Art of Darkness as Cultural Heritage of Urban Landscape

1) Raise awareness of darkness as a cultural asset:
Promote well-designed darkness through architectural lighting and light art in cultural heritage contexts.

2) Conduct pilot trials:
Study and develop sustainable dark-time experiences in cultural heritage sites across five countries through co-design with local stakeholders.

3) Develop the Art of Darkness Piloting Model:
Create a replicable model for implementing dark-time design strategies in other regions.

4) Support policy development:
Translate project results into roadmaps and policy briefs to influence sustainable urban and cultural heritage practices.

5) Foster collaboration and innovation:
Build partnerships between cities, researchers, and creative professionals to strengthen cultural heritage and CCI sectors.

• Strategies for integrating darkness into sustainable and aesthetic lighting design for urban and cultural heritage environments.
• A replicable piloting model for dark-time experiences in cultural heritage contexts.
• Policy recommendations for sustainable and innovative cultural heritage management.
• Enhanced collaboration across disciplines and sectors, contributing to cultural and economic development.

• Eindhoven University of Technology
• University of Bologna
• Aalborg University
• Tallinn University of Technology
• Montpellier Metropolitan Municipality
• City of Tallinn
• City of Oulu
• LUCI Association
• Finnish Light Art Society FLASH

Tell us which places in Oulu feel pleasant or unpleasant during dark hours – and why.

We invite you to take part in the survey about how you experience darkness in your city.

The survey takes approximately 20 minutes and includes map-based and reflective questions.

Your answers will help us understand how darkness influences life, well-being, and creativity in urban spaces. The information gathered through this survey will help guide the development of inclusive, sustainable, and meaningful nightscapes across European cities.

Survey: Share your experiences of urban darkness

What does it look like in Pikisaari after dark?​

Follow a short (about 0,5 km) pre-planned route in Pikisaari during dark hours and share your perceptions with the researchers via online survey.

Follow the route at your own pace. (It is a good idea to reserve about 30 minutes for the walk.) If possible, avoid using a flashlight or headlamp. The survey includes map-based and reflective questions.

Your input helps us to develop new kinds of design perspectives for lighting urban and cultural heritage environments.

Survey: Art of Darkness Dark-time walk

Welcome to discuss light and darkness in cities with the project’s researchers at Tellus Avenue and take part in the study!

How do Oulu’s landscapes during the dark season appear to you? Join the international Art of Darkness as Cultural Heritage of Urban Landscape project by marking Oulu’s good and bad dark-time places on the map, or later by following a mobile app–guided walking route set by researchers to observe dark-time Pikisaari.

The Art of Darkness project explores and develops the use and experience of cultural heritage sites during darkness in five European countries. The research material collected now will be used in an artistic lighting experiment, which will take place in Oulu’s Pikisaari as part of the Oulu2026 European Capital of Culture events.

Events: Researchers’ night