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Bright Ideas: Exploring Ways to Document Dan

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DOCUMENTATION Francesca Esmay*
Solomon R Guggenheim Museum,
NewYork, NY, USA
(Dia Art Foundation, New York, NY, USA, 20062010)
fesmay@guggenheim.org
Tom Learner
Getty Conservation Institute,
Los Angeles, CA, USA
tlearner@getty.edu Bright ideas:
Alan Phenix
Getty Conservation Institute,
exploring ways to
Los Angeles, CA, USA document Dan Flavins
aphenix@getty.edu Fluorescent Light
Jim Druzik
Getty Conservation Institute,
Los Angeles, CA, USA
jdruzik@getty.edu
*Author for correspondence

Keywords: Dan Flavin, fluorescent Introduction

lamps, spectroradiometry, obsoles-
cence
Abstract
For more than 30 years, Dan Flavin (1933-
1996) worked with commercially available
fluorescent light, in a limited range of colors
and fixture length. Despite the regularity of
his medium, his palette can expand dramati-
cally, with subtle variations and combinations
of color appearing across the walls, floor, and
ceiling of a given artworks setting. This be-
comes particularly complex when different
colored lamps are combined in one work, or
the work is integrated into more complicated
architectural settings. Standard photography
of his work is notoriously difficult and inaccu-
rate, and an effective method for documenta-
tion is required as fluorescent lamps become
difficult to obtain and inch towards total ob-
solescence. This paper discusses some of the
salient features of Flavins working methods,
the overall documentation requirements, and
progress to date on exploring spectroradiom-
etry as a technique for measuring and char-
acterizing the spectrum of radiation emitted
from his palette of fluorescent lamps.
Rsum
Pendant plus de 30 ans, Dan Flavin (19331996)
a travaill avec des tubes fluorescents au non
vendus dans le commerce, dans une gamme
limite de couleurs et de tailles. En dpit de
la rgularit de son mdium, son registre est
incroyablement tendu, avec des variations
subtiles et des combinaisons de couleur qui se
dploient sur les murs, le sol et le plafond dun
site donn. La situation se complique lorsque
plusieurs tubes de couleur sont combins dans
une mme uvre, ou que luvre sintgre dans 2007, a law that requires roughly 25 percent greater efficiency for artificial
un ensemble architectural plus complexe. La
photographie ordinaire est notoirement diffi-
cile et inapte documenter son travail, de sorte
quune mthode efficace de documentation
est requise, dans la mesure o les tubes fluo-
For more than 30 years, Dan Flavin (1933-1996) produced works of art
using electric light. Early on, he incorporated incandescent materials,
but he is most well known for the works he created using commercially
available fluorescent lamps and fixtures. Flavins work ranges from simple,
stand-alone compositions to large barriers, corridors, and other large scale,
site-specific engagements within architectural conditions and settings,
both found and defined by the artist.
Despite the regularity of his medium, there is variation in color and
equipment due to the way the artist worked and the nature of the materials
themselves. Flavin generally had works made for exhibitions at the time
and in the place of his shows. European lighting equipment differed from
American equipment, colors varied by manufacture and date, and he
often experimented with differently-shaped fixtures. Furthermore, given
the way his works are integrated into various architectural contexts, his
color palette can expand dramatically, with subtle variations in color and
intensity appearing across the walls, floor, and ceiling of a given artworks
setting. This issue becomes particularly complex when different colored
fluorescent lamps are combined within one artwork or installation.
The issue of rarity and variation in Flavins materials has only increased
since the artists death in 1996. Certain equipment is no longer available
off the shelf and needs to be ordered in bulk or be custom made, and
consequently many institutions stockpile lamps in an attempt to ensure
availability for the near term (Figure 1). While it is still possible, though
increasingly costly, to acquire most of the materials Flavin used, it is
likely to become significantly more difficult in the foreseeable future as
this type of equipment becomes obsolete. As various environmental and
energy conservation regulations go into effect it will become impossible for
manufacturers to sell fluorescent lamps to a wider market and therefore it
will become increasingly difficult to purchase these materials commercially.
The US Congress passed the Energy Independence and Security Act in
light sources beginning in 2012. This requirement will then be expanded
to require 200 percent greater efficiency by 2020. This will effectively
ban the sale of most current incandescent light bulbs. Fluorescent lamps
are not exempt from the trend towards increased efficiency. Revised

