Light Trend, France
Maison et Objet Paris 2015 saw Japanese lighting design team Akari-Lisa Ishii (daughter) and Motoko Ishii (mother) present the latest trends in lighting, after the success of their previous exhibition at the show over the past two years.With M&O’s redesign and new target marketing, the importance of lighting is prominent, notable in the wide coverage given to lighting designers in the thematic exhibition of their designs. The Japanese duo’s stand Light Trend was placed in the ‘Projet’ hall, along the red carpet linking the must-see stands throughout the fair.
With increasingly evolving technology, lighting plays an ever more important role in interior design; Light Trend aims to present the latest technologies in lighting while suggesting integration of light and fixtures in a space. The different spaces presented live exclusive lighting experiences comprised through a collaborative effort between lighting manufacturers and designers. Under the sub-theme of happiness, Light Trend strives to bring happiness to the heart, body and environment in honour of the UNESCO International Year of Light and M&O’s 20th anniversary, to be shared with leaders of light and guests within the field of lighting design from all over the world.
Light Trend consisted of seven rooms, presenting different approaches to the pursuit of happiness. Visitors walk through each one, experiencing diverse expressions of light throughout. The first room, titled <em>’Perception of Happiness’ featured a video realised by I.C.O.N., Akari Lisa Ishii’s lighting design office, and Motoko Ishii Lighting Design, demonstrating the relation between facial expressions and light, using a Japanese mask of Noh as an example. In this space several lighting fixtures were presented to create a cheerful effect, with Artemide’s Cata and Picto lights behind the reception desk, and Artemide’s acoustic Egg Board to reassuringly stifle aggressive noise. The room also featured Artemide’s Spectral Light, a multi-coloured conceptual light object dedicated to well-being based on the concept of perceptible wave length of light.
The second room then focused on ‘Happiness to the eyes’. Here, organic LED (OLED) presented a colourful light composition manufactured by Sumitomo Chemical, showing the word happiness, using exclusive technology to create dual-colour OLED panels. Moving through to the third room, ‘Happy Time!’, guests were greeted with a colourful lighting effect through ERCO’s Cantax RGBW and balloons, while tasting sweets and sparkling drinks to activate the brain and complement the cheerful ambience.
In the fourth room, ‘Do I look happy?’, guests were given the opportunity to experiment with how the angle of light cast across a face can affect mood and attitude projection in diverse scenes in daily life, demonstrating how light influences the way we perceive and are perceived by others. Lumenpulse Alphaled Spot Apto shone down above the guest, standing in front of a mirror, watching the way the shadow changed.
‘Mental Happiness’, the fifth room, featured a meditating room that used KKDC lights of soothing colours and healing music within an aluminium structure developed by Technilum, filled with Shiseido perfume to enhance feelings of mental happiness and tranquility. The sixth room focused on the idea of SOHO (Small Office Home Office) systems, titled ‘Environmental Happiness’. This room presented propositions of lighting products by Okamura and Stanley Electric launched at M&O that aim to balance the productivity of a working space while maintaining the comfort of a home.
The seventh room by the name of ‘Technology and Happiness’, used an interactive control system linked to a moving detector and an original chandelier, custom-made for M&O, demonstrating previously unseen lighting effects, all manufactured by Stanley Electric. This room also included educational demonstrations of tips on lights in interior design, such as colour temperature and colour rendering.
With all rooms designed by the mother and daughter duo, Light Trend presented a variety of applications in architectural lighting with a focus on its human importance in emotion and impact. The exhibition was a collaborative effort between leaders and trend setters in the field, and stood as a strong exhibition along the red carpet of Maison et Objet.
All pics courtesy of I.C.O.N. and Motoko Ishii Lighting Design
