How do we humans feel the light? Is there a correspondance between our inner feelings and emotions and the outer space that surrounds us? Are we aware/conscious of it? Which personal meanings-values and emotions arise in us and how we consequently link them to a certain light-environment Atmosphere (indoor and outdoor) lit by natural or artificial light? Driven by these questions, this thesis will investigate via a visual qualitative experiment driven among photography amateurs, how their emotional sensibility is deeply bonded with light and how this emotional atmosphere is felt and portrayed throughout the day. A collection of two pictures per day, for one week, in the morning and in the evening will be firstly analyzed under the lens of each singular participant’s emotional sensibility, and then collectively grouped into common lighting Atmospheres. The wide and colorful spectrum of the possible combinations between light and emotions investigated in this research shows the richness and the complexity of the human sensibility towards light, and raise awareness in consider these intangible human factors as essential in the lighting process.

This research aims to make the first step in the direction of creating guidelines to use for building an instrument capable to collect information about citizens’ emotional reaction toward their city.Through the use of an existing mobile application meant to collect data about one’s own emotions I tried to evaluated the availability of people in sharing how they feel.Later on, based on the evaluations of this app, I created two subsequent analog prototypes that can be placed in urban spaces to collect people’s place related emotions. The devices have been used both inside the university and in open urban spaces in Malmö. Using the experiences made with these prototypes, concerning the availability of people in sharing their emotions about spaces, this thesis is used to develop guidelines and design opportunities for further development of interactive street furniture designed to collect place related emotions.