Interviewer: Xiaoyi Dong Dong: Today I’d like to talk about feminism.  I recently read the book “ Japanese Misogyny: I hate Women” written by the popular writer, Chizuko Ueno.  Even though I was born and raised in China, I can sympathize with many ideas in this book.  Have you had the chance to read this book? Mende:  No, not yet.  Was it good?  Will you please explain misogyny? Dong:  It means to look down on women or a strong hatred towards women.  Not only men hating women, but also women hating women.  For men it is called misogyny.  For women it is self-hate.  Ms. Ueno gave a speech at the University of Tokyo that is very popular in China about no matter how hard women work it is unanswered or thankless.  Mende:  Why is that? Dong:  In Japan, even if one graduates from a well-known university, gets a good job, and performs well for that company, this kind of strong, independent women is not viewed as adorable or loveable compared to the type of women who needs to be protected by a man, who is even weaker than the independent women in question.   This line of thought is not exactly the same in China, but similar.  For example, women who have graduated from famous universities such as Beijing University or Tsinghua University are less approachable compared to women who have graduated from other universities.  Mende:  Is that right?   I don`t think…

Interviewer: Raba’a Bte Tainy Tainy:　What is your preferred meal of the day?Mine is ・・・ Breakfast: Bread, cereal, and hot tea.Lunch: I need to have rice (small portion), not too heavy with 2 or 3 small dishes,Dinner: As I age, I prefer soupy noodles or something light. How about you, Mr. Mende？ Mende: My preferred meals are… Breakfast:  A complete breakfast is very important meal for me and my wife. I wake up early in the morning to prepare breakfast such as egg, potatoes, salad (coleslaw), etc.Lunch: Something light in the office, such as Thai curry or rice vermicelli.Dinner: My wife, Kazuko enjoys cooking. She is very good at cooking. For that I do not have to cook as my wife always asks me to wash the dishes. In my youth, my favourite dish was “tonkatsu” – pork cutlet and potato croquettes. I have three brothers that enjoy eating. We (Japanese people) are good at adjusting other country’s cuisine such as Japanese curry from India and ramen from China to our tastes. Tainy: What food you miss when you were young that you would like to have now but cannot find? Mine is curry puff (epok epok in Malay). It is a well-known and simple food in Singapore not only for the Malays but other races as well. However, I cannot find the one with filling made of fish meat like what my late mom made. Usually, we can find filling…

Paulina VillalobosLighting DesignerSantiago Being part of the lighting detectives family, first as a student in Belgrade, Serbia (2008) and later as core member in Mexico 2015, has become an amazing cultural adventure of night and day light. During the workshops we use language to communicate our perception, thoughts and feelings of light in each one of our own languages. But as much as I experienced different cultures, the boundaries to express, understand and perceive “everything” expands and at the same time questions the limits of language. Language helps us to design reality.When the Greek philosophers started to define concepts far beyond what we could see, the language grew from the sound to define an object or food to describe an idea like philosophy, aesthetics, metaphysics, democracy and so on. With these new words they expand thoughts, communication and also perception of reality. In ancient Greece there were no words to describe all colours like we have now, just some few basic colours were enough to live, enjoy and talk about complex philosophy. Blue was not part of them, they did not need it. Hence, they did not see it. The evolution of language since long ago made the blue possible in all contemporary languages. Now if we speak about light we can not imagine our thoughts without the blue concept to describe our environment, but the reality or our environment had changed so fast in the last decades that we…

Interviewer: Chia Xing Chia Xing: Mr. Mende, how did you feel when you got your first house? Mende: My first house after getting married 48 years ago, is a reasonably small condominium and that was also when I just started as a lighting designer. At that time, I thought I must do something special for the house. But I did not have much money to spend, so I decided to do more for the flexible interior. How about your house? Is your house a condominium? Chia Xing: My upcoming house is a HDB flat, which is Government-subsidised public housing for Singaporeans. In Singapore, it is rather difficult to get a completely new house as we are required to go through a bidding system. I got the bid for this house 6 years ago. The house was supposed to be completed by this year but due to Covid, it got delayed. Mende: Are you going to renovate your house? It must be exciting. Chia Xing: Yes! It is exciting as there are some expectations to the house lighting as I am a lighting designer. Mende: How many rooms are there in the house? Chia Xing: This is the layout of our house. We have 3 bedrooms, but I am thinking of removing one bedroom to make the living room bigger. My husband and I like to host gatherings, so we prefer a larger living room to have more space for guests to hang out. This is…

