Windows of Light
Author: Lina Ghotmeh
Publisher: Lars Müller Publishers (Zumtobel Group's 2023/2024 Artistic Annual Report)
Zurich, Switzerland, 2024 (290 pages, hardcover)
ISBN: 9783037787762
Windows of Light is an exploration by Lebanese-born architect Lina Ghotmeh of light as both a physical phenomenon and a social connector, presented as field notes that delve into the symbolism, myths, and innovations surrounding light and its fundamental role in shaping biological, astronomical, and architectural environments. The book's first chapter, "Archeology of Light," investigates light's origins, measurement, and capture across diverse cultures, bringing forward marginalized and non-Western perspectives through a series of illustrations, while a closing photographic essay documents Beirut's electricity crisis. Within this archaeological exploration of light, the "Discovery of Fire" section draws on Ibrahim Rashid's paintings of fire, using his imagery as a visual reference point for the book's broader meditation on light's earliest human origins.