LARA LIGHT

Artist • Author • Healer • Explorer of Light & Perception

Life has taken me in some unexpected directions.

My working life began on the streets of Johannesburg, where I trained and worked as a paramedic in 1991.

For two years, I encountered people during some of the most difficult and vulnerable moments of their lives. Eventually, I experienced burnout myself.

A move to Grahamstown brought a different chapter, teaching first aid at St John Ambulance.

Then, in 1996, I made another significant change. I decided I could no longer work for a boss and began making kaleidoscopes full-time with my partner at the time.

From emergency medicine to teaching, and then into a world of mirrors, light, colour and extraordinary geometric patterns. Not exactly a conventional career path!

But what followed became a lifelong exploration of the human experience.

Over the years, my work expanded through colour therapy, Kaleidoscopic Light Therapy, intuitive healing, art and the development of my own approaches to understanding how we experience ourselves and the world.

Today, I’m a healer, artist, author and explorer of light and perception. But those titles tell only part of the story.

What continues to fascinate me is being human: what we carry, what shapes us, what we recognise in ourselves and what becomes possible when something changes.

And after all these years, I’m still curious.

The Science of Perception

What happens when we become curious about the way we see?

My journey began with making kaleidoscopes alongside Turid, exploring the possibilities of light, glass and mirrored geometry.

Over the years, our work grew into handcrafted optical instruments, commissions and immersive light experiences.

But what fascinated me increasingly was not only what we created, but what happened when people looked.

I watched people become absorbed, laugh, fall quiet or respond emotionally to patterns of light and colour.

And I began wondering why the same visual experience could affect people so differently.

That curiosity eventually changed the direction of my work.

DISCOVER LARA LIGHT

Where Would You Like to Begin?

Three interconnected areas of my work, uniting art, perception and reflective practice.
01

Light Experiences

Explore immersive light, colour and pattern through installations, guided experiences and shared encounters.

02

Light Literacy™

Discover a practical approach to exploring perception, attention and your own responses to the world.

03

Writing & Research

My forthcoming book, Kaleidoscopic Light Therapy, published by Inner Traditions in 2027, and my continuing enquiry into the experience of perception.

My Approach

Perception is a practice.

I believe the person experiencing the work remains the authority on their own experience. Rather than prescribing what a colour or pattern should mean, I create opportunities to look, notice, question and discover.
CREATIVE PILLARS

The Medium of Light

Light Experiences

Discover a practical approach to exploring perception, attention and your own responses to the world.

Light Literacy™

Discover a practical approach to exploring perception, attention and your own responses to the world.

.

Kaleidoscopes

Explore handcrafted LightScopes, kaleidoscopes and optical creations made to inspire curiosity and wonder.

.

Commissions

Explore bespoke optical creations, branded kaleidoscopes and collaborative projects for individuals and organisations