Interviewer: Jack Lim
Jack: Good morning Mr. Mende. Today’s theme is “Dreams”. We will keep it open for discussion, whether it refers to the dreams when we sleep, or ambitions and wishes. I will start with the question: When you sleep, do you have recurring dreams?
Mende: I have many times dreamt of the same scenery and the same landscape, which gave a feeling of déjà vu. In this dream, I am usually flying. I see the ocean, the sun all over town, with beautiful nature and landscape. And I am usually just stand on a higher place.
Do you know the ‘Tetsuwan Atomu’ (Astro Boy) ? I am just flying like Atomu. This is my favourite dream. I very much enjoy dreaming.
Jack: Do you also dream a lot?
Mende: Yes, I always have very good and optimistic dreams. I don’t have any fearful and bad dreams. Even when I have to fight somebody, I can always win. How about you?
Jack: I dream a lot. I can dream even during a quick 10-minute nap, or when I fall asleep on a bus ride. My dreams come in all forms, good and bad. A recurring dream that I have usually happens when I’m almost falling asleep: I step on something slippery, like a banana peel, and fall backward, hitting the back of my head. Then I wake up with a sudden jolt, lying in bed, shocked. Sometimes, though, I have dreamt of solutions to design problems I was thinking about before falling asleep. Waking up from these dreams makes me feel really inspired.
Mende: Do you meet any particular persons in your dreams, such as your family or your friends?
Jack: Sometimes. And when I wake up, sometimes I can remember who they are, and sometimes I can’t. There are also times I see myself from third person’s perspective in my dreams.
Mende: I have dreamt of friends or family as well. And sometimes, I dreamt about meeting and talking to my favorite actress, and it feels like, “WOW, I can talk to them!”
Other times, I noticed that I am just in my dream, and think, “Oh, why don’t I just have a champagne…”
Jack: Do you ever look into the meaning of your dreams?
Mende: I have never. I always accepted the dreams as they are. How about you?
Jack: Same here. I haven’t looked into their meanings, but I have friends who like to. I don’t know if this exists in Japanese culture, but in Chinese culture, there are stories about family or friends appearing in dreams to send a message or ask for help with something. It has never happened to me, though.
Mende: I see… I often meet some person who has already passed away, such as a very famous architect or great designer who had influenced me, and they might say something important to me. When I wake up from an important dream, I record what happened. I always have a notebook and a pencil just beside my bed, so that if I wake up with what might be a very important or creative idea, I can make a record of it immediately. Sometimes, I feel that dreams make me much more creative.
Jack: Then do you also daydream (Kūsō)?
Mende: Daydreaming… it means that it may not be realistic, right? No, I’m not good at daydreaming. I am much more realistic and practical.
Jack: Even as a child?
Mende: Yes. I don’t have big daydreams. I always thought about how to make things happen.
Jack: So when you were a child, what ambitions did you have?
Mende: When I was a student in elementary school, I contemplated playing music. In the middle of high school, I played the trumpet. Then I changed my dream from a musician to an artist, and later a designer when I entered high school. At that time, I wanted to be some kind of brilliant designer… I didn’t know what exactly, but it was not lighting.
Jack: What made you change your mind about being a musician?
Mende: I was inspired by my senior. He had this beautiful plaster statue of something. When I visited him, the light was streaming through the roof and falling on the beautiful white statue, and he was trying to make some sketches. The scene was so beautiful I have never forgotten it. It was like, ‘WOW, not music – let’s do this instead.
What is your dream or vision?
Jack: I’d like to make a difference and have a meaningful life, including doing work that contributes to the betterment of life. I am attracted to design as I strongly believed that designs should solve problems and make things better. So an ideal project for me, would be something more can enjoy, like a public space or improving the overall night-time environment, etc.
Mende: Are you interested in my idea of “non-client projects”? Usually, designers receive requests from the clients. But in this case, there is no client – we can propose and develop lighting design ideas for some public areas or something, depending on our interests. I have been calling these “non-client projects”.
Jack: Are you suggesting we create our own briefs, and pitch them to the client we feel is appropriate?
Mende: It is worth trying that. Designers usually have to say ‘yes’ to the client, right? Otherwise, you have no business. But we can also pursue our own interests and own ways of designing.
Jack: I’d be most interested in that. Sometimes people don’t realize what they need – like when the iPhone was invented. So that means we have to sell our dreams…
Thank you for the chat today, Mr. Mende. Let’s dream up some great ideas together and make these dreams come true!
