Light up Ninja at Kowloon Park, Hong Kong Create Future City by Lantern ! 2016.02.19-02.20　　Blanche Lam+Yin Yin Fung+Yuko Wong+Candy Cheung　 This is the first Lighting Detective event in Hong Kong! This workshop is led by 2015 Bi-city Biennale of Urbanism\ Architecture to explore people’s vision of Hong Kong nightscape. Over 150 participants take part in this meaningful workshop to create future city by lantern. Beautiful lanterns created Under Hong Kong edition of the 2015 Bi-city Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture (the Biennale), Light up Ninja came to Kowloon Park to hold the lantern creating workshop. The theme of this year is ‘Visions 2050: Lifestyle and the Smart City’, we would like participants to play with Light and imagine Future City through Lantern Making. The vision of the younger generation is the key for creating the city of the future. We encourage kids and adults to create and express the future through lantern making. Participants would enjoy their lantern display and find out comfortable relation between Light and Shadow at Kowloon Park. We had three workshops which were for university students, kids and open to public. Over 150 participants created lanterns to share their ideas during the workshop. (Yuko Wong) ■Day 1: Student Workshop /Lantern Creating Workshop. Participants and LPA staff group photo Several Tertiary and University students came to Kowloon Park and joined this workshop. After the speech from Mr. Paul Chu, the representative of Hong Kong Institute of Architects Biennale Foundation…

12th Annual TNT Forum：2015 / Mexico City 2015.11.19-21　 The world`s most populous city, Mexico City. A city with a long history and lots of charm, this was the venue for the 12th annual Transnational Lighting Detectives Forum, the largest forum in the books yet. Architecture students from the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM) were the center of the 3-day forum focusing on SENSING LIGHT – FEELING LIGHT. The Mexico City nightscape comes with many problems and we worked with local students to examine how local residents asses the nightscape and addressed ideas for improvements or upgrades. Presentation on Last day of the forum ■Day 1: Orientation The orientation was held at the Museo de Luce, a building over 400 years old. The workshop started by dividing into 6 teams of 10 participants and 2 TNT members. Museo Medicine Museo de Luz ■City Night Walk Asking question during Night walk The night walk focused on six distinct areas in Mexico City. 1. Plaza Santo Domingo, an area bustling with people during the day. 2. Temple Mayor Area, an area of Aztec ruins. 3. Madero Zocalo, a historical area popular with tourists. 4. Alameda Park, the oldest park in Mexico City is also a local oasis and place of relaxation. 5. Revolution, the area near the Monument to the Revolution. 6. Reforma, the central business district. These are places people seem to gather also at night, but also have visible problems…

2014.10.02-10.05　　　　　　　 The 11th Forum was held in Madrid, Spain. A city with very old history, however, the theme was〝NEW CITY_NEW PEOPLE_NEW”and we talked with Madrid residents about the city’s lighting now and in the future. Symposium Talk Show Pre-event – Talk Show A panel of 5 Lighting Detectives and 8 local Madrid artists, designers, and creators each gave a short 10 minute talk. Ｄａｙ１ Orientation Orientation began with the introduction of the Lighting Detectives and members, the purpose of city walks, and how city walks are conducted. Participants were then divided into 4 groups to discuss chosen survey areas. Students who did preliminary surveys of the areas explained theories on lighting heroes and villains and discussed the basic lighting environment. Initucion Libre de Ensenaza Orientation Night Walk After discussing possible problems in the 4 areas, the groups set off on their 3-hour city walks. Surprisingly, all groups had a difficult time finding lighting heroes. After discussing possible problems in the 4 areas, the groups set off on their 3-hour city walks. Surprisingly, all groups had a difficult time finding lighting heroes. Team 1: Triball Triball is an area which has mixed characteristic located in the city center of Madrid. There are streets with high brand stores and department stores as well as streets with many prostitutes standing. They are all happens in the same district. We could find variety of phenomenon here. Team 2:The Casa de Campo The Casa de…

