The titan was greatly punished for his deed because the gods feared their brilliant flame would give humankind greater power than they possessed. Howard Brandston, adjunct profesor at the Lighting Research Center and world-renowned lighting designer, pictured with his two hunting dogs, Purdey and Corey, at his Hollowville home in Columbia County. We have not been transformed into gods because of Prometheus' gift. Yet the flame we have cultured to brighten the depths of darkness has allowed us to take full command of not only how we live, but who we are, how we think, how we express ourselves to others. The power of illumination as an art form, bringing out deep emotion and wonder of the individual, is what Howard Brandston has worked to achieve around the world for the past 35 years.
Light is the primary fact of our existence.
It governs our daily life in the most basic and comprehensive ways,'' says Brandston, a world-renowned lighting designer and adjunct professor at the School of Architecture's Lighting Research Center at Rensselaer. Since Brandston opened his lighting design firm in 1966, he has received countless awards from professional associations, including the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America and the American Institute of Architects. As an energy conservationist, Brandston, who wrote the mathematical equation for lighting standards in the first U.S. energy code, helped set the initial energy standards for lighting from 1975 to 1985. Brandston is probably best known for relighting the Statue of Liberty as part of the 1986 restoration of the 150-foot copper monument that stands in New York Harbor as a symbol of freedom and opportunity. The year marked the centennial of France's gift of Lady Liberty to the United States to commemorate the American Revolution.