Lighting design Intern, Summer 2014
In lieu of a bio, Principal Designer Steven Young asks our interns questions about their experience at Visual Terrain. Here are Amy’s responses:
AMY:
1. In your studies, you are concentrating on Architecture and Engineering, what made you want to learn more about lighting design?
AT: I think lighting is a discipline situated perfectly between architecture and engineering. There is an artistic element to it in that it can help create or enhance spaces or make a statement, but there is also a distinctly technical side to lighting that utilizes aspects of engineering. I felt that lighting would be a nice middle ground between these interests of mine.
2. So far, what’s your favorite part about Visual Terrain, Inc.?
AT: I love getting to work on such a wide range of projects. The spectrum of work Visual Terrain does is so broad and varied that I feel like I have in my time here consistently gotten exposure to dramatically different things. It keeps it really exciting.
3. I hear that you were able to go to Lightfair with the VTI team, what had the biggest impact on you there?
AT: Lightfair was amazing! I learned so much about the variety of up-and-coming technology and products in the lighting industry. I got to meet people in the field and talk to designers and representatives from all over. It was also fun to travel with the team!
4. What do you hope you will learn most from your time at VTI?
AT: One of the things I was most curious about upon coming into this job was lighting applications in atypical spaces or places. I feel like thus far I have not been disappointed in learning this; I have worked on a lot of themed entertainment projects, which introduced me to a whole world of lighting that is completely unlike anything I’d ever studied in school.
5. Did your time with Visual Terrain affect your career or academic plans in any way?
AT: I feel more certain than ever that lighting design will be an area of emphasis for my studies as I pursue my master’s degree in architecture starting in the fall.
6. How much was the work you did/experience you had at Visual Terrain different from what you expected before you started?
AT: I was really amazed at how much valuable work and responsibility I was given; I feel like I got to genuinely contribute on projects in a meaningful way right from the start, something I don’t know that a lot of internships offer. I also learned so much more than I ever could have hoped to in three months about lighting, the design process, and the way in which projects ultimately come together. Furthermore, I could not have imagined how much fun I would have working here in this great work environment with some really tremendous people. I would say that the way in which my actual experience differed from my expectations is that my internship here exceeded my expectations in virtually every way.