2014.06.24-06.29　　　Ai Sohara+ Mami Ichida With the population of 60 million and the 2nd largest country in South East Asia, Myanmar has not yet been well-known to the world because of its isolated policy for over a half century. Reforming as a democratic nation in recent years, Myanmar is now developing very rapidly and its cities are witnessing fast urban growth. The survey was made to “unveil” the role of light in three different cities. Sulepaya, View from the Surepaya As darkness falls over Yangon, the former capital of Myanmar, golden pagodas enhance its majestic presence in contrast to the modest living environment. These brilliant pagodas symbolize the faith of the local people. Street light at Naypyidaw Nay Phi Taw, the vast but empty new capital, seems the only city without electrical problems. Unlike other cities, road and public facilities are built with lighting technology and are well maintained. View from the Shwesandaw Pagoda The winning light in Old Bagan, where almost no artificial light can be seen, is absolutely during dusk. Watching thousands of pagodas turning into silhouettes and eventually merging into darkness creates the impression as if you are traveling back to ancient times.

East meets west in the Islamic streets of Istanbul, as quite unique light are unleashed. Light from many different directions is churned together, as in the bright light particles of the bazaar and the interiors of the mosque. A testimony of the Islam Religion is in the minaret floating in the silent shadows and the blue moon reflected in the Bosporus. From a hill above the old town, the moon reflects in the Bosporus Strait. The faint residential lights and hushed silence create a spiritual-like setting. The tall minaret towers emphasize the silhouettee of Hagaia Sofia (also spelled Ayasofya). During the summer months sound and light interact on the grounds in a dramatic show for viewers. Sound and light mysteriously interact inside the Blue Mosque. Visitors are left wondering: Where is the light coming from? Where is the sound coming from?

2014.03.31-04.06 Genki Watanabe + Hu Lin Dubai which becomes a hub in the Middle East. Since 2003 decade, sustained economic development of urban construction at the same time, decoration, lighting, etc also has a very significant change. This time, we investigated the city lights and light of life. View from the Burj Khalifa Dubai is separated by an old town from new town. From the birth of the new urban area in the desert, about the lights of the messy no uniformity, glare is very much also. Is old town which is driven by the local way of life, have a certain order of light in the evolution of the light environment. Too light or too dark in the space is more, the overall light environment in a state of disharmony. In a city there are two completely different forms of development order, and are looking forward to Dubai in future how to plan more mature light environment. The Dubai Mall Dubai’s sunshine time is long, many architectural practice break hot also consider natural lighting. In the Dubai mall every space has a unique Islamic architecture design, Ceiling. Interior lighting and day lighting harmonious blend in together. Day lighting is a good example. Deira Gold Souq Deira Old Souq （Spice Souq） Signboard light in old town

2014.02.01-02.11 Kanon Hujimoto + Mayumi Banno Italy is an irresistible destination to travellers from all over the world, including the Lighting Detectives. We toured three big cities, Rome, Milan, and Firenze, and two smaller cities, Bergamo and Siena, to discover the nightscape and compare the illumination of historical buildings and more modern structures. For most of the historical architecture we visited the light source and color temperature used depended on the building material and color, with a slight shift to the use of LED fixtures. In many churches and museums, the effective use of daylight incorporated into the structures was overwhelming. Piazza della Repubblica Lighting for Colosseum Papal Basilica of Saint Peter MAXXI Museo Nazionale delle Arti XXI Secolo, Completion: 2010 Galería Víctor Manuel II (left) and Duomo di Milan(Right) Compared to the galleria, duomo is roughly illuminated by flood light which makes details of architecture looks bit too flat. People are enjoying window‐shopping in the corridor inside of Galeria. Wall sconces give elegant vibrancy in the context of the last natural light of the day from the top light. Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, in Bergamo Collaboration of natural light and artificial light softly melt in the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, in Bergamo. We felt the solid relationship between the light and the religion. Cattedrale di Sant’Alessandro and the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore in Bergamo enveloped by fog.

