The true value of lighting

Yuichiro Noguchi
Aug 25
2 min read

Updated: Aug 26

If you search for the word "lighting", "to illuminate with light and brighten up. In particular, lighten it with artificial light such as electric lights. It means a noun that refers to an act.

In addition, lighting design is about using light to design how to illuminate (attract) the space or the object on which the light shines.

However, in general, lighting is a tool called "lighting = lighting brightly", and it is a premise that lighting illuminates the space brightly, and lighting design is the image of "lighting equipment design", the so-called product design. I think most of the people do.

The background is that at the same time as the spread of fluorescent lights during the post-war economic growth period, there is an idea that the indoor and cityscape are as bright as during the daytime even at night, and the sensibility of the ancient Japanese wabi, such as in Junichiro Tanizaki's essay "San of the Shadow", is always It seems that it has disappeared somewhere as a thing of the past.

It has been almost 100 years since "Yinying Rezan", but the role of lighting in space cannot be removed from simply a tool that illuminates brightly, which is nothing more than the value of "lighting = a tool that illuminates brightly" remains unchanged.

Even if you simply say "lighten it up because it's dark", the idea of "the brighter the brighter the better" is a word of carelessness. Just as there has been a saying in Japan since ancient times, there is a salted plum that is just right for everything, and a dish that is really delicious for cooking is made up of an exquisite balance of all ingredients. Similarly, in lighting design, the scene created by high-quality design, such as the color temperature and arrangement of lighting, attracts many people and nurtures the sensitivity of the people who live there.

If you say that, it may feel like a noble world, but people are inherently equipped with such sensitivity, and "functional values" such as convenience and function are determined by comparison with others, while "emotions" such as sensitivity "Value" is how you feel.

In other words, the essence of lighting lies in designing with light in space, and the value of lighting in the home is to bring comfort to life.

I think there are more people who feel comfortable in the space created by the exquisite balance of moderate darkness and brightness than those who actually feel that the brighter the brighter it is, but there are also differences in sensibility depending on the person, the expression of Everyone has their own way. That's why I think there is a possibility of the fun, depth, and unknown of lighting design.