“Let’s light up the way to the shrine!” Collaborated with Ito Architectural Sudio.
2024.07.13 Noriko Higashi
We are invited by Ito Achitecutral Studio and held a children workshop in Omishima Island, Ehime Prefecture. We thought about how we could make the approach at night a beautiful and comfortable space with the children.
A children’s workshop of the Ito Juku, which is led by architect Toyo Ito, was held in Omishima, Ehime Prefecture. Mr. Mende and I participated in the workshop as instructors. The theme was “Let’s light up the way to the shrine!” Before the Seto-Ohhashi Bridge was opened, the sole means of transportation to Omishima was by boat. Consequently, the pathway connecting the port to Oyamazumi Shrine on the island used to be very busy. Nowadays, visitors cross the bridge by car and park their cars in the parking lot next to the shrine, so the approach to the shrine is rarely visited and became sparsely populated and quiet. Various efforts are being made to revive the bustle of the approach to the shrine, and this children workshop was one of them.
15 elementary school students from Imabari City joined this workshop and some children came from the neighborhoods, while others rode the bus from outside the island.
First, Mr. Mende explained what lighting can do and what kind of light sources are available. He also darkened the room and had the participants look at actual light sources and their effects.
Then, we walked along the approach in the daytime and observed landmarks there to think about how to illuminate them at night and how they could make the approach pleasant.
Back at the community center where the workshop was held, children chose one of the landmarks they wanted to light up and decided on a design for the light. The landmarks were printed on thick tracing paper, and the children painted the landmarks in the colors they wanted to illuminate, and eventually they turned into hand-held lanterns. Although it is a simple coloring paper, the children were very particular about the way they painted the landmarks and the colors they used, and contrary to our expectation that the coloring would be completed in a short time, it took a lot of time.
Once the lanterns were completed, it was time to go live with the lights, flashlights, and red, blue, green, and orange filters. We illuminated the Ichino-Torii (First Torii Gate), the approach gate, Minna-no-ie (House for all), the fire watchtower, and the Otorii (Grand Torii Gate) with flashlights. The children experienced that some things should be illuminated while others should not, and that changing the color and intensity of the light gave a very different impression.
We hope that this experience of light will stay in their minds and encourage them to further explore the nighttime landscape. (Noriko Higashi)
Photo : Kaako Yoshino
