We are pleased to announce the publication of a piece by Jo Entwistle and Don Slater: ‘Light as material/lighting as practice: urban lighting and energy’ in the Science Museum Group Journal – available online here. This is a contribution to a special issue on ‘Material Cultures of Energy, guest edited by Frank Trentmann.

‘Energy use literally pulses with the life of inhabitants’– using insights from our two diverse research projects in Derby and Cartagena, this article contributes to debates around energy saving lighting strategies by arguing that their efficacy depends on attention to both the specific material properties of light and to the very diverse practices through which people shape and use it. Public lighting is part of an ‘informational ecology’ including professional practices such as design and planning and the familiar everyday practices staged in streets and public spaces