1

DOCUMENTATION
rescents sont de plus en plus difficiles trouver
et menacent de tomber dans lobsolescence.
Cet article discute de plusieurs aspects fonda-
mentaux des mthodes de travail de Flavin,
des critres gnraux de documentation et des
avances ralises ce jour grce lexplora-
tion de la spectroradiomtrie comme technique
de mesure et de caractrisation du spectre de
rayonnement mis par lventail de ses tubes
fluorescents.
Resumen
Durante ms de 30 aos, Dan Flavin (1933
1996) trabaj con luz fluorescente disponible
comercialmente, cuya gama de colores, as
como la longitud de los soportes, eran limita-
das. A pesar de la regularidad de su medio, su
paleta se puede expandir dramticamente, con
variaciones sutiles y combinaciones de color
que aparecen en las paredes, suelo y plafones
de las instalaciones de una pieza de arte deter-
minada. Esto se vuelve especialmente complejo
cuando se combinan lmparas de diferentes
colores en una obra, o cuando el trabajo est
integrado en contextos arquitectnicos com-
plicados. La fotografa estndar de su trabajo
es especialmente difcil e inexacta y se requiere
un mtodo efectivo para su documentacin,
ya que las lmparas fluorescentes se vuelven
difciles de conseguir conforme tienden a ser
obsoletas. Este artculo analiza algunas de las
sobresalientes caractersticas de los mtodos
de trabajo de Flavin, los requisitos generales de
documentacin, y los avances hasta la fecha en
la exploracin de la espectro-radiometra como
tcnica para medir y caracterizar el espectro de
la radiacin emitida por su paleta de lmparas
fluorescentes.
Figure 1
Stockpiled fluorescent lamps stored at
the Dan Flavin Ltd Studio, 2009, New York.
Photo by Tom Learner
Bright ideas: exploring
ways to document
Dan Flavins Fluorescent
Light
standards will cause the diameter of fluorescent lamps to shrink by a
third, thereby substantially altering one of the key sculptural components
of Flavins artworks.
All of these factors underscore the need to comprehensively document
Flavins materials and outline a strategy to fabricate replacement fluorescent
materials when they are no longer commercially available. These research
needs sparked a collaboration between Dia Art Foundation, the Flavin Estate,
and the Getty Conservation Institute, designed to undertake a thorough
documentation of Flavins equipment and determine means to analyze
and measure the color and intensity of Flavins fluorescent lights. Now
continuing with collaboration from the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum,
which has received funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for
this purpose, the research goals are to devise a methodology to accurately
measure the color of emitted light from fluorescent lamps and create a
matrix of materials to inform custom formulation of Flavins fluorescent
media in the future.
Flavins Fluorescent Lamps
The equipment that Flavin used was, for the most part, made from standard
size fluorescent lamps and fixtures in 2', 4', 6' and 8' lengths. His chosen
color palette of fluorescent lamps came from commercially available
colors and included green, blue, pink, yellow, red, filtered ultraviolet, cool
white, warm white, daylight, and soft white. The range of lamps includes
mainstream, high volume products from the major manufacturers General
Electric, Philips, Sylvania, and Osram.
As with any electric light, fluorescent lamps need to be replaced as they
fail. However, unlike other light sources, such as tungsten filament bulbs,
fluorescent lamps do not usually reach an abrupt failure point; instead they
gradually lose their performance over time as a consequence of their use.
The useful lifetime of linear fluorescent lamps can be anything from 5000
hours to 60,000 hours depending on the operating conditions and type of
control circuit. The point at which a lamp is considered ineffective and
needing replacement is dependent on the specific illuminating function
and context; some contexts may allow a greater tolerance of reduced or
altered radiant output than others.
Occasionally other elements of the electronic equipment need replacing
as well. It was Flavins practice to replace the metal fixtures for the lamps
if they became old, rusted, or damaged. Towards the end of Flavins life,
however, the equipment became harder to find on the commercial market
and correspondingly, became more expensive to purchase.
Therefore, as original lamps fail, serious questions are emerging concerning
applicable standards for replication of an original standard or the substitution
of new technology. Alternatively, a number of museums and collectors
have begun commissioning custom-designed replicas of vintage lamps and
fixtures, although such a strategy conflicts with the lamps original identity
2

