Roundtable Discussion

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…

Tianjin is situated 150km east of Beijing and easily reached in a 30-minute high-speed train ride. Historically, foreign influence including the UK and Germany has shaped the western-style architecture and streetscape that this city is famed. Tianjin also poses the largest harbor in Northern China, a gateway for this economical and technical development zone. Upon exiting the main station, a panoramic view of the city awaits. The western architecture, remnants from the foreign settlements era, is illuminated in low-color temperature light and stands in contrast to the newly constructed skyscrapers. A historical western architectural structure is now used as a banking facility. At night, orange-colored fluorescent and high-pressure sodium lamps softly illuminate the facade. Downtown is also bustling with construction. During the day the area is swarming with shoppers and construction site workers. At night, mega size digital media, neon signage, and colorful lanterns are everywhere, with even more foreseeable in the future as the construction boom continues.

Tokyo River Tour: Nihonbashi River + Kanda River + Sumida River2022.10.22　　Sachiko Segawa + Mami Kono + Noriko Higashi The day after “Day of Light”, on October 22, we held a kids’ workshop for the first time in about three years. Due to COVID-19, we had not been able to organize it, but this year we launched the project with the strong wish to resume. This workshop, titled “River Tour Part 2,” revisited the Nihonbashi River – Kanda River – Sumida River route that we first explored in 2016. The idea was to let children experience the nightscape of central Tokyo from the riverside perspective, something they rarely get to see.On the day, 11 children and 15 adults including staff — 25 participants in total — joined the river tour. The participants gathered at Nihonbashi as dusk settled, and the boat set sail, heading west along the Nihonbashi River. Since most of the Nihonbashi River is covered by the Shuto Expressway, there is little chance to see the open sky. From time to time, the orange glow of high-pressure sodium lamps leaked through from the expressway above. The Nihonbashi River is also lined with many bridges, ranging from old to newly built, so one can see plenty of the “undersides” of both bridges and the expressway. Responding to a suggestion from the Chief Mende — “Try imagining how you would light these hidden sides to make them beautiful” — the children…

– From Industrial Zone to Japan’s Leading Tower Mansion City –2024.10.04 Yutaka Enomoto + Yuko Nakayama + Noriko Higashi Musashi-Kosugi, a major transportation hub served by the Tokyu Toyoko Line, Meguro Line, JR Nambu Line, Yokosuka Line, Shonan-Shinjuku Line, and the Sotetsu Line, offers convenient access to both Yokohama and Tokyo. Over the past decades, the area has undergone rapid development, leading to a significant increase in its population. However, the station area still retains traditional shopping streets and izakaya districts, creating a striking contrast with the towering high-rise buildings. This walk focused on exploring the coexistence of these new and old elements of the area. Historically, Musashi-Kosugi flourished as a boat crossing on the Nakahara Kaido during the Edo period. Later, it became home to numerous factories. However, as these factories relocated, redevelopment plans were initiated, transforming the city’s landscape. The changes over the past decade have been particularly dramatic, with a population increase of 60,000 compared to 20 years ago. ■Group 1 Group 1 focused on exploring areas with a nostalgic atmosphere, including low-rise residential neighborhoods and traditional shopping streets. The shopping streets had implemented creative lighting installations to enhance the atmosphere. In particular, an “analog interactive lighting” system that lit up when a hand-operated handle was turned generated both positive and negative reactions. The view of high-rise apartment buildings from the lower levels is a unique sight in Musashi-Kosugi. While the lights spilling out from the high-rises…

Date: June 23, 2012 “Turn off the lights and take it slow.” The Lighting Detectives became involved with the Candle Night Event in 2003, starting on Harajuku Cat Street. We then moved the annual event to Omotesando in 2005 and now 10 years later, a total of 345 staff members, including local art university students, Lighting Detective members, and day-of-the-event volunteers are needed to stage the one-night event. Candlenight@OMOTESANDO-Eco Avenue Our goal and particularly important part of the event this year is the continuation of charity donations and an event that includes the local flavor of Omotesando. It has been one year since the massive earthquake and tsunami destroyed parts of North-Eastern coastline of Japan; the donations collected at the 2012 Candle Night will also go towards this recovery and needs of the disaster victims. Event staff, volunteers, and university students set up tables near the candle installations along Omotesando to collect donations and sell homemade candles, with all proceeds to be donated. On the day of the event donations were collected for 3-hours from 7pm to 10pm for a total of \205,278!! This year, along with the conventional candle installations we also included a gallery event showcasing some of the fantastic original lanterns designed by local art university students and a panel of judges. Also, in coordination with a local bamboo lantern festival, lanterns carved from bamboo were also arranged along Omotesando. Visitors enjoyed the conventional Candle Night event…