September 20th-21st 2013 @ Xue Xue Institute Transnational Tanteidan Forum 2013 in Taipei http://www.xuexue.tw/tnt/ Theme: Taipei Nightscape and Lighting Identity Venue: Xue Xue Institute, Taipei, Taiwan Program: City Walk, Workshop, Exhibition, Pecha Kucha Night, Symposium Organized by: Lighting Detective　office@shomei-tanteidan.org Co-operated with Xue Xue Institute http://www.xuexue.tw/ Tainan Excursion Supported by Coretronic Fundation Schedule: September 1st, pre-workshop September 20th, Forum Day 1 September 21th, Forum Day 2 September 22th, Tainan Excursion September 1st, pre-workshop: workshop orientation and children`s workshop Pre-workshop: city walk Pre-workshop: measuring lux levels Pre-workshop: lighting hero and villians Pre-workshop with Mr. Mende Working on group panels Homework Review TNT members give advice during review. Presentation at Forum Presentation at Forum Panal Discussion during presentation TNT members at Taipei Forum 1. Pre-workshop Orientation　（5 groups ×9 people) ・Mr. Mende introduced the lighting detectives and how we conduct a city night survey. ・Each group decided which area they would like to talk about. ・Mr. Mende gave assignment to attendees to find their Hero & Villain of each location and make two panels; Panel 1: Introduce team members and survey area Panel 2: Evaluate their findings at survey area. . All members went to XinYi Area (Area 1) to see how we conduct a night survey. After a short introduction of the Lighting Detectives, Mr. Mende conducted a simple city walk orientation and explained the schedule up until the TNT Forum presentations. 45 participants were divided into 5 teams and each team decided…

New York is a modern city to beat all modern cities. Streets are lined with skyscrapers and the lighting adds to the excitement of the city. On the other hand, in neighborhoods like Chelsea, the lighting is minimal, creating a quiet and comfortable residential area. However, city street lighting has not advanced to support LED fixtures, along with businesses and public facilities which still use older lighting methods. New York is a city sensitive to crazes and fads, but the city doesn`t seem to have any interest in lighting trends. Office lighting is usually a cooler, whitish tone, but office lighting in NYC seems to hover around 3000k, adding a touch of warmth to this concrete and steel jungle. Colored LED lighting is used periodically throughout the city, but full-on flood lighting seems to be on the way out, creating a very refined NYC nightscape. A view of Manhattan from across the river. No lighting displays really stand out and there is no real facade lighting, either. Interior light escaping from windows is the main element of this famous nightscape. At dusk most windows are bright with light and help to outline each building, but as the interior lighting fades, the nightscape changes for a very dynamic view of the city. Memories of 911 are still fresh in NYC. The victims` names and a cascade of water are dimly lit at the memorial, still blanketed in a solemn atmosphere. Depending…

Chicago is the birthplace of the skyscraper and a city with a refined style of its own. However, the nightscape is basically assembled for crime-prevention with streets over powered by high-pressure sodium lamps and wrapped in an orange haze. We can only hope to see a more stylish Chicago nightscape in the near future. High-pressure sodium lamps create yellow lines of light across the Chicago landscape as viewed from the 103 floor of the Wills Tower. The lines of light extend as far as the eye can see, but it is not all that beautiful of a landscape, but more of a reflection of the fear and concern of criminal activity that might lie in the shadows. The view along N Michigan Ave. Trendy, retro street lamps line the avenue, but the light is diffused and not directed for a flat, blanket of light everywhere. Some of the more classic architecture has flood lighting along the ground level, but when combined with this method of street lighting it is not very effective. The lux level directly below a street lamp in 105lux, halfway between is 56lux and in the middle of an intersection we recorded 80lux. These numbers are too high, but maybe give residents and sense of security. Crown Fountain at night. In the park, artwork is lit up at night creating a vibrant area in the city.