DOCUMENTATION
Figure 3
Flavin, untitled (Marfa project), 1996, the
Chinati Foundation, Marfa, TX. Detail of
installation indicating color and intensity
shift after 2004 lamp replacement. Photo by
Francesca Esmay
Figure 2
Flavin, untitled (Marfa project), 1996, the
Chinati Foundation, Marfa, TX. Detail of
installation indicating color and intensity
shift before 2004 lamp replacement. Photo
by Francesca Esmay
Bright ideas: exploring
ways to document
Dan Flavins Fluorescent
Light
as an object commonly available off the shelf from ordinary hardware
stores. Complicating this situation is the fact that Flavin sometimes openly
claimed his work would inevitably be affected by lamp failure and expire.
In 1982, for example, he said these monuments only survive as long as
the light system is useful for 2100 hours.
One of Flavins major installations, (untitled) Marfa project, 1996, clearly
illustrates the issue of color variability inherent in fluorescent light. A six
part installation in pink, green, yellow, and blue fluorescent light, (untitled)
Marfa project was first installed in 2000 at the Chinati Foundation in
Marfa, Texas (Figure 2). In 2004, the piece had reached the point where
it needed a substantial round of lamp replacement. Out of the total 366
lamps in the entire piece, roughly 280 were changed out. When the new
set of lamps were in place, a noticeable shift occurred for three separate
aspects of color in the piece (Figure 3): the appearance and quality of
color when a lamp was viewed directly, the color of reflected light on the
walls and throughout the interior of the space, and in the balance achieved
between colors, particularly with regard to the relationship between the
yellow and blue fluorescent light. These shifts represented a substantial
change in the installation and raised questions: are these color variations
significant or detrimental to Flavins work and, if so, in what way?
In addition to the issues surrounding longevity and variability of the lamps,
there are also issues related to setting, since Flavin was often motivated to
alter works to suit the conditions of a particular space. As a result, when
choices are made regarding placement of new installations, does this
compromise a works authenticity? One illustration of this is Flavins strong
objection to a 1988 installation of untitled (to Jan and Ron Greenberg),
197273 at the Museo Reina Sofia in Madrid (Figure 4). In addition to
the works width being extended, it was placed in a tall, vaulted space,
preventing the fixtures from fully obstructing the passageway, which is
how the work is meant to function (as seen in Figure 5). With Flavin no
longer able to provide instruction for each new installation, such alterations
can compromise the notion of authorship, and as a result parameters for
posthumous installation are difficult to define.
Documentation of Fluorescent Lamps
When examined closely, the documentation of a Flavin work is guided
by four key factors:
the color of the surface of the fluorescent lamp when viewed directly
the color of the light that is emitted from the lamp
the intensity of the light that is emitted from the lamp
the way in which the color and intensity of a given lamp combines with
or impacts an adjacent fluorescent lamp of another color.
To date, the study has involved the spectroscopic analysis of fluorescent
lamps currently used and distributed by the Flavin Estate. These were
3
 Bright ideas: exploring
ways to document
DOCUMENTATION Dan Flavins Fluorescent
Light

made available for a study of both their phosphor powder coatings and
quality of emitted fluorescent light. Details of these lamps, including
product-specific information contained in manufacturer-applied markings,
are given in Table 1.

Table 1
Product details of Flavin fluorescent lamps contributed to the project Dan Flavin Ltd Studio, New York. With
the exception of the General Electric Trimline T8, these lamps are all 2, 1.5 diameter, 20W T12-type lamps