Interviewer: Hikaru Kawata Kawata：Today’s topic is automatic mannerisms and involuntary habits.  I would especially like to talk about the habits we have that we like and those we want to change. One habit I have that I am really fond of is the bodily position I find relaxing.  Ever since I was little, whenever I wanted a quick nap or just to relax for a moment, I would sit in a cross-legged position and bend my upper body over into a round ball.  Mende：That sounds really painful, anything but relaxing.  I don’t think most bodies bend that way.  Kawata： I find it really calming.  I get really cold hands and feet so I tuck them around my torso, in a very revolutionary style.  Not many people can copy this habit, so I really like it.  Mende：Yes, it is very unique.  Any bad habits? Kawata：I get nervous in front of people and under the pressure I bite my tongue.  I can’t seem to relax, it is a very bad habit.  Mende：So, speaking of physical habits,  lately when I am working at my computer, my wife will suddenly say, “Turtle!.”  I realized that while working at my computer over long periods of time I gradually start to hunch over.  Bad habit! Kawata：How about a good habit? Mende：I like to play a lot of different sports.  When I am trying something new, I always do research beforehand so I can perform better.  I think…

UNO LAILighting DesignerTaipei I imagine, when we look back twenty years from now, this period of time will appear as one long pause. Over the past 48 months, I have been in quarantine 10 times for 14 days each, adding up to 140 days — nearly 4 months of my life that have disappeared. Perhaps, though, it is not so much that those days have disappeared; rather, the pause simply occurred and can be examined positively, as a phenomenon. Life leading up to this point had been very busy — so busy that I could sometimes hardly recall what I had just done or what I was doing. The pause, as a force, has slowed the pace so that I can more clearly see what I do and what the next step is. Twenty four hours has often felt like a blink, a swiftly disappearing day… and yet in the long isolation of quarantine, twenty four hours seem like a vast expanse, an endless day during which one can watch time ebb and flow. As I add up these days, they resolve into a long stretch of quiet that has offered space to more fully appreciate where I have been, to reflect on the things that occurred and think about the people who were part of those experiences. Before the outbreak, it would have been nearly impossible for me to remain at the same balcony or by the same window…

Interviewer: Jing Liu Mende： So, what is today’s topic of discussion? Liu： Marriage or single life? Mende： How come you chose this topic today?! Liu： This is a hot topic of discussion in China right now.   Personally, my parents have been asking about marriage as of late, so it is a subject on my mind.  Mende： Are you an only child? Liu： I have an older brother. Mende： As the younger brother, born while the one-child policy was in place, did you have any trouble? Liu： I heard my parents had to pay a fine.   Also, both of my parents worked at a government-run company, so they each had to take a 20% cut in salary.  Personally, I think it is fine not to get married, but for the sake of my parents who raised me, I think that is a good enough reason to get married. Mende： So, are you prepared to make a decision, marriage or single life, based on today’s talk? Liu： If I find someone and fall in love, I think I will get married, but if that proves difficult I am fine with the single life.  However, in China, it is very difficult for men to get married.  One reason is the number of eligible men for marriage is more than 30 million compared to women of the same age.  Mende： There are fewer women than men? Liu： Yes. Unquestionably, there are fewer women.  So,…

Interviewer: Lin Tsan Lin： Today I`d like to talk about novel and design.  I have been writing fiction since I was in Jr. high.  I didn’t plan on becoming a designer, but here I am at LPA.  Since then, I’ve noticed that creating fiction is a little like design. Mende： So, how do you write your stories? Lin： Now, I have a computer, so my last step is to type, but first I use a pencil and notepad to write my themes, story and flow.  A skeleton if you will.  The meat comes last on the computer.  Even if I think I have finished, it is necessary to go back and fix and rewrite, several times. Mende：A Lot of lighting design is structured around instinct.  So, sometimes an initial rough sketch is the end design, but we also think of scenarios to go along with lighting designs.  For example, what kind of light would be most comfortable for visitors?  Or, maybe seasonal scenarios, but I don’t think our designs are quite as elaborate as your method of writing and rewriting. Lin： For me, my first draft is usually the longest.  After I finish writing I let it simmer for about a week, as I also collect my composure.  Then like a wood carver, I widdle it down, revise, eliminatinate, and repeat.  How about essays?  The process seems more lighthearted.  Mende： Yes, essays… Once, I was asked to write a book, but…

