Light as an artistic tool of designing the architectural and urban environment

The article examines light as a tool of architectural and lighting design and a mean of artistic expression, which creates new social messages and influences environmental objects and the architectural environment. Within the scope of the tool, techniques of artistic lighting are researched and formed, traditional and innovative lighting tools of emotional and figurative formation of the urban and architectural environment from the standpoint of artistic design are determined. Traditional means and devices are lenses, optics, developer, LED and craft lamps. Innovative means and equipment are projectors, lasers, video mapping, theatrical elements, musical accompaniment, interaction through websites and mobile devices, management of the cloud environment using system controls, copywriting based on social messages and senses. As a result of the study, light methods of artistic design were considered, specifically transformation, digital art, emotional disclosure, city landmark, keeper of history, optical metaphor, fusion with nature, and types of artistic lighting were formulated. The analysis of the examples also allowed us to determine specific types of artistic lighting and light artistic effects: functional, atmospheric, optical, media or digital, combinatorial type with shadow and caustic effects. For each type of lighting, unique techniques and means of environment organization are formulated for each of the three levels: urban, architectural and object-spatial. The usage of methods, techniques and tools is possible both combined and separately. Their harmonious implementation and usage form an emotional interactive lighting architectural and urban planning environment with its own atmosphere and rules of perception. Successful operation of certain methods and means within each of the formulated types of environment lighting could express emotionality and social messages. Their organic interaction is possible applying an artistic approach based on the combination of philosophy and social messages with aesthetics and modern technologies and that encourages social responsibility and self-organization.