Date: March 1st-3rd, 2012 Program: City Tour, City Survey, Workshop, Presentation, Symposium Venue: Bangkok Code, King Mongkut`s University of Technology Thnoburi The Theme for the 2012 TNT Forum was “Bangkok Lighting Identity” Participants worked in small groups at a workshop and city walk to gather information about Bangkok`s lighting environment and ended with an informal presentation at the forum. Other activities included a photo contests and symposium. The first half of the symposium featured six core members of TNT from Tokyo, Singapore, Beijing, Belgrade, Stockholm, and Hamburg. Each speaker presented on the lighting identity of their home city. The second half featured group presentations from the Bangkok workshop and city walk.

A Free and Open Public Participation event! Date and Time:Nov 2012 (Sat), 6:30 – 8:30 pm Venue: Merlion Park, One Fullerton@ Marina Bay Organizer: The Lighting Detectives Singapore In collaboration with: The Fullerton Heritage Supported by:　Japan Creative Centre Venue: Marina Bay Turn off the lights and take it slow. Candle Night @ Marina Bay, Singapore 2012 This year, we marked the 3rd Candle Night Event in Singapore. The Lighting Detectives and students from local schools created large-scale candle light installations around the Merlion Park and One Fullerton, while members of the public were invited to decorate lanterns to celebrate the Merlion`s 40th birthday. As Candle Night coincided with the Mid-Autumn Festival, visitors also paraded through the Merlion Park with their own lanterns and enjoyed candles in a peaceful and relaxing atmosphere.

Bangkok is a center of on-going development in Southeast Asia. Solemn Buddhism culture and lively night markets have developed side-by-side to create a modern, but chaotic city full of energy. Amongst the harmonious charm of the old and new along the streets of Bangkok we survived the lighting environment. Open-air restaurants on the top floors of high-rise buildings are very popular nightspots. From the 55 floor the energetic and chaotic atmosphere of the city is absent. Amongst the rows of tall buildings sodium lamps flood the streets with light creating the impression of a sprawling modern city. Street vendors line the sidewalks. Moving deeper into the night market, the booths are covered with various lamps and neon arranged without much thought other than to show off the merchandise. At one booth warm colored lamps were used to showcase warmer tones of accessories and whitish light reflected off the spangled jewelry. An hour’s drive outside of Bangkok is the town of Amphawa, famous for the Amphawa Floating Market. Along the narrow river are many lights that reflect of the surface of the water. The reflections create depth along the Chao Phraya River and a lively buzz along the riverbanks and streets of the town.

Berlin is a multi-cultural city. Amongst the streets dating back to the Middle Ages, are very modern buildings that mysterious blend perfectly with the historical surroundings. In conjunction with this city survey we also attended the Festival of Lights, a lighting event in Berlin that keeps growing every year. Around the city light up, projections, and installations are arranged expanding the event and developing a lively night culture in the city. Looking over the city westward from the top of the TV tower. The axis of Unter den Linden extends toward the brightly lit Brandenburger Gate. Around the Potsdamer Platz are several modern buildings, but over all flashy displays of light or advertising does not stand out. One installation cover the street corner is colorful messages. Old and young, after-hour office workers and tourists, the city is alive with pedestrians enjoying the light entertainment and actually become part of the installations themselves. Festival viewers are proactive; men and women, old and young, all are enjoying the light entertainment. An older group of gentlemen shower themselves in color light and play in the color shadows and several older women carry around a camera and tripod snapping photos here and there. The festival is not just about technological quality, but creating a fun and entertaining culture.

Date: June 23, 2012 “Turn off the lights and take it slow.” The Lighting Detectives became involved with the Candle Night Event in 2003, starting on Harajuku Cat Street. We then moved the annual event to Omotesando in 2005 and now 10 years later, a total of 345 staff members, including local art university students, Lighting Detective members, and day-of-the-event volunteers are needed to stage the one-night event. Candlenight@OMOTESANDO-Eco Avenue Our goal and particularly important part of the event this year is the continuation of charity donations and an event that includes the local flavor of Omotesando. It has been one year since the massive earthquake and tsunami destroyed parts of North-Eastern coastline of Japan; the donations collected at the 2012 Candle Night will also go towards this recovery and needs of the disaster victims. Event staff, volunteers, and university students set up tables near the candle installations along Omotesando to collect donations and sell homemade candles, with all proceeds to be donated. On the day of the event donations were collected for 3-hours from 7pm to 10pm for a total of \205,278!! This year, along with the conventional candle installations we also included a gallery event showcasing some of the fantastic original lanterns designed by local art university students and a panel of judges. Also, in coordination with a local bamboo lantern festival, lanterns carved from bamboo were also arranged along Omotesando. Visitors enjoyed the conventional Candle Night event…