Aleksandra StratimirovicArtistBelgrade … well, it has been both very different and almost the same. Being an artist, I am used to work alone in my studio. Just the same as under this pandemic period when you were not recommended to meet with others. Loneliness is inevitable in the process of creation. At least it is for me. I need to struggle on my own through that essential part of each concept process.  Only when a true and stable idea, or vision, or goal is born, I can open my doors and face the world. Those periods I both enjoy and dislike. I have no one in those moments to brainstorm my ideas with, and that can be so frustrating. And it takes time, always… until it gets solved by me alone, of course.  What I don’t like is the feeling of helplessness when my thoughts and ideas are not satisfying my inner creative “boss”. But, those moments are unavoidable and so important for my own evolution. When the right idea is born and to my delight accepted and approved by the “boss”, the next phase is opening to the world. Reflecting on this pandemic time, that changed our world so drastically; I would like to focus on the positive effects of it, although those are very few. What comes to my mind first are just those awfully huge, overwhelming big politics, big economies, big strategies … just too many hopeless…

A mysterious installation of light called the Labyrinth of Light was announced by the Milano Salone 2021. https://www.nitto.com/jp/en/products/raycrea/ In collaboration with Nitto Electric Industry, LPA incorporated Raycrea, Nitto Electric Industry`s newly developed material, into a light and space design.  The installation was well received by visitors with the attention that defied our expectations.  Hosted in the midst of the Covid-19 Pandemic, there were admission restrictions in place, but a number of visitors lined up to get in.  Today, September 8th,  I am headed back to Tokyo early and raising my glass in a solo toast of relief.  I am very happy with the result, almost a perfect execution.  As architectural lighting designers, this kind of installation work is a whole different world of design.  The relationship between light and people is very close, for a very intuitive and stimulating result.  Especially in the case of this installation, the design is associated with axes of time, so the venue is similar to a theatre without an audience.  Visitors are free to roam throughout the labyrinth of light and follow what catches their eye.  However, while they are moving, scenes and lighting effects are changing, creating multiple-layers of light and confusion.  On a sunny day, visitors to the Salone experience the autumn sunlight of Italy, measured at 100,000 lux, before entering the building.  Upon entrance, a black wall directs visitors to the beginning of the labyrinth, where everyone seems to stop, look,…

Written by Charles StoneLighting DesignerNew York・Seattle・Tucson My favorite memories as a Lighting Detective are those hours spent around a table or in a circle of chairs with the other Core Detectives talking about light. We come from 12 countries and varying professional backgrounds. I am always thrilled by their wide ranging poetic and scientific observations about light, as artists, practitioners, educators….and lighting designers. The one unique and crucial ability of a career Lighting Design professional is our observation skill: we are and must be, Expert Observers. This means we must understand the science and application of light, and that we must be able to express, often in words alone, as Detective Gustavo would say, “..how the light feels.” During these past 18 months, in the FMS studios, our hands-on evaluation of light fittings, whether in mock ups or in the daily parade of manufacturers’ products … has gone dark. Normally, we are fiddling with lights, discussing how the beam looks on a wall, and disassembling samples (sometimes breaking them “by accident”.)  The remarkable dynamic range of the human eye requires us to pay attention to high lux level experiences too. Alas, we have also been missing daylight mock ups and site visits to evaluate daylighting. These absent observation activities create a problem that must to be solved. If you wish to be (or remain) an Expert Observer, it’s not enough to look at lighting effects in the world: you must…

Written by Ulrike BrandiLighting DesignerHamburg In March 2020 I sent out our annual spring card and wrote: Dear friends, As the beginning of spring and our spring card coincide with the spread of the Coronavirus Sars-CoV-2, I cannot send our card without comment.Fortunately, it is spring.A crisis is also an opportunity for something new, something better. This is my hope and I pay attention to every little sign. Could we create an economic system that is not so mercilessly based on inequality and growth? One that is not so sensitive to taking time off, being healthy, experiencing anxiety, protecting and caring for the needy, and reflection? Instead of returning to our “regular” way-of-life, I wish us all a more compassionate, loving, respectful, and unified attitude towards humanity and nature. In August 2021 I see: The world is on fire, as we can see from the satellite images of recent weeks. Floods and storms claim human lives, blackens the earth, driving people all over the world into long term existential distress. The global extinction of species continues unabated, and COVID-19 is also a consequence of increasing ignorance. In the face of these wide-ranging changes that challenge us, we emphatically desire to make an impact in order to live in a truly sustainable way. Lighting design is a small but influential profession. Our contribution can be impactful. Light pollution: Let’s minimize and avoid light pollution in all our projects by providing our…

