An architectural history of light―both natural and artificial―and its physical, sociopolitical and spiritual properties

Beirut-born, Paris-based architect Lina Ghotmeh (born 1980) specializes in ultra-contemporary, sustainable public and industrial buildings made from locally sourced natural materials. Her 2023 design for the Hermès leather workshop in Normandy, using the region’s traditional bricks, was the first manufacturing building in France to achieve net-zero carbon emissions. Light, another natural and physical phenomenon, has also been another source of inspiration for Ghotmeh. Her research on this topic, collected in Windows of Light, draws upon examples from centuries of visual culture. Ghotmeh explores the symbols, myths and innovations of light, and outlines how it fundamentally shapes our biological, astronomical and architectural environments. Anchoring the many representations of light is a photographic narrative that reminds us that access to artificial light in many regions of the world remains a privilege rather than a righ