Museum Lighting Case Study: Managing Flicker Risk in Dimmable Exhibition Lighting with MK350S Premium
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Spectral and Flicker Measurement for Museum Exhibition Lighting
From conservation lighting to visitor comfort — one spectrometer, every metric that matters
Museums face a persistent tension in how they light their collections. Reducing illuminance is one of the most effective tools for slowing light-induced deterioration of sensitive materials — textiles, works on paper, pigments, and organic artifacts all accumulate irreversible damage with cumulative light exposure. LED fixtures, with their fine-grained dimming capability, have made this kind of intensity control far more practical than it was under legacy lighting technologies. But dimming introduces a risk that is easy to overlook: depending on the driver’s dimming method, flicker may increase as output is reduced, potentially affecting visual comfort for some visitors.
This case study explores how a museum can evaluate flicker risk in its dimmable exhibition lighting using the UPRtek MK350S Premium Handheld Spectrometer, with reference to IEEE 1789 recommendations and SVM (Stroboscopic Visibility Measure).
The Challenge: Dimming for Conservation, at the Cost of Flicker Risk
Conservation-driven lighting design starts from a simple principle: less light exposure means slower degradation. For this reason, museums routinely dim exhibition LEDs well below their rated output, particularly for light-sensitive collections displayed for extended periods.
What is less widely understood is that dimming is not a neutral operation from a flicker standpoint. Depending on the LED driver and dimming method, reducing light output can alter the modulation characteristics of the light source and may increase flicker-related metrics at certain dimming levels. Flicker is not always consciously visible to visitors, but depending on its characteristics, it may affect visual comfort for some individuals — a consideration in galleries where visitors may spend extended periods viewing individual pieces.
For museums, this creates a real conflict: the same dimming strategy adopted to protect a collection can undermine the comfort of the people viewing it. Recognizing this consideration, the museum’s team turned to UPRtek’s Flicker Handbook to better understand IEEE 1789 and SVM as frameworks for evaluating flicker — the two frameworks most directly relevant to assessing flicker risk in dimmed LED lighting. What the team needed next was a way to actually measure and verify flicker performance against these guidelines, rather than relying on fixture datasheets or subjective visual assessment.
Normalized light output and flicker metrics at different dimming levels
Evaluating Flicker Risk with IEEE 1789 and SVM
To address this measurement need, the museum selected the MK350S Premium for on-site evaluation of flicker under actual dimming conditions. Its dedicated Flicker measurement mode provides on-site measurements of key flicker parameters, including flicker percentage, frequency, and SVM, giving the team data they can use when evaluating lighting performance under different dimming conditions, allowing the team to evaluate fixture behavior at different dimming levels, rather than relying solely on measurements taken at full output.
The Flicker Handbook also gave the team useful background for understanding and interpreting the measurement results. Rather than treating flicker readings as isolated numbers, the team can interpret them in the context of IEEE 1789 recommendations and SVM assessment criteria, helping identify how different dimming levels and driver behaviors may affect flicker performance and visual comfort.
This approach can make flicker evaluation a practical part of the museum’s lighting process: instead of relying on manufacturer specifications alone, lighting teams can measure fixture performance on site and assess how it changes across the dimming levels used for an exhibition.
Flicker readings from the MK350S Premium
Supporting Collection Conservation and Visitor Comfort
By evaluating flicker performance alongside illumination levels, museums can continue to use dimming as an important conservation strategy while also considering visitor visual comfort. Measuring fixtures across their dimming range can help lighting teams identify configurations that show elevated flicker-related measurements at lower output levels, providing an opportunity to review fixture or dimming choices before installation.
More broadly, on-site flicker measurement can become a repeatable part of exhibition lighting evaluation — supporting new fixture selection, exhibition redesigns, and re-evaluation when lighting configurations change.
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Summary
Protecting a collection and protecting the visitor experience are often framed as competing priorities, but they don’t have to be. The MK350S Premium gives museums the ability to measure key flicker parameters on site and evaluate lighting performance with reference to IEEE 1789 recommendations and SVM assessment criteria. Resources such as UPRtek’s Flicker Handbook can also help lighting teams understand these metrics and interpret measurement results.
Together, they help museums move beyond simply dimming lights and hoping for the best — toward exhibition lighting decisions informed by measured flicker performance as well as illumination requirements.
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About UPRtek
United Power Research and Technology
UPRtek (est. 2010) is a manufacturer of portable, high-precision light measurement instruments; Handheld Spectrometers, PAR meters, Spectroradiometers, Light Calibration Solutions.
UPRtek HQ, R&D and manufacturing are all based out of Taiwan, with Worldwide representation through our certified Global Resellers.
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