Interviewer:笹本 明美 Sasamoto：I`d like to talk about something that I currently get into and why. Mende：I have several hobbies, but what I am into now is cooking.   Since the pandemic began last year, my wife and I have spent many long hours at home together.  I realized that I don’t want to just eat good food and compliment the chef, but I thought I should also learn to make something good to eat, myself.   Sasamoto：That is really great!  Are there days when you make dinner? Mende： No, I am not allowed just yet. Sometimes I make one dish for the meal, but my wife thinks I am too dangerous.  For the last 40 years, I have been on dishwashing duty.  Sometimes she lets me help with tasks like grating radishes or things that can’t be easily ruined. However, lately, she has been teaching me about seasoning.  She probably has realized that I am healthy and may outlive her.  So if the time comes, when I have to provide care if she ever gets sick, she wants to be able to eat good food.  Very cunning on her part.  My wife is a very good cook.  So, like a professional, she is teaching me the basics of cooking.  I am good with my hands, so I have figured out my way with a kitchen knife.  How about you?  You seem like the type that likes to keep busy. Sasamoto： Yes, I…

Written by Acharawan ChutaratLighting DesignerBangkok There is still the bright side in every dark situation, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.  At least, it has brought up opportunities for our friends of light to become closer, to share ideas, and to learn from each other by online communications.  Enlighten Asia 2021* keeps us connected.  Thank you Mr.Mende to think about us.  Since April 2021, the situation in Bangkok has been worsened until the time I am writing this article.  KMUTT has announced the temporary closure of all campuses in Bangkok from July 12, 2021, and uses online teaching/learning throughout semester 1/2021.  It means no official face-to-face activities until December 2021.  However, our students insisted to join the lighting workshop and expressed their passion that I can feel.  Students have made good progress in their own way which I very much enjoy working with them.  We adapted ourselves for learning. First, site selection, since we have limited access to sites, we discussed selecting sites they have been surveyed from previous classes that fit their interest. It strengthens their urban design class through different issues at night. Second, students had a chance to conduct observation skills for heroes and villains with my guidance before a worse situation.  Real experience is still important.  Third, we have learned from Tsinghua University, which is one of the schools that participate in this workshop, on data collection through different tools such as microblog, Baidu heatmap, Instagram using…

Written by Lisbeth Skindbjerg Kristensen Lighting DesignerCopenhagen Since spring last year the pandemic has drastically changed our daily lives, and I, like many people, have had to work from a home office. My desk is by a window. After working from home for some time, I realized something interesting: I rarely felt the need to turn the ceiling light on. Even on a dark winter’s day, a simple desk lamp provided ample task light and enough reflected light to take the gloom from the space around me, creating a perfect balance between the room and the objects I needed to focus on. A sense of calmness somehow filled the space. This made me think of the Mexican architect Luis Barragan’s notion of the human need for “tranquility in the half light”[1], and of the beauty of shadows described in the Japanese author Tanizaki’s book “In Praise of Shadow”. In contrast, the lighting in most of our indoor work environments is designed to be constant and stable, with very uniform and relatively high illuminance levels. And in many offices, room lighting and task lighting are provided by the same luminaires to ensure flexibility, efficiency and perfect environmental control. The architect Louis Kahn once stated: “Artificial light is only a single little moment in light (…) I can’t define a space really as a space unless I have natural light (…) because the moods which are created by the time of day and…

Because of the pandemic I have not set foot in another country since last February, 15 months ago. Up until then, I would freely go on two or three business trips a month. So, there is this dark feeling, a bit like imprisonment, creeping in. I have a pretty daring mental spirit and I am largely unaware of huge stresses in my life. So, I kept telling myself that during the pandemic and this immobile lifestyle, it is a perfect opportunity to discover a new side to myself. As our lives have changed dramatically, I have been satisfied by my curiosity towards these changes. However, just this one time, if I was to say what I really feel, I might mutter a simple prayer to the heavens, “Please, oh, please, by any means, do something fast.” Huhhh…What is happening? This side of me is pathetic. I have realized lately that the green surrounding the new LPA office is what inspires and encourages this other side of me. Just one year ago on May 4th, I wrote an essay with a very lonely title, Note #80 “Alone in the New Office.” Rereading it now, I find it very interesting. As of one year ago, Chou Ward, Tsukuda 1 is the address of our new office surrounded by greenery. The huge office windows frame rich greenery swaying in the breeze and throughout the day expressions of the greenery constantly change, just leap…

