Illuminating the night, eclipsing life

Have you ever wondered why streetlights now point downward? Light is a fundamental part of our environment—both in public spaces and inside our homes. However, excessive lighting, especially at night, can have negative consequences for us and for our natural heritage. How many times have you driven at night and been blinded by the headlights of the car behind you?

The same thing happens to many of our small nocturnal neighbours. Surprisingly, light pollution receives very little attention. In this talk, Beatriz Díaz and Alberto Castro, biologists from the Aranzadi Science Society, will shed light on this issue and its current trends, inviting us to reflect on how we can minimise its impact.

This event is part of the exhibition Limina. Cosmopolitan Chicken Project by Belgian artist Koen Vanmechelen. Specifically, it connects with the work Instead of Sleeping, in which Vanmechelen, in collaboration with moth expert Bart Van Camp, explores the presence of nocturnal butterflies—key indicators of the health of our ecosystems. The project studies the relationship between light, darkness, and life rhythms, raising questions about how the artificiality of our society transforms both nature and our own lives.