Manufacturer/ supplier Designation/description/label Remarks

General Electric Trimline T8, 17 Watt. 3500K
F17T8SPX35
General Electric F20T12BLBBLACKLIGHT USA
Philips Warm White
20 Watts, F20T12/WW, USA, A7
Sylvania [1] GTE, Cool White Sylvania Product No. 22078
20 Watt; F20T12/CW, Cool White phosphor, 4200K
46135 22078
Sylvania [2] GTE, Warm White Probably Sylvania Product No. 22131
20 Watt; F20T12/WW Warm White phosphor, 3000K
Sylvania [3] GTE, Daylight Probably Sylvania Product No. 22083
20 Watt; F20T12/D Daylight phosphor, 6500K
Tudor F20T12/GREEN/BP-20W
Electric (?) MADE IN USA
07-3380
Unknown F20T12/RED-20W
MADE IN USA
05-01715
Unknown F20T12/PINK-20W
MADE IN USA
25KDS2
Unknown F20T12/BLUE-20W
MADE IN USA
05-34014
Unknown F20T12/GOLD/BP-20W
36511 USA CE Hg
08-10616
Unknown 3500 BLACKLITE
F20T12/BLB;
USA I/C
Unknown INDUSTRIAL SPECIAL LONG LIFE
F20/BLB BLACK LIGHT BLUE
Figure 5 USA
Flavin, untitled (to Jan and Ron Greenberg)
(197273), artist-supervised installation at 1
For technical specification, see: http://ecom.mysylvania.com/sylvaniab2b/b2b/catalogstart.
the Guggenheim Museum SoHo, New York, do?search=quick&query=*22078*
1995-1996. Photo by David Heald
2
http://ecom.mysylvania.com/sylvaniab2b/b2b/catalogstart.do?search=quick&query=*F20T12/WW*
3
http://ecom.mysylvania.com/sylvaniab2b/b2b/catalogstart.do?search=quick&query=*F20T12/D*
Figure 4
Flavin, untitled (to Jan and Ron Greenberg)
(197273), as installed at the Museo There is almost nothing written in conservation about the challenges
Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid, of measuring differences in self-luminous objects, and it was therefore
in1988. Photo by Raphael Lobato
necessary to look to the lighting or visual display industries to find models
to emulate. For colored objects, chromaticity coordinates (x, y, z) and
CIELAB (L*a*b*) have become the methods de rigueur for reducing
color appearance to a manageable level along with the various metrics
for quantifying change in CIELAB color space (E). However, there is
another color space, CIELUV, which has always carried the misconception
that it should be employed for lights and displays while CIELAB is for

4
 Bright ideas: exploring
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DOCUMENTATION Dan Flavins Fluorescent
Light

reflected surfaces. CIE never intended this and both can be used for either
subject. Berns et al. (2000) indicate that CIELUV may have received this
misconception because it is based on a uniform chromaticity diagram
which is preferred in the lighting industry.

For this reason, Flavin lamp chromaticity was examined using the CIE 1976
UCS diagram which is a more uniform color space with coordinates defined as
u' and v'. From this color space simple statistics can be calculated on average
Flavin lamp chromaticities, and ultimately it should be possible to recommend
acceptable and unacceptable color differences. This does not avoid the need to
analyze spectroradiometric quantities associated with Flavins works because
the interrelationships between fluorescent colors as they mix on wall surfaces
is also dependent on lamp luminosities. Typically, we would wish to augment
chromaticity with radiometry and photometry.

A Spectrascan PR-670 (Photo Research Inc) spectroradiometer with a

lens-based detector was used to collect the data. Figure 6 shows a typical
set up with the spectrum of a green lamp being collected. In this image
two other lights are also turned on (red and pink) but do not interfere at all
with the spectrum being measured. The source being measured is focused
through a camera-style eyepiece and the measurement aperture is selected
to match the targeted area. Typically this can be varied from a fraction
of a degree to several degrees and, if a larger sample size is desired, the
distance can be varied. This class of instrumentation has NIST traceability
in accuracy and precision.
Figure 6
Spectrascan PR-670 (Photo Research Inc) As an example of the results that can be obtained from spectroradiometry,
spectroradiometer collecting a spectrum
from the green lamp from the Dan Flavin
Figure 7 shows the emission spectra of five fluorescent lamps used by
Ltd Studio, with a red and pink lamp also Flavin: red, green, pink, blue, and yellow. CIELUV chromatic coordinates
visible can be calculated from these data. In addition to the markedly different
colors of these lamps, the emission spectra also give indications of the
strong variation within the group in terms of radiance, reflected by the
integrated area beneath the spectral curves. The red tube, in particular,
Figure 7

0,80

0,60
Radiance (watts/sr/m2)

Green
Pink
0,40 Red
Yellow
Blue
0,20

0,00
380 480 580 680 780
Wavelength (nm)
Figure 7
Spectra of green, pink, red, yellow, and blue lamps from the Dan Flavin Ltd Studio, New York

