The Biophilic Effect: Hidden living patterns within the dance of light

‘Healthy cities’ and ‘wellbeing’ are currently the most topical and misused words in our global society. We see them being used in discourses about new strategies and policies to create urban environments often masking a failing ‘healthy economy’. This discourse is the result of our human-made environments as a consequence of our Western quest for ‘development’, ‘economic renewal’ as part of our global urbanisation. Such quest appears to be casting aside our primal knowledge of living structures and systems, our important, spiritual and innate affiliations to the natural world that we are part of, and thereby loss of biophilia. Drawing from the authors’ previous work and extensive research in biophilia, Indigenous knowledge systems, design and art practice, guided by a recent applied research project, this paper investigates Biophilia Pattern # 6 ‘Dynamic and Diffuse Light’ in relation to the 15 Biophilic Patterns now internationally advocated. The project, and Pattern referred to, is as a consequence of applied research that has charted the integrated ecological design and holistic health philosophy for the Melbourne Metro underground station design as set out in Creating Healthy Places (2017). We know that movement through underground station complexes invokes sensory experience, demonstrating the importance of artificial and natural light in affecting our physiological and psychological wellbeing. We argue that hidden patterns within light activated by design and participation can enhance user arrival/navigation/exit experiences. We will demonstrate our findings through engaging site responsive processes by testing immersive experiences within a built structure, as well as a comparative sensory participation in the Otway Ranges. Utilising artistic practice we identify our innate dance with light, information that can be applied to design. Furthermore these findings raise the potency of incorporating Indigenous Dreamtime and spiritual values to their deep connections to Country. The paper’s narrative concludes with recent findings as to the potential of the biophilic effect to improving human wellbeing in our urbanised world.