Charter of the American Institute for Advanced Light Research
Preamble
The American Institute for Advanced Light Research is founded on the conviction that light is not only a physical phenomenon, but a medium of meaning. Across disciplines, traditions, and eras, light has served as both metaphor and measure, of time, of truth, of vision, of the unknown. This institute accepts light as a subject worthy of serious inquiry, not only through physics or optics, but through artistic, philosophical, and metaphysical exploration.
Article I: Mission
The mission of the Institute is to advance the understanding, use, and symbolic potential of light through creative research, public exhibitions, and interdisciplinary inquiry. We explore light not only as illumination, but as a force of transformation, one that shapes perception, alters matter, and communicates energy across space and time.
Article II: Scope of Work
1. To conduct and publish research that investigates how light interacts with material, emotion, memory, and cultural narrative.
2. To serve as a platform for contemporary and historical inquiry into light’s role in human meaning-making, from sun worship to simulation theory.
3. To cultivate partnerships between artists, scientists, philosophers, and technologists in pursuit of shared revelations about the nature of reality.
Article III: Programs
The Institute will carry out its mission through:
1. Research-led Projects: Provide fellowships and commissions supporting researchers, artists, scientists, authors, and philosophers who engage with light as a subject.
2. Publications: Producing catalogues, white papers, essays, and experimental documentation.
3. Dialogues: Hosting conversations, salons, and symposia that cross disciplinary boundaries.