5
 Bright ideas: exploring
ways to document
DOCUMENTATION Dan Flavins Fluorescent
Light

has much lower overall radiance it simply does not generate much light.
Not surprisingly, when evaluating the spectrum of the white lamps: warm
white, cool white, and daylight (Figure 8), the warm white has the strongest
emission in the yellow-to-red part of the spectrum and the lowest in the
blue; the daylight lamp is characterized by the most uniform distribution
of wavelengths.
Figure 8

0,20

0,16

Radiance (watts/sr/m2)
0,12 Cool
White
Daylight
0,08

Warm
White
0,04

0,00
380 480 580 680 780
Wavelength (nm)
Figure 8
Spectra of cool white, daylight, and warm white lamps from the Dan Flavin Ltd Studio, New York

The values of radiance (in watts per steradian per square metre) for each of
the differently colored Flavin lamps are given in Table 2, which confirms
the significantly lower output of the red and yellow tubes. When normalized
to the brightest lamp in the group of colored tubes, it can be seen that the
red lamp radiates only 10 percent of the energy of the green. The spectral
emission characteristics of a lamp are, however, only one factor that
contributes to our visual perception of it. The visual brightness of a lamp
is influenced also by the correspondence of the spectral emission with
the spectral sensitivity of the human visual system. How bright a light
source appears to our visual system is defined by its luminance, measured
in candela/m2. Luminance data for the colored and white Flavin lamps
are also given in Table 2.

Table 2
Radiance and luminance data measured for the colored and white Flavin lamps

Lamp Type Green Pink Red Yellow Blue Cool White Daylight Warm
White
Radiance (w/sr/m2) 22.76 18.94 2.23 9.58 18.15 17.12 18.99 16.79
Normalized 1.00 0.83 0.10 0.42 0.80 0.90 1.00 0.88

Luminance (cd/m2) 11480.00 5409.00 241.20 4294.00 913.30 5992.00 5842.00 6222.00
Normalized 1.00 0.47 0.02 0.37 0.08 0.96 0.94 1.00

For the white lamps, the warm white is the brightest despite having the
lowest overall radiance; the cool white and daylight lamps are 96 percent
and 94 percent as bright, respectively. The colored lamps vary enormously

6
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DOCUMENTATION Dan Flavins Fluorescent
Light

in terms of luminance. The green has very high luminance, on account

both of its high radiance (22.8 w/sr/m2) and the coincidence of its spectral
emission with the spectral sensitivity of our visual system, which has a
maximum at 555 nm wavelength in the green region. The red lamp is quite
dim by comparison: its luminance is just 2 percent of that of the green
lamp. In visual terms, the blue lamp is also quite dim (just 8 percent of the
luminance of the green), even though its radiant output is moderately high
(80 percent of the radiance of the green). The reason for this is that the
blue lamp is emitting most of its energy in a portion of the spectrum where
our visual system has poor sensitivity. The blue lamp peak is near 440 nm
where our system has roughly 10 percent of the photopic sensitivity.

Conclusion

Dan Flavin is the most widely recognized 20th century American artist
using fluorescent light to give form and color to his art. As discussed,
variation is inherent to Flavins artwork and was, to a degree, historically
accepted since the artist was using industrially produced materials. This
project seeks to document the artists practice and range of media, both in
terms of creating a historic reference regarding the materials used, and in
terms of creating a standard by which fluorescent lamps are reproduced
in the future given their pending obsolescence.

The data presented here are the first steps towards quantitative description
of the color palette of Flavins fluorescent lamps, and measuring the
variation of these properties over time (emission spectrum, radiance, and
luminance) is an important project goal to aid in understanding the color
shifts that may occur in his works over prolonged periods of operation.
The strong variation in luminance of colored lamps that is particularly
important because the relationship of mixed colors is sensitive to differential
losses between lamps.

However, there are inherent difficulties and risks in defining Flavins

colors too narrowly. For example, in the attempt to define a standard
or original, or authentic, would a standardized and non-varying color
palette be imposed? Would this erase variation as an inherent, and perhaps
significant, aspect and attribute of Flavins artwork? What would be lost if
a specific color formulation is defined for each of Flavins ten fluorescent
colors? Will the variation inherent in the manufacturing process phosphor
formulation, phosphor density, glass tube production, aging lamps, etc.
contribute to continued range and variation in the color and intensity of
Flavins fluorescent materials anyway? Clearly, there are great difficulties
in documenting Dan Flavins artworks. This is a crucial aspect of the
study to consider in order to assist with future needs for reproduction of
the artists materials to a given specification and standard.

