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Light – the Natural Force that Makes Things Visible

By Adriana Arminio - 15 December 2025

“Light is a force of nature. We human beings are also a force of nature, especially if we can stay united”. German architect and confirmed activist, Anna Heringer, sees light as a social and moral force, a physical and metaphorical entity that reveals situations and contexts that our all-pervasive, Westernized, capitalist world tends not to see. This year’s edition of Zumtobel Group’s Artistic Annual Report – which each year presents an in-depth study on light as an artistic medium by a leading contemporary artist – titled Light – The Natural Force that Makes Things Visible, takes readers on an intercontinental design exploration, from Bangladesh to Ghana via Austria, illustrating the role of design as a tool for unity and change. The common thread running through this year’s study is the Dipdii Textiles project started by Heringer in the village of Rudrapur, Bangladesh: a craft-production workshop linked to an ethical, sustainable supply chain developed to empower local women. Heringer’s approach, in the book as in life, is profoundly optimistic. Here, textiles produce a weave of connections between people, things, and nature where care, beauty and light have brought about life-changing transformation.

INTERVIEW WITH ANNA HERINGER

The book uses light as a metaphor to make diverse people and situations “visible”. How did you interpret the theme “Contemplating Light”, commissioned by Zumtobel, and how did you go about your research?

The book was an extraordinary opportunity. It was like being given a torch that allowed me to shed light on people, materials, and contexts that are usually passed over. Mine was a very personal approach. There is so much darkness in the world today: around politics, the climate, society, and so on. Dwelling on this darkness drains me of energy. I feel powerless....