Date of Issue：September 04, 2019 ・Activity 1／City Night Survey　Chongqing City （2019/07/04-07/05） ・Activity 2／City Night Walk Vol.64 ： Skybus Tour（2019/07/26） ・Activity 3／Congraturation on Newsletter Vol.100 Lighting Detectives Report Vol.100　Download PDF City Night Survey　Chongqing City 2019.07.04 – 2019.07.05　Nasahiro Iwata+Clement Lee We spent two days investigating Chongqing City in China on July 4th and 5th. We investigated life in the city, its culture, and history (that links back to the Song dynasty) and how those are changing and coexisting with the new developments there, focusing on the evolution of lighting and how that affects the people and the building development there. Chongqing’s Central Area Chongqing is famous for its spicy hot pot. For my first visit, I set off anticipating findings that were more thrilling than the spicy peppers in their local cuisine. The lives of those in Chongqing Our investigation is based in Chongqing Yuzhong District. Here it is around 6 km east to west and 2km north to south and was developed as an extremely compact city, surrounded by both the Jialing and Yangtze rivers, and is almost an island. It is supported by a man-made base made using the method of Jiajiaolou and floats as if it’s a mountain above the sea. Sometimes to go to the other side of the building, you have to take an elevator from underground to the 11th floor or take a detour. Chongqing is a city that is also known by the name of…

Berlin is a multi-cultural city. Amongst the streets dating back to the Middle Ages, are very modern buildings that mysterious blend perfectly with the historical surroundings. In conjunction with this city survey we also attended the Festival of Lights, a lighting event in Berlin that keeps growing every year. Around the city light up, projections, and installations are arranged expanding the event and developing a lively night culture in the city. Looking over the city westward from the top of the TV tower. The axis of Unter den Linden extends toward the brightly lit Brandenburger Gate. Around the Potsdamer Platz are several modern buildings, but over all flashy displays of light or advertising does not stand out. One installation cover the street corner is colorful messages. Old and young, after-hour office workers and tourists, the city is alive with pedestrians enjoying the light entertainment and actually become part of the installations themselves. Festival viewers are proactive; men and women, old and young, all are enjoying the light entertainment. An older group of gentlemen shower themselves in color light and play in the color shadows and several older women carry around a camera and tripod snapping photos here and there. The festival is not just about technological quality, but creating a fun and entertaining culture.

Interviewer: Momoe Nomura Nomura： When I was in grade school I was deeply hurt and had a painful experience while interacting with other people.  I was given a hurtful nickname, others made fun of my home situation, and things were thrown at me during class.  I didn`t have the means to protect myself, so naturally I withdrew from people altogether.  As a result, I have a hard time finding the words to communicate my feelings and relationships with people became even scarier.  This continued for quite a while. Now, as an adult I still don`t feel comfortable getting too close to people, but having no interaction is also very lonely.  Trying to find or create this in-between zone has been a challenge that is still with me. Mende： I see.  Relationships and creating boundaries, this might be an important theme throughout the course of life.  When I sit down and open up with another person, I usually prefer sitting at an angle instead of face to face.  Continual eye contact gets uncomfortable if you don’t have somewhere else to focus on from time to time.  Sitting at an angle I feel a little more at ease.   Having somewhere else to focus on also creates a natural rhythm in the conversation. Nomura：Yes, I like to sit at an angle too.  I don’t like sitting face to face because the other person will just be staring at my face, and I am insecure about…

Modern Kagurazaka still conveys the atmosphere of its once flourishing Edo Era streets. Old Japanese restaurants and bars line the narrow alleyways and with softly glowing lantern light and welcome signs to complete the scene, one forgets that this is Shinjuku Ward in the middle of Tokyo. In this historical neighborhood warm lantern light is all but a natural presence. Compared to the white lights of Ikebukuro and Shinjuku glowing brightly in the distance, Kagurazaka is submerged in darkness. Buildings in Kagurazaka are lower and lower color-temperature light also peaks out from the many alleyways. Kagurazaka Street, running down the center of this neighborhood, is the only really bright spot, except for the lights reflecting off the canal along Sotobori Street. A prized neighborhood for shopping and entertainment during the Edo period, the historical Kagurazaka Shopping Street is a 700 meter long living time slip. New and old shops are jumbled together along the street with specially designed, lantern-like street lights placed at intervals along the edge of the sidewalk. From Kaguraza`s main street several narrow alleyways lead to the interior of the neighborhood where the scale of lighting is downsized to human proportions. Outside restaurants on Hyogo Yokocyo, one of the more famous back streets, softly glowing lanterns light the entrance and also reflect of the cobbled street and traditional-style fence for a very old Japanese atmosphere.

Interviewer:　Momoko Muraoka Theme：The role of a designer Muraoka: Today I would like to talk about the role of a designer.  Of course, there is our regular work consulting on design projects, but also as lighting designers, we have helped launch a professional organization and are now engaged in recovery projects for the Great East Japan Earthquake.  All of these extracurricular activities have started me thinking, and as a designer, I want to be more subjective to the value of production in the world.  Mr. Mende, what do you think the role of a designer is? Mende: hmmm…That’s a  good question.  What do you think? Muraoka: Well, this is a little idealistic, but to scoop up things that aren’t yet seen or noticed and mold them into a form that is helpful and makes everyone`s live just a little bit happier. Mende: Yes, a designer might be a craftsman who makes people’s dreams and little bits of happiness a reality.  A designer is an artisan and a thinker and simply put, a hostess or entertainer for society. Muraoka: There are many different types of designers and a lighting designer might be particular in that there is really no solid form of our work. Mende: But what about musicians or chefs there is no real solid form here, either.  A massage or theatrics also makes people happy through healing or a performance.  Is this design?  Is good food a design? Muraoka: Oh,…