Vol.000 – Coffee Break with Mende and Me

06 October 2006 Now that the heat of the summer is over, the Lighting Detectives converged on Sankeien Garden in Yokohama to see the new harvest moon glow over traditional Japanese architecture and garden grounds and experience moonlight. Even though it turned out to be a rainy day, we were still positive that the clouds would disappear as we left for Yokohama. Survey By: Yusuke Hattori Stormy Sankeien Garden After a train and bus ride, 22 members of the Lighting Detectives arrived at Sankeien at 4:00 in the afternoon. Of the 17 architectural structures strategically placed around the garden, 12 are labeled Important Cultural Assets and were moved to the garden grounds from Kyoto, Kamakura, and other places from around Japan. The garden has a long distinguished history and in celebration of its 100th Anniversary, the garden was open to visitors at night. In the middle of our moon watching, the weather took a turn for the worse and chased everyone, but the Lighting Detectives indoors. Soaking wet from the waist down and most umbrellas blown inside out, the excitement of the storm faded and members grew weary as dusk set in and the moon came up. Plan B As Lighting Detective spirits and body temperatures started to dip, we all gathered indoors at the Kakushokaku, formally the residence of local merchants, The Hara Family, and recently renovated and restored to original state for the public’s use. The detectives ate…

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.

Date of Issue：March 19, 2019・Activity 1 / Sea the Light @ Street of Clans （2019/03/08-03/10）・Activity 2 / Night Walk vol. 63 ：Meguro River Cherry Blossom Illumination（2019/03/25）・Activity 3 / Round Table Discussion vol. 61 （2019/04/17） Sea the Light @ Street of Clans, Bukit Pasoh Road, Singapore Design Week 8th-10th March 2019 | Sherri Goh, Niken Wulandari Sutanto, Quratuaini Bte Jamil, Tang Chia Xing Back Alley connected to Bukit Pasoh Road Singapore Design Week was held on 4th-17th March with major highlights such as Brainstorm Design Forum, International Furniture Fair, Design and Heritage Trails, District Activation and Craft Markets. Street of Clans at Bukit Pasoh was part of the “Empower my Community” initiative that brings people, history and culture together. Majority of the clans in Singapore were set up long that road itself as part of the Straits Settlement that were there to support immigrants new to Singapore, like an extended family.The lighting design concept for this event is inspired by the journey and experience of the people in the clans that travels to the unknown land by sailing through the deep water. “Sea the Light” is a lighting installation of being adrift in the tranquil dark blue of the sea. The relationship between human and nature is bridged by the warm lanterns that lit in the cool surrounding of the night. Introduction to the Gan Clan Located at the small alleyway at Bukit Pasoh Road, Lighting Detectives transformed thespace into an…

Date of Issue：December 23, 2020 ・Activity 1 / Round Table Discussion Vol. 64 @ZOOM（2020.08.28） ・Activity 2 / City Night Walk Vol. 66 with Small Group (2020.10-11) ・Activity 3 / Round Table Discussion Vol. 65 ＠ ZOOM (2020.11.28) ・Activity 4 / Light-Up Workshop in Akiu Onsen (2020.11.18) Round Table Discussion Vol. 64 @ZOOM “Rethinking Future City Night Walk” 2020.08.28　東悟子 The Lighting Detectives’ main activities revolve around fieldwork. During this salon, we split into groups to discuss what kinds of night walk surveys are possible during the COVID-19 pandemic, and what we should be observing now.Our third salon held online Each team discussed potential areas for the night walk survey. The Nagoya team proposed a streetlight investigation Since the end of March, we’ve been working with the night walk survey planning committee, SQUAD, to explore what kind of activities the Detectives can pursue even under pandemic restrictions. Various ideas were proposed, such as solo night walks, video streams of night walks by Chief Mende, virtual night walks, and even group YouTube watch sessions. In May, we conducted an experiment where each member investigated lighting within a 100-meter radius of their home and shared their findings online. This project turned out to be meaningful, as it revealed both positive aspects and problem areas in each of our residential neighborhoods. However, since the Lighting Detectives have long focused on gathering for fieldwork as a core activity, we wanted to explore new possibilities. With that…

2022.07.11　Hikaru Kimura + Yonglin Ke + Xueying Piao Shibuya, known as a youth hub, began redevelopment in 2012, transforming into a business district with a cluster of new office buildings and commercial facilities. While many new restaurants have emerged, traditional drinking alleys remain intact. This survey investigates the contrasting night scenes of the new and old Shibuya. ■Overlooking Nightscape of ShibuyaFrom the Shibuya Scramble Square, the rooftop of Miyashita Park stands out prominently to the east of the central railway tracks. The warm glow along the podium belongs to Shibuya Yokocho (alley). Nestled beside the pitch-black railway tracks and appearing as a dotted red line is Nonbei Yokocho. Viewed from above, Nonbei Yokocho exuded a soft, flickering light, resembling candles, in contrast to the lively and vibrant atmosphere of Shibuya Yokocho.The overall nightscape, divided by the Yamanote Line tracks, presents a striking contrast: the western side is dominated by tall buildings, densely packed with billboards and advertisements, exuding the lively energy of a traditional entertainment district. The eastern side, on the other hand, has fewer billboards and subdued signage, giving it a unified and calm appearance.I wonder if Shibuya will eventually become a more standardized urban landscape, much like its eastern side. Personally, I felt the bustling, nostalgic charm of the western side embodies the true spirit of Shibuya, and it’s something worth preserving. (Yonglin Ke) ■Shibuya YokochoRAYARD MIYASHITA PARK, a new landmark in Shibuya, features Shibuya Yokocho, a 100-meter-long…