ABSTRACT

This chapter considers how the everyday apprehension of place is shaped by the play of light and the distinct forms upon which it shines. Variegated patterns of sunlight and shade tone familiar space with colours, shadows and textures. I identify these conditions, first through considering human optics, second, via the quality of light that shines on place, third, according to the material affordances of place, and fourth, through the influence of cultural representations. Subsequently, I discuss the distinctive ways in which light and shadow fall on particular places, before examining how the light of place has been represented in painting and photography.