[Members only]City Walk@Ginza

(2020.11.18　　Noriko Higashi The lighting event Akiu Lumina was held in the Akiu Hot Spring area of Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture from November 14-23, 2020.  Lighting Detectives was invited to the event to conduct a light up workshop. Light up at Rairaikyo gorge.　The dark and gloomy canyon reveals itself by the light up. Rairaikyo gorge daytime.   Huge rocks are outstanding. During the day we inspected Rairaikyo gorge near Akiu Hot Springs.  Akiu used to be a quarry and the enormous rocks in the gorge are spectacular.   The leaves were also just starting to turn fall colors, creating the perfect location for a workshop at dusk. About 30 people, including local artists, hotel workers, and shopkeepers, gathered to start the workshop. After an introduction of the lighting detectives and a lecture on the importance of nightscape in the city, we headed into the canyon with flashlights and color filters. When we illuminated the rocks from the bridge called “Megane-bashi (glasses bridge),” the water and the canyon, which had been submerged in darkness, came to the surface. The participants were amazed at the way the water looked different depending on the angle of the flashlight. We went down to a spot near the water and used a color filter to illuminate the rocks. They were also surprised to find that some of the colors came out exactly as the filter indicated, while others did not. The rocks were illuminated with red, blue, and green…

Theme：Raising Creative Children Interviewer:　Rachel Nakayama Rachel：Today I`d like to talk about children and design education. I think design education should be about developing free thought and the capacity to use free thought to solve problems. There is a weekly TV program on NHK called “Design あ;” I believe you had the opportunity make an appearance on the show. The program takes everyday objects and ideas and explains their design process in very simple animation, going right to the foundation or origin of that object. For example, “Why is a plastic bottle cap shaped like it is and why does it screw on?” My three kids and I really look forward to watching it every week. samples of the contents “Design A” ①one pair of formula、②My circle and square、③ design people 、④Everyone’s「Ah」 Saturday Morning：All three children are obsessed with A”Design A” Mende：You and your kids wake up at 7:00 on a Saturday to watch the show? Pretty early for the weekend. Rachel： Yes, we are early risers, but sometimes we sleep in and miss the show. Everything in the program, from music to color scheme to word choice is easy to understand and beautifully artistic. I think it`s an interface than to appeals to children and adults, alike. Mende：You describe this program called “Design　あ” using the word design, but I think it is more of asking “Why?” of everyday things. Asking questions and solving the mystery, is very important. Rachel：Yes, you…

Hide and Seek with Light, a reflective art workshop2024.12.19 Hu Lin + Xianyu Liu + Huangyi Lin On 19 December 2024, Lighting Detectives returned to Shenzhen, promoting sustainable urban design and light pollution awareness through creative community art. Eighty participants from diverse backgrounds gathered in Lianhua Mountain Park and transformed into “light artists”. After a five-year absence, on 2024 Dec. 19th, the Lighting Detectives returned to Shenzhen with a creative public event, Glow Shenzhen, claiming the First Gold Award in Glow Shenzhen 2024’s Infinite Illumination program. Collaborating with China Academy Of Urban Planning & Design Shenzhen Branch and Shenzhen Illuminating Engineering Society, the workshop focused on combating light pollution and preserving natural darkness in urban environments. Eighty participants from diverse backgrounds gathered in Lianhua Mountain Park and transformed into “light artists” through hands-on experiments. Using adjustable handheld flashlight and reflective materials, we explored the delicate balance between illumination and darkness, crafting temporary art installations with eco-friendly red lighting. Before the creative phase, organizers held a brief introductory lecture under the dome outlining the event’s core objectives. Our chief, Mr. Mende and Ms. Kasai shared the founding story of the Lighting Detectives and the past initiatives, particularly Shenzhen Nightscape 2030 event from five years ago. Attendees showed particular interest in signature programs such as Light Up Ninja, Night Walk and Children’s Workshop. At the end of the lecture, Mr. Lin Hu demonstrated the unique properties of different materials and guided participants…

5 April, 2005 A large crowd of club members, from students to lighting professionals, gathered this evening to listen to and contribute to reports from the city walking tour team and their trek around the Emperor’s, reports on city lighting surveys in Sapporo and Fukuoka, exciting photograph and stories from a trip to see Alaskan Northern Lights, and a colorful display from lighting manufacture, Maxray. Imperial Palace Walking Tour The first report came from the city walking tour team and their 5km trek on March 25 around the Emperor’s Palace in the middle of Tokyo. The members gathered for the tour were further broken into two teams and the route was surveyed in two parts. Blue team members, Ken Okamoto and Yuki Ogawa, both presented digital pictures for the audience to see for themselves the contrast in lightness and darkness along the perimeter of the palace grounds from Yasukuni Shrine to Tokyo Station via Takebashi Bridge. Yellow team members, Aki Hayakawa and Rachel Nakayama, contributed their impressions of the tour on the opposite side of the palace with pictures including the moonlit moat and illumination of the Japan Budokan, Diet Building, and Tokyo Tower. Alaskan Aurora Borealis Club members Natsuko Ueda and Teruhiko Kubota stole the show with breathtaking slides of the Alaskan Northern Lights. The whispery green lights danced across the projection screen and into the hearts of the gathered club members as they relayed their accounts of waiting…

Candle Night Summer Solstice 2010 June 19, 2010 “Turn off the lights and take it slow.” This is the campaign slogan for Candle Night, a movement started in 2003 on the summer solstice by an environmental NPO. Nationally, the event is unofficially planned for the summer and winder solstices, and persistence from local groups have turned it into a huge event to enjoy a different kind of evening by candlelight. Candlenight@OMOTESANDO-Eco Avenue Candle Night along Omotesando was held for two hours on June 19th, 2010 from 8pm to 10pm in the evening. The Harajuku / Omotesando Candle Night started on the 2003 winter solstice. This year marks the 10th event along the popular shopping street. The theme for 2010 summer solstice was “Encounters with Candles x LEDs.” In contrast to candles, which have been used for hundreds and hundreds of years, LEDs are the latest gadget in optical technology. This year visitors encountered hybrid installations using both candles and LEDs along the zelkova lined street. For the event, 611 staff members, mostly art university students in the Tokyo precinct, were recruited and collaborated to present a unified, coexistence of warm candlelight and techno LED installations. Candle Installations The theme this year was “Encounters with candle x LED,”so it wasn`t just candle light along the street, but a combination of candles and LEDs for a variety of installations. Installations included, stacked wine glasses with candles inside and softly emitted blue LED…