veterinary
medicine, of interior architecture and art. Stine earned a Masters
of Fine Art from Parsons School of Design in 2007. During her last
year at Parsons, Stine studied with Leni Schwendinger. Stine's
thesis project, "Roadway tunnel lighting: Exploring the innovative
use of light and art for a safer driving environment", led to her
speaking engagement at the 2007 Public Lighting Design Conference in
London. Stine, "The LSLP
studio is willing to look beyond what is thought possible to do.
First is always what we would
like to do, and further down the line is how it will be done. And it
always gets done!" Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Stine grew up primarily in
Bergen,
Norway. She speaks six
languages and currently resides on Manhattan's Lower East
Side.
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  Walter
Ramin,
Studio
Manager
The
Studio Manager role at Light Projects is complex and many-faceted.
Walter's responsibilities include operations, human resources and
financial concerns. His determination and managerial skill ensures
that Leni and the Light Projects staff are able to meet in-house and
client needs efficiently and effectively. Walter has a long
administrative history with varied clients from hedge-fund
investment firms to recording studios. He is a member of the
Society for Design Administration, and when not endearing himself to
LSLP's client accounts- receivable departments, Walter can be found
playing guitar onstage at the Bitter End and other venues throughout
the region. Brooklyn-born Walter now hangs his hat in
Hoboken.
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  Kristi
Kent,
Art
& Marketing Coordinator
Kristi's
position at Light Projects was created especially for her, in order
to fulfill two roles: traditional artist assistant working
side-by-side with Leni while simultaneously deploying her
communications expertise as LSLP's marketing coordinator.
Kristi channels her knowledge of contemporary art and art practices
as a means of sharing LSLP's vision with the world. Her
technical and creative thinking inform her approach to projects and
public outreach. She is currently developing a retrospective of
Leni's work. Kristi received her MFA from the Yale School of Art in
2005, where she was awarded the Barry Schactman Prize for Excellence
in Painting. Her works have been exhibited in venues
including Los
Angeles' Carl Berg Gallery and the Santa
Monica Museum of Art. |
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In
the News...
MEDIA______________________________________________________________________________
Event Design Magazine, February/March 2008:
The Speed of
Light
Metropolis Magazine, June 2008:
Text
Message
AWARDS____________________________________________________________________________
SEGD
Merit Award for Chroma Streams: Tide and
Traffic
Society for Environmental Graphic Designers
(SEGD)
Light
Projects is the recipient of 2008's Society for Environmental
Graphic Designers (SEGD) "Award of Merit" for the public
artwork CHROMA STREAMS: TIDE AND TRAFFIC. SEGD is an
international non-profit organization providing resources for design
specialists in the fields of environmental graphic design and
architecture, and as well as landscape, interior, and industrial
design. SEGD membership includes leading designers of directional
and attractional sign systems, destination graphics, identity
programs, exhibits and themed environments. Among the jury's
comments of Chroma Streams: "A night rainbow. Magic. Glasgow sings
a colorful opera from the bridge and it also makes the river
dance."
International
Women's Entrepenurial Challenge (IWEC)
Manhattan Chamber of
Commerce
Leni
Schwendinger was one of the three women chosen to represent
New
York in 2008's International Women's
Entrepreneurial Challenge. Awardees of the IWEC are selected
on the basis of their success in exporting their goods or services
to the overseas marketplace. A joint project initiated by the
Barcelona Chamber of Commerce -- in association with
India's
Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry and New York's
Manhattan Chamber of Commerce -- The International Women's
Entrepreneurial Challenge promotes global dialogue on women's
entrepreneurship to forge partnerships and networks among women's
business association, enterprises and entrepreneurs worldwide.
Leni
Schwendinger Light Projects, LTD
One of New York
State's "Top
100 Women Owned Businesses"
Diversity Business
Light
Projects has been selected as one of New York
State's "Top
100 Women Owned Business List," published by DiversiyBusiness.com,
the nation's primary resource portal for small businesses and large
organizational buyers. A membership-based exchange platform that
facilitates contacts and communication by aggregating supplier
diversity tools, streamlined business processes and vital business
information, DiversityBusiness.com's Div100 is the 8th annual
listing of top 100 women-owned businesses. As a continuing
challenge to misconceptions and long-held notions about gender and
business, Div100 members are sought after by major corporations
wishing to invest in diversity.
LECTURES___________________________________________________________________________
 Leni
Schwendinger Speaks at Subtle Technologies
Festival
Subtle
Technologies
Last
month, Leni was a featured speaker at Toronto's Subtle Technologies
Conference. This year's topic, Light, brought together creative
practitioners from diverse fields for a week long program of
symposia, workshops, exhibitions, screenings and performances to
examing developments at the intersection of art, science and
technology. The topic of Leni's presentation was "Creating
Imaginative and Practical Public Lighting
Strategies.
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In
New York
City...
Light
Projects Employment
Opportunities
We
are seeking a technically-oriented individual to join our staff as a
Lighting Designer. The successful candidate will have minimum 2-5
years of design or engineering experience to be a leader in the
efficient production of materials for a wide variety of projects at
the highest quality level. |
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Join
Us - Collaborate, Share Knowledge,
Referrals
LSLP
is focused on attracting the most interesting, creative projects and
clients. Our work currently resides in two areas. The first area is
design for public and civic space; such as landscapes, cultural
institutions, transportation facilities and infrastructure. The
other primary area is artwork commissioned by agencies, owners and
architects. Fusing both domains, we are developing a product design
division. Light Projects continually seeks to share knowledge and
expand our horizons. If you are interested in creating opportunities
and new possibilities together, we invite you to contact us and
visit our light filled studio in Hell's Kitchen, New York
City.
Thank you for being a part of
Light Projects' luminous world!
Sincerely,
Leni Schwendinger
Leni Schwendinger Light Projects
LTD.
Copyright
2008 Leni Schwendinger Light Projects LTD |
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T:
212.947.6282
admin@lightprojectsltd.com
336 West
37th Street, Studio
1410
F:
212.947.6289
www.lightprojectsltd.com
New York,
NY 10018
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