2019/02/18 Yuichi Anzai
On the Lighting Detectives Facebook page, we have been sharing the “World Lighting Journey” every weekend. As a summary of our activities in 2018, we conducted an interview with our chief, Kaoru Mende.
At Café RÉFECTOIRE in Meiji Jingu-mae
—In 2017, there were many posts featuring aerial nightscapes, but the 2018 posts were rich in variety. Among them, the most-viewed post was the toplight of the Pantheon in Rome. This was followed by the light-filled landscapes of Bologna, and then Stockholm during the “blue moment.” What are your thoughts on these results, Mende-san?
Aerial nightscape during the “blue moment,” Stockholm
Chief Mende: I imagine most of the people viewing these posts are in Japan. We are always drawn to things that are startling, unfamiliar, or from a culture different from our own. That’s probably why people see the Pantheon and think, “Wow, that’s incredible!” I suppose many of the World Lighting Journey posts feature beautiful photos taken abroad?
The toplight of the Pantheon, Rome
—That is not necessarily the case, but since it is for the weekend, we do select beautiful photos for everyone to enjoy.
Chief Mende: I understand the desire to share many photos of “good” light, but there is also unpleasant lighting and scenery all around us. On the Detectives’ page, I think it would be good to post things that make us think, “This would be even better if it were done this way.” For instance, the Eiffel Tower starts sparkling and flashing around 8:00 PM. I’m sure it’s for the tourists, but I don’t think the Eiffel Tower needs to imitate the nightscapes of Shanghai.
—You mean the “Champagne Flash” of the Eiffel Tower. While beautiful nightscape photos are everywhere on social media, there are very few posts that show scenes leaving room for debate.
Chief Mende: LPA has published several books, and people tell me—not that they’re teasing the photogenic completion photos featured in them—”Wow, Mr. Mende, LPA’s work is truly beautiful!” When I hear that, I hesitate on whether to take it as a compliment. Our job is to ensure we don’t create anything unpleasant up to a certain level; that is an ironclad rule where we must not fail. So, while being “beautiful” is good, it isn’t enough. A “good job” is what comes after that. If people say it’s beautiful and the conversation ends there, lighting design becomes something quite boring.
It is good to be beautiful, but that alone is not enough.
—So you mean posts that don’t just end with a “Like.”
Chief Mende: When you’re in the design business, some people feel the need to explain their concepts with long-winded prefaces even when it’s not necessary. In reality, the essence of design is something that should be recognized as wonderful even without words. However, the purpose of our social media posts is to provide a topic for discussion rather than just showing a final design result. It’s better to have words that reveal a person’s individual perspective—how they felt at the moment they took the photo. That way, readers can enjoy the differences between the poster’s viewpoint and their own.
― We want people to enjoy it as a good read, as well.
Chief Mende: We shouldn’t only focus on aerial views or photos of entire buildings; micro-scale, humanscaled subjects are also great. In this photo of Italy, there are people, but the shot is still a bit far from the subjects. If you were to zoom in close on that dog or those people, the spilled light from the shop window in the background would be emphasized more effectively. Take Studio Ghibli, for example—the light depicted in their backgrounds expresses the very air, sound, and smell of the scene. So, while beautiful nightscapes or ethereal light falling on architecture aren’t bad, it gets boring if that’s all we show. Instead, if there’s a discovery of light found just “rolling around” in our daily lives, it sparks more conversation—people saying, “Whoa! I can’t believe you noticed that!” or “Exactly, these things are everywhere.”
Street view of Bologna
― It’s true; I think we’ve had many beautiful photos that look like they came straight out of a magazine.
Chief Mende: People probably work hard to keep others out of the viewfinder to get that “perfect” shot. I understand that urge, but if you zoom in to a micro-level, you might discover two or three ants having a little scrap—suddenly there’s a story, and it becomes much more engaging. Or someone might post, “Doesn’t the bread in front of me look unappetizing? Is it because of the light?” Then others can chime in with advice on how to make it look delicious. That kind of mutual inspiration is far more interesting. I’ll make an effort to drop in some of my own “unsolicited” comments on the weekends as well.
Doesn’t the bread in front of me look unappetizing? Is it because of the light?” Questions like these invite comments on how to make it look better. That kind of mutual inspiration is much more interesting.
― I’ll make sure our posts invite diverse opinions from our members and don’t just become an archive of “pretty pictures.”
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