A poet among architects, Bobby McAlpine is known for his lyrical approach to light. An amplitude of windows—frequently linear, occasionally circular, but always of extraordinary quality—is a hallmark of his work, which is especially true of his own Atlanta home, seen here. As important as light’s presence may be, so, too, is the absence of it. “There has to be darkness to realize that there is light,” McAlpine explains.
Here, he reflects on the subject for LUXE.
On the Subject of Light
Whether light is too much
Or too little,
It is a life force to get to know well.
The way we sequence it in varying measure
Is akin to touch and affects us emotionally.
The great companion of light is shadow.
Their need for one another
Gives definition to the visual world.
It can emote and dramatize a feeling.
It can tell a particular story as distinct as song.
Light in even measure can be as dull as a classroom
But in partnership with shadow can be beatific.
It can calm and quiet us as well as uplift us.
If it is pulsed instead of broadcast, it can be kind
Like the dappled light of a forest before a clearing.
It can be carried by a pale floor or
Haloed by the depth of thickened walls.
It can be blanketed through pattern
Falling cast over possessions.
It can change states and be made liquid
By imperfect glass.
Managed to a narrative
It is a gift and a merciful given.
— Bobby McAlpine
