International Day of Light 2021

To shine, to communicate, to disappear and to appear: this is the essence of light

– Adrienne von Speyr –

History and Grounds

Today 16 May we celebrate the International Day of Light, proclaimed by UNESCO to highlight the importance of light and the fundamental role it has for science, art, culture and everyday life of each one of us.

The first celebration is rather recent as it dates back to 2015, when this day was chosen in honour of the anniversary of the first artisan creation of a laser (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation) with ruby crystal, that actually took place precisely on May 16, 1960, thanks to the physicist and engineer Theodore Maiman. The laser was chosen as a perfect example of how a scientific discovery can bring revolutionary benefits to society, in communications, in healthcare and in many more fields.

Already during the first year of such celebration, under the guidelines of UNESCO, 147 countries adhered to the initiatives and activities connected to technologies and light, for a public of over 100 million people.

International Day of Light therefore is today a global initiative that offers a vital hint for the continuous appreciation of light and of the role it has within science, culture, art, education and sustainable development, as well as for medicine, communication and energy.

The purpose of the International Day of Light

This Day, other than reminding us of the great achievements obtained in the last decades thanks to the study of light (such as photosensitive materials, life-saving diagnostic equipment or medical treatments), wants to demonstrate how scientific commitment can be a strong engine for the wellbeing of the whole planet, starting precisely by the impact that light and technologies linked to it have in our everyday life and how they can help to fulfill UNESCO’s goals: education, equality and peace.

Patrizia Volpato and its commitment in the development of photonics technologies

Here at Patrizia Volpato other than designing and creating high quality lighting items, we also care for new implementations within lighting and its technologies. Our activity, in fact, also deals with experimental research and development of new technologies within the lighting sector.
Recently we have committed to the development of hardware prototypes within a path regarding the development of Smart Lighting and in general of Smart Building. We really do believe that integrating the most recent technologies IoT of Smart Lighting in different scenarios of everyday life can help to support the principles of accessibility and inclusivity that also are a symbol of the International Day of Light.

Precisely because of this belief we actively participated in the Domho Project (Domotics System IoT integrated with a major Cyber Security for Smart Buildings) for the “Support to the partnership activities of R&D for the development of new sustainable technologies, as well as of new products and services”.
Within this sector, we have contributed to the integration of lighting products to the world of Smart Home thanks to some experimental activities related to the new ELIV technology that enables to remotely and totally control the lighting items of any space.

We truly believe that the International Day of Light is an important moment to remember how light influences and will influence even more every aspect of our life, improving its quality and always putting the end user at the center of the design of any lighting item.