A Free and Open Public Participation event! Date and Time: 5 Nov 2011(Sat), 6:30 – 8:30 pm Venue: Merlion Park, One Fullerton@ Marina Bay Organizer: The Lighting Detectives Singapore In collaboration with: The Fullerton Heritage Supported by:　Japan Creative Centre Held in: Marina Bay “Turn off the lights and take it slow” Candle Night, an environmental and energy conservation event that helps in finding one’s inner sense of time, is the brainchild of a non-profit environmental group in Japan. During this one night event, main building facilities are “lit down”, and candle light events are held. Previous Candle Night events include the Candle Night @OMOTESANDO ? Eco Avenue held since 2003. Last year, we organized the first Candle night event in Singapore, in which over 500 people and public participants created floating lanterns at the Marina Bay. For the 2011 Candle Night @ Marina Bay, the Lighting Detectives together with public participants will light up the Merlion Park and Promenade along One Fullerton in Marina Bay using candles prepared by the participants. Ambient lighting of the buildings in the vicinity will be dimmed in order to achieve the appropriate darkness required to enjoy the spectacle. Participating cafes and restaurants all along the waterfront will be able to enjoy a surrounding atmosphere of soft light with specially designed candles and lanterns in their outdoor seating areas. Using recyclable materials as the principal theme, young children as well as adult will create lanterns…

It is an island of light floating in the desert. Lighting technology in Las Vegas is not sedentary, but reinventing itself daily. How can we seize the inviting eyes of visitors? What is attractive lighting? In this place, day is night and night is day. Everybody’s internal clock has goes haywire. From the top of the Stratosphere Tower, the lights of The Strip appear out of the black desert, like the lights of a spacestation. Exterior lighting of the Venetian Resort Hotel. Tourists sit in front of casino slot machines 24 hours a day with no perception of time, since even during the day the interior is keep fairly dark.

Buenos Aires, aiming to become the Paris of South America, entertains a long siesta in the afternoon leading to a remarkable late nightlife. The atmosphere of these bright, flourishing streets could easily be mistaken for the middle of the afternoon. Where the air of excitement and chaos meet, this is uniquely South American. Diffused, shaded light gives the night scene along Alem Street a pleasant rhythm. The eaves extend out over the sidewalks creating an arcade that acts as a connector from the inside to the outside of buildings. Even at night, the arcades are brightly lit. Bold neon lights attract people to the game center.

The beautiful nightscape along the bayside is the pride of this tourist town. Picking up momentum from the 2000 Summer Olympics, Sydney is again shifting gears. The waterside at night is full of postcard type scenery with places to see and be seen. The view is rich, as Sydney is surrounded by water. The view from Mrs. Macquaries Point reveals the Sydney Opera House and Harbor Bridge in one glance. Transparent globes mounted on lampposts unify the waterfront in front of the Opera House. The weekends in front of the Opera House are festive with colored lighting and visitors gathering under tents.

The largest Chinatown in Japan has become an established feature of the Yokohama downtown area, but still an area with its own culture and identity. We surveyed Yokohama to discover the Chinese style of lighting environment alive within Japan. At night, there are many hanging lanterns with soft glowing light. This “Light with a Shape” or, through colorful shades, “Light with Color” is a staple of Chinatown and helps to create excitement and a sense of elation. Along the main street there is no specific street lighting, but shop lighting and luminous signage create a natural ambiance along the street. Most structures have columns painted red and use warm tone lighting, but the facade design and signage is all different. This unification of the streetscape through color temperature creates a balance and lasting impression of Chinatown.