Written by Ignacio ValeroLighting DesignerMadrid No doubt this is the best dynamic lighting event EVER…Tunable white plus dim to warm and RGBW sources, stunningly huge backlit panels providing a truly immersive experience, controlled by the most complex random algorithm, which is performing in real time unique cues, with silky soft transitions, and driving zillions of watts. Nothing is even close to this. We try hard. But, simply, we cannot. This is the kind of bullshit a lighting designer might think in front of a sunset, while everyone else is just enjoying the wonderful colors. Actually, I do, I have to admit. But the truth is that it can be even worse. Like many other people, I have a deep relationship with sunsets. With each of them. With all of them. With this one I’m witnessing right now as well. It all began as a child. Even then, I kept suspended in front of a dusk, my mother told me. As a kid, when I kept constantly running from wherever to whoknows, I used to stop, mesmerized, for the sunset call. As a young man, I remember myself cycling as fast I could with my tripod and my first camera, every single afternoon for a long time, just to grab some pictures that looked so unique for me then. Now, at my late fifties, I still keep on hold every day. Sunset light opens some kind of intimate door and, for…

Written by Kaoru Mende It has been 31 years since the start of the Lighting Detectives in August 1990.   We have also been connected to members around the world since the announcement of the Transnational Lighting Detectives 21 years ago.  It seems like just yesterday, but also such a long time ago.  It wasn’t our initial intention to grow membership, but the number of membership cards issued has reached 1400 with 250 members from overseas.  With this many members it is hard to remember everyone’s face, so I thought we needed something to create a sense of togetherness. On the Lighting Detectives website, there are two columns I contribute to regularly, “Mende`s Lighting Detective Note” and “Coffee Break.”   The Mende’s Detective Note is a collection of short essays about experiences with light and shadow from my point of view.   As I reread some of these essays, good and bad writing is very obvious and I find it very interesting.  Every so often, the point blank feelings and remarks in these essays are so very me.  On the other hand, “Coffee Break” is written as a casual interaction over lunch between a staff member and I, the principal of the lighting design office, LPA.   With a total of three offices in Tokyo, Singapore, and Hong Kong, staff has grown to about 60 members.  Each individual is, of course, unique and many LPA staff members are very assertive and passionate.  I really…

Interviewer:  Yonglin Ke Mende：Are we talking about childhood play today? Ke：Yes.  I have a sister, two years younger than me, and we used to play together all the time when we were younger. Mende：Did you play house? Ke：Yes.  We also played house growing up in China. Mende：Girls usually play with dolls and such, but being a boy that is very rare. Ke：Yes.  My father was a very busy man, so I only had my sister at home to play with. Mende：Didn’t you play outside? Ke：Before I started school we used to go to the park or amusement parks fairly often, but once I started elementary school I would invite my friends over and we would play video games. Mende： Yes, I thought this might come up in our talk today.  That is your generation. Ke：How did you spend your childhood? Mende：I sometimes played by myself, but usually I played with several friends.  This might sound a little dramatic, but play for children is like work and business for adults.  So even during play communication between your friends is very important.  How many friends did you play video games with? Ke：Maybe 2 or 3 friends and we would play Mario Kart, Contra, or other strategy games.  Mende：Many people play against the computer now, right.  When I was a kid, of course we didn’t have computers and television was still broadcast over “street televisions” in store windows.   There was a TV in a…

Interviewer: Yumeka Miyamae Miyamae：In the past year telework has really taken off, which has really changed how we live and work.  Today I`d like to talk about living and working in this new era with Covid 19. Mende：Yes, I`d like to hear your thoughts, also. Miyamae：Generally, people select an area to live that is within an easy hour commute to the office.   Where people live is basically decided by where one works, since the norm is to go to the office to do your work.  In other words, work time = office time.  Work and private life are clearly divided by place, time, and role.  That is up until one year ago.  One thing I have felt during teleworking this past year is the line between work and private is obscured.   I am having trouble switching between the two. Mende：For people like you with a family and small children at home, I think it is much harder to switch on and off.  A long time ago when my wife used to teach at the university,  she had to commute two hours one way, for a total of four hours of commute time a day.  Such a waste of time.   I suggested she rent an apartment near the campus and crash there on days she was too tired to go home, but she refused and said she needed to come home so she could “switch off.”  I didn’t understand then, but…