Experimentation: UV Light
I got a 20 Watt UV light to experiment with so I can figure out how many lights I'll need and where and how to place them to get the best effect. The day I experimented on was quite dark and gloomy.
Full Light - overhead and natural:
Though the exhibition won't be in full light, as it doesn't have overhead lights fitted, this was more of a precaution to see if it would work in full lighting. It does work though the effect is minimal and appears very faint. I tried it with the light flat against the table which gave quite a good impression, I then moved the light above and here it didn't work so well. The further I moved the light, the less visible it was which was to be expected. I then tried it at the edge of the table almost underneath it to see if this worked, it lit up the glass but the writing became unclear, the plates were kind of visible but generally it didn't work too well as I thought.
Natural Light - natural lighting only
Again the day I did the experiment on was very dark and dull so this made the room darker than it would be on a sunnier day. However, because the walls of my piece are 8' this I'm hoping with block a lot of the lighting so it will be quite dark.
Low Light - with blinds shut
I then tried it with the blinds shut as it made the room even darker and may make it more effective. I'm not sure how I mimic this really low lighting in the exhibition, may by adding some kind of fabric roofing, like pond liner. I'll have to trial and error it.
