- The new lighting system allows not only to save energy, but also to conserve and better appreciate works of art.
- The partnership with the MUNAL is an example of the company’s commitment to the conservation of Mexico’s cultural and artistic heritage.
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Iberdrola México Foundation donated to the National Museum of Art (MUNAL in its Spanish acronym) a new low-energy lighting system that allows visitors to better view colors, details, and textures of artworks displayed.
This system, composed of rails and LEDs, was installed in the nearly 1,000 square meters area of the temporary exhibition rooms under a collaboration agreement entered into between Iberdrola México Foundation and the MUNAL last February.
This partnership “reflects the commitment of Iberdrola México and the MUNAL to the conservation of Mexico’s cultural and artistic heritage”, said Liébano Sáenz chairman of the board of trustees of Iberdrola México Foundation.
With this lighting system that reduces by 85% annual energy consumption and CO2 emissions to the atmosphere compared to incandescent lights, “we contribute to the development of a sustainable energy model for Mexico,” he added.
The new system allows to view 95% of artwork colors – too close to 100% when seen in natural light. Former lighting in these rooms allowed to see 80% of the colors.
“At the MUNAL we are excited for the opportunity given by the Foundation to exhibit artwork in a more appropriate way for the benefit of our audiences. Donated lamps and rails provide a professional, distinct and ecological lighting in our temporary exhibition rooms”, stressed Sara Gabriela Baz, director of the MUNAL.
The donation totaled over $1 billion pesos for the purchase of LEDs, rails and other lighting system components. The MUNAL carried out an architectural lighting project to determine technical material needs.
“We realized that the former strategy allowed visitors to appreciate art pieces with limited colors and had only 2 types of optics, with very restricted flexibility to light up the rooms. Now, with more than 15 optics available, the museography and curatorship teams can use lighting as an additional tool in museum display, which was hard to incorporate into or conceive with the former lighting system”, said Carlos Hano, director of Lightchitects Studio, in charge of the lighting design.
Donated lights also help conserve artwork with a lighting level control fitting. Thus, artwork that is more sensitive to light, like watercolors and drawings on paper, can be directly illuminated without compromising them.
Iberdrola México Foundation’s initiative belongs to its art and culture pillar, which aims at conserving and protecting Mexico’s cultural heritage.