Week 7: Spectrum of Light

                                                            Spectrum of Light
Never before have I been so cognizant of light and its arrangement and affect in public venues.  Tonight, while visiting the Irvine Spectrum, the idea of lighting consultants once again entered my mind and I thought of how fascinating it was that a seemingly innocent overlook [lighting design] in the business development stages could for a new entrepreneur, truly have a hazardous effect on  profit outcomes.  Observing the lights on the ferris wheel at the Irvine Spectrum and their vibrant, color changing design, it is evident that thoughtful avoidance of the aforementioned mistake was at play. Forethought, thematic imagining and strategic planning is credited to the fact that the ferris wheel and its color changing lights an be seen from the freeway at dark, and such an attraction draws children and tourists, as well as seasonal and personal celebrations to the Spectrum.  In addition, the mini white lights that adorn the palm trees and foot paths of the Spectrum provide for me, an invitation to a pleasurable and peaceful shopping experience - providing the "feel" of classy night life/being out on the town (even in this incredibly suburban shopping center, well done, lights!)  and a simplistic, "clean" touch of elegance, enhanced by the monochromatic color scheme.  I think lights like these have a touch of sophistication and warmth all in the same breath.

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Maverick in the making: my positive AND negative critique of lighting design actually come from the same venue: Capital - Dim Sum, Seafood and Bar.  I believe I chose this restaurant in part because it offers Asian cuisine and decor, and I have spent much time in Asia: living in Japan for nearly nine months and Hong Kong, China for fifteen months.  Here is the first set of photos in the bar, patio, and front of the restaurant.  

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This first set of pictures reveal one thematic idea, a secluded night-life feel provided by the backlit bar with neon base lighting (which looks purple in the photo, but I believe it was blue in person) and enchanting red lanterns that dangle from the ceiling (red symbolizes good luck in China).  Lights that adorn Capital's front end, bar and patio bring me back to the nights I spent out in Central, Hong Kong - going out in the Midlevels where small bars and pubs are open into all hours of the night, where investors finish their trades at 2am before joining their friends for a beer on the streets, where Aussies and Brits and Germans and Chinese sit outside and enjoy their beers amiss charming, internationally abuzz streets, and where a perfect date spot with candles and a table for two can be found wedged in between two sports bars.  To provide reference, below are two of my personal photos below from Hong Kong - a night out in the Midlevels (left) and a group of friends at a wine bar in Macau, China (right).  Though Capital restaurant was clearly not attempting to make the inside of their space as vibrant as the streets of Central Hong Kong, one can observe a thematic similarity in enchanting night environments with red and yellow accents (frequently observed in China), as well as beauty in hanging lanterns as one enjoys food, drink and company.  

Capital has a jarring surprise in store, however, if you venture to the back part of the venue.  It is a sit-down dining area that, in my opinion, has a choppy change in ambiance as far as lighting is concerned.  Though the lighting fixture that hangs from the ceiling is of asian style and a unique conversation piece, my $.02 is that the restaurant lost its thematic integrity in this room: there was too much light: too much yellow and too much exposure in the dining area when compared to the rest of the space.  Geographically speaking, I am taken out of the Midlevels in Central, Hong Kong and into Hong Kong's Tsim Tsa Tsui, a vastly different area (though equally enjoyable, admittedly) where there is less western influence: street shopping, little spoken English, food carts with delicious seafood, and several smaller Dim Sum family businesses that may give little attention to ambiance, but offer food that is second to none.  Both Tsim Tsa Tsui and Central are treasures in their own right, and offer something unique and irreplaceable to Hong Kong, but they are NOT the same (not even close), as each has an entirely different appeal and experience.  My humble critique of Capital's lighting design is that they ought to have had more consistency throughout their restaurant - so that both bar and dining area keep the consumer in the "same world", not just the same country.  And, thanks to lighting class I now want to stay in the same world - even if there are changes within that world.

Geisha House in Hollywood, is a great example of doing just that: thematic consistency can be observed from bar area to dining area to restrooms, and while there are slight differences in each room, the restaurant keeps the consumer living in the mysterious romanticism of Geisha dolls (whether they ought to be romanticized is a different topic) in all rooms throughout the venue.