Newsletter vol.81

“Light of Historical City – Mexico City-Belgrade-Madrid-Kyoto-“

Lecture & Panel Discussion

Speakers:
Ignacio Valero/Gustavo Aviles/Aleksandra Stratimirovic
Moderator:
Kaoru Mende

With much historical value attached to the cityscape of Mexico City, Madrid, and Belgrade, each member presented on the current state, problems, and function of lighting in these respectable cities. How important cultural assets are viewed at night was a notable topic of discussion and is a key issue for the nightscape of Kyoto.

The place was packed with over 100 perticipants

Each talked about lighting for heritage asset in their town.

Student Workshop June 9 @ROHM Theatre and Hureai Kaikan

On the 9th, each light up group met separately to discuss Hero and Villains of Light and their ideas for improvement, as presented the night before at the symposium. Foreign Lighting Detective members also met with each group to exchange ideas on what is Kyoto-style lighting and reflected on the function of street lighting.
The afternoon was spent rehashing the morning discussion as each group prepared for the light up event. The student’s original plans were further developed after the morning session with the aid of foreign Lighting Detective members.
In the evening, each group made final on-site adjustments to the initial lighting setup, focusing, and staging methods.
Several pedestrians asked about the event revealing a local interest in nighttime illuminations.

Workshop at ROHM Theatre

Discuss on final lighting plan

Team Matsubara workshop

Light Up Preparation June 9

After dusk we held mock-up tests with the main equipment proposed for each plan. The designs were carefully arranged and the lighting effects noted by the students. The students were surprised by the lighting effects from real fixtures, slighting different then imagined on paper. Placement of fixtures, distribution angles, RGB settings, and color lighting tones, each element was hotly discussed and tested. On-site testing lasted late into the night in order to present a prefect event the next night.

Had an experiment with actual fixtures

We used a number of fixtures at Heian Shrine which has huge space

Test lighting effect many times

Check fixtures

Final check on site

Some staff got into water and check fixtures

Light Up Ninja June 10

@ Matsubara Street
Team: Kyoto University School of Architecture Housing and Environmental Design + Ishida Lab

The Matsubara Street team held a preliminary presentation for local residents and talked with the building owners　in preparation for the event. On the west side of Karasuma Boulevard 3 places (Suetomi, aeru gojo, and Niitama　Tsushima Shrine) were illuminated with vivid coloring lighting and on the eastside 2 places (Imai House, Inaba Yakushi)　were illuminated with warm color temperature lighting for a Kyoto-style design. Green and blue lighting shines on the telephone poles and an ocean motif is projected along the shrine approach with Japanese Shinobue, a bamboo flute, singing in the background for a surprising presentation.

Critique by Detectives members

Niitama　Tsushima Shrine, Create unusual space　

Path to Inaba Yakushi,　Bamboo flute player led people to the shrine

@ Heian Shrine and Otenmon Gate
Team:
Heian Shrine: Kyoto Institute of Technology Sakata Lab
Otemon Gate: Kyoto University of Art & Design

Carrying equipment over the gravel-filled plaza and making arrangements for anti-theft sensors were just two unforeseen ordeals that plagued the Heian Shrine team. Several foreign Lighting Detective members took a great interest in the shrine architecture and passionately discussed with the students final touches to the proposal. On both sides of the vermillion colored main shrine gate stand green pine trees, inside blue lighting colors the shrine plaza and rows of candles direct one`s eyes toward the main shrine hall for an installation with great depth. The vermillion colored hall also stands out in the design and the students tried to pair this shade of red with a very traditional shade of Japanese blue by fine tuning adjustments to the color lighting. The pillars of light radiating up from the shrine grounds attracted many visitors who came to admire the lighting installation.

Concept presentation by students

Critique by members

Lighting for Otenmon Gate

@ Shirakawa and Sosui Stream, and Otorii Gate
Team:
Sosui and Oterii Gate: Kyoto University of Art & Design
Shirakawa: Kyoto City University of Arts Environmental Design Lab.

The design for the Sosui Canal and Ohtorii Gate light up were organized by students from Kyoto University of Art & Design. The students felt that the canal and shrine gate were all part of the same landscape and proposed a sequential lighting installation in conjunction with the design laid out for nearby Heian Shrine. A search light washes the texture of the river embankment which runs parallel to Onimon Street.
Intense orange light shines on the shrine gate creating a dramatic pattern of light and shadow in the landscape. During the critic, the audience was guided through the installation and shown a presentation of lighting operations.