References

Berns, R.S., F.W. Billmeyer, and M. Saltzman. 2000. Billmeyer and Saltzmans
principles of color technology. New York: Wiley.

7
 Bright ideas: exploring
ways to document
DOCUMENTATION Dan Flavins Fluorescent
Light

Butler, K.H. 1980. Fluorescent lamp phosphors: technology and theory. University
Park, PA: Pennsylvania State University Press.
Kitai, A.H. 1993. Solid state luminescence: theory, materials and devices. London:
Chapman and Hall.
Ronda, C.R. 1997. Recent achievements in research on phosphors for lamps and displays.
Journal of Luminescence 7274: 4954.
Srivastava, A.M., and C.R. Ronda. 2003. Phosphors. The electrochemical
society. Interface Summer: 4851.
Yen, W.M, S. Shionoya, and H. Yamamoto, eds. 2007. Practical Applications
of Phosphors. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.

Materials list

Photo Research, Inc., 9731 Topanga Canyon Place, Chatsworth, CA 91311-4135, USA
http://www.photoresearch.com/current/pr670.asp

Appendix 1
Fluorescent lamp phosphors
The history, technology and science of fluorescent lamp phosphors is widely described in
the literature. An excellent introduction to the subject can be found in the short reviews
by Srivastava and Ronda (2003) and by Ronda (1997), and more detailed, comprehensive
accounts are given by Butler 1980, Kitai 1993, and by Yen et al. (2007).
The fundamental process by which fluorescent lamps operate involves conversion of the
ultraviolet emission generated by a rare-gas/mercury discharge plasma into visible light at
high quantum efficiency. Fluorescent lamps effectively consist of a discharge lamp which
has on the inside a coating containing one or more phosphor compounds; the phosphors
absorb the emitted UV and re-emit radiation at longer wavelengths.
Although not the first generation of fluorescent lamp phosphors, the revolutionary innovation
of the 1940s, which led to the broad commercial development of fluorescent lamps, were
halophosphate materials: essentially calcium halophosphate [Ca5(PO4)3 (Cl, F)] doped/
activated with Sb3+ and Mn2+ compounds. The blue Sb3+-activated emission in combination
with the complementary yellow Mn2+-activated emission provided a resultant white light.
The color (temperature) of the lamp can be varied by varying the proportion of Mn 2+ or
the relative proportions of Cl and F in the halophosphate. Generally, now, halophosphate
phosphors find use only in low cost, low specification products.
The major technological development since the 1970s has been the adoption by manufacturers
of rare-earth triphosphors, which offer the possibility of high efficiency and high color
rendering. Triphosphor lamps contain three phosphors that each emit in relatively narrow bands
respectively in the red, green and blue parts of the spectrum. The most common red-emitting
phosphor is europium (Eu3+)-activated yttrium oxide; green-emitters are commonly terbium
(Tb3+)-activated cerium magnesium aluminium oxide (CeMgAl11O19) or terbium (Tb3+)- and
cerium (Ce3+)-doped lanthanum phosphate (typically La0.60Ce0.27Tb0.13PO4); blue-emitting
phosphors are usually (Eu2+)-activated Sr/Ca/Ba/Mg chloroapatite [(Sr,Ba,Ca)5(PO4)3Cl],
or (Eu2+)-activated barium magnesium aluminate [BaMgAl10O7 ]. By blending together the
red, green and blue phosphor components in the correct proportions, a net white output of
various hues can be generated, usually giving a distinctive triple-peak emission spectrum
for white triphosphor lamps. Cooler color temperatures are created by increasing the relative
proportion of blue-emitting phosphor.
Some manufacturers publish the composition of their lamp phosphors (see, for example,
http://www.sylvania.com/BusinessProducts/MaterialsandComponents/LightingComponents/
Phosphor/FluorescentLamps/)
Speciality colored fluorescent lamps will be created by inclusion of particular phosphors
to give the specific color intended.

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