Light pollution is independent from the properties of light. It is a pollutant that arises from the misguided use of light sources by people. Thus, a huge portion of the problem can be reduced by increasing knowledge of the subject where it occurs from simple households to large commercial industries. The Light Pollution Photography and Videography Contest hopes to achieve a global outreach that will improve education about the subject and reduce humanity´s light pollution output. We also hope that participants in the Contest would strive to improve the planet and create a more beautiful, ideal lifestyle.
A setting with improperly designed light fixtures and excessive light trespass may harm human biological functions and natural ecosystems. There are many examples of the affects of light pollution: an unwanted light from a neighbor's light that keeps you up at night, a poor harvest caused by a streetlight, headaches caused by city billboards, the incessant singing of cicadas due to bright summer nights, urban sky glow that not only prevents you from seeing the beauty of the stars but also obscures migratory birds' navigational cues that causes their death.
The growth of crops near the night lights is abnormal when they bloom and come into ears. These crops, rice plant, bean, perilla, sesame, red bean, foxtail millet, corn and pumpkin, are growing up normally with 12 hours sunshine and below, but some are overgrown, cannot bear fruit, and having late-blooming phenomena caused by heavy streetlight, car headlight and mega city's lights. Also, spinach, barley, wheat, crown daisy and mustard plant are having some poor harvest problems due to early-blooming phenomena with this light pollution.
Insects are sensitive to light. If firebugs disappear from strong light to the mountain, then moths will be gone because they will fly at the light instead of firebugs. Established night road lamps in reservoirs, forests, rivers and lakes can bring the extinction of specific species, or change of the neighbor ecosystem. Regarded as noise pollution, singing cicada in the deep summer night actually caused by light pollution which providing the disturbance of cicada's ecosystem.
There are many extinct migratory birds lost their destination without navigation information by stars and moon due to the light pollution, and also hundreds of dying birds hit the bright telecom tower at night. Nocturnal animal owls flying at night are having a survival problem caused by too bright lights.
All living creatures in the earth are programmed to distinguish the day and night, and operate physiological functions according to a circadian rhythm by the light. However, brighter nights than days and too much light disturb the human biological rhythm and physiological functions to lose the healthy life without even knowing it.
Living creatures on the earth maintain our lives, and develop the civilization with the energy of light which provided a proper amount at a proper time for us. However, healthy light is disappearing now with the unnecessary, exaggerate and polluted light environment. The image of light life, creation and coexistence is dropped off as the image of pollution. Accidents, diseases and extinction of animals and plants are showing because of the light. Although its potential and utilization are huge, human civilization will lose healthiness and possibilities for development as we cannot deal with the current light pollution which brings a disappearance of healthy light and culture.
The reason why the light pollution is so scary, it shows not only the physical environmental pollution but also the loss of philosophy of humanity about the light. If the healthy light misses a original purpose to humans and nature, it is just an illuminant not a light. The Lighting should have the philosophy itself, and just a light without it can be a pollution factor. Now, the light environment and the industry around us have to be healthy, and discussed in depth with many aspects and considerations of ethical, cultural and philosophical points. Lighting Museum hopes that many people have opportunities to meet and understand the light pollution with the Light Pollution Photography and Videography Contest. We also hope people work together to prevent light pollution, and make the better light of tomorrow.
Korean