Illuminate canals that are usually sunk in darkness

Highlighted Otorii Gate

Many people stopped and watched light-up event

Second year students from Kyoto City University of Arts, who began their studies just 2 weeks prior, were responsible for the tributary from the canal to Shirakawa River. Original, hand-made lanterns were proposed to line the bank for a relaxing lighting installation. With candle type LEDs placed inside each lantern, warm color temperature combined with the flickering motion is visible through the translucent material and creates a faint, but rhythmical lightscape along the walking path. The world’s first test using fiber optics to recreate nishi jinnori, a special style of Kyoto dyed fabrics, with light in the Shirokawa River. The technique, named “Nishi Jinnori of Light”, created an extraordinary waterscape along the river.

Create lighting atmosphere to suit the gentle flow

30 lanterns that students made lined up

Members made comments on students’ work

The forum held for the first time in 15 years in Japan. We were able to finish safely after undergoing steady preparations for about one year under the slogan of making the most up-to-date content and making it meaningful to local people in Kyoto. We thank all of people who help to realize this forum. It is the main purpose of the Detectives to make a platform to talk about nightscape. We hope if this event also gave way to that.

Nightwatching Tour：Hachijo-Jima Island

Tour to Experience Natural Light That Never Happened
July 2nd, 2017Written by: Noriko Higashi

Hachijojima Night Watching Tour, which was planned on the 2nd and 3nd in July. We were all super excited as the Light Watching Tour was planned for the first time in three years. Guess what happens to us?


Although there are clouds on other islands, the island can be seen

Glowing mushrooms, fireflies, sunlight falling through tropical rainforest in the summer, the sunset falling into the sea, and starry sky. Expecting to experience various kinds of natural light, we decided to visit Hachijojima for this year’s annual night view watching tour.

Although it was right in the middle of a rainy season, we were blessed with perfect sunny weather in　early summer. There was also a forecast that the day would become the hottest day this year in Tokyo. To board a flight departing Haneda airport at 7:30am, our group of 12 members met up at a boarding gate at 7:00 in the morning.

One of our members, supposed to be feeling excited, seemed worried and said “We might not able to fly.” “I heard that flights can return to Haneda airport even if they fly” said another.

Flight status display showed our flight was “under adjustment.”
Announcement said “Please understand that although this flight would depart, it is possible that we may return to Haneda depending on the weather condition in Hachijojima.”
We wondered if there was such a thing that we were returning to the airport even though the sky was crystal clear at Haneda. Members got on board the plane with hopes and fears.

Even inside the cabin, the captain repeatedly announced that it might return to the airport. Also it seemed that all three flights on the day before had been canceled.

Our plane, though, departed the Haneda Airport.

We were watching Mt. Fuji from the sky and overlooking Hatsushima, Oshima, Miyakejima and the Izu islands. Clouds were visible but the weather was nice and visibility was also good.

We thought everything would be okay.

The plane was finally approaching above Hachijojima and there was an announcement saying “The plane has entered the landing mode.”

There was even applause by passengers. We once felt relieved.

We then start preparing and reviewing the timetable upon arrival, and all of sudden, the plane began to climb again. An in-flight announcement told “We were suspended from landing as we can’t find a runway due to heavy fog. We have to wait and see if the sky gets less foggy.”

Looking outside window, there was this heavy chunk of cloud. Somehow the cloud seemed so settled just above the island and seemed unlikely to go anywhere. After turning above the island several times, the captain decided to return to Haneda airport due to a weather update that the clouds would not be cleared all day on that day. Despite the fact that we flew to just above the island in addition to that it was sunny around the island, our aircraft ended up being unable to land.

Returning to Haneda, we couldn’t just give up and decided to see what would happen to the next flight for a moment. When we were having an unplanned breakfast at a food court at the airport, there was an announcement that the next flight got also canceled. We later heard that clouds at Hachijojima would get barely cleared during this season, and all flights were canceled for 5 consecutive days this time. This island seems to be so close, yet so far.

Hachijojima Natural Light Experience Tour was never happened this time, but we made up our mind to come back again.　(Noriko Higashi）

We promised we would go back to Hachijo-Jima!

Have you seen such flight route before?

Next flight was also cancelled