‘The fog gently catches the light, and the fog changes its appearance by the light. This envelops the dancers in light. We were able to create a space design that resonates with the light and softly envelops the dancers’


Kazunobu Nakamura


FRAGRANCE WITH LOTUS FLOWERS, SHIBUYA-KU, TOKYO NAKAMURA KAZUNOBU DESIGN WORKS


A Best of Best winner in the exhibition category of the AMP Architecture MasterPrize 2021 was an installation art space for Japanese dance. Commissioned by Egiku Japanese-Dance Products, it is designed to evoke the lotus flower, a sacred flower in Japan, particularly viewed at early morning when the blooms are shrouded in a light mist. ‘The main theme of Japanese spatial design is not to design the form itself, but to design the effect brought about by the manipulation of the form,’ says Nakamura.


The installation comprises more than 1,000 ultra-fine vertical lines made of


4 sq mm Japanese cyprus wood (also considered sacred). These are attached to a delicate lattice, assembled with 1mm-diameter metal rods, and suspended from the ceiling. These are illuminated by spotlights. The spatial points were calculated and positioned, one by one, using 3D design modelling to create ‘a fog-like gradation of light’.


‘In Japan, fog represents profundity and has a sacred atmosphere,’ says Nakamura. ‘It is a mist formed by delicate light and water particles that catch the light. I tried to design a new space by objects that have such a vague appearance.’


Using the line in this way reflects Japanese ideas of beauty, ‘as if it softly absorbs light, rather than strongly repelling it,’ continues Nakamura. ‘By designing the sparseness of how the lines come together, a gradation with shades of transparency is drawn, spreading across the space. The delicate artwork touches the light and depicts the vague figure of light, revealing the existence of the air that fills the space.’ nkdesign-works-blog.tumblr.com –


Lighting design: Theaterbrain/Masao Igarashi


LA CASA DE LA LUZ (HOUSE OF LIGHT), MADRID ANTONI AROLA/JORDI TAMAYO


Arola has collaborated further with Spanish manufacturer Simon to create a flagship showroom, demonstration and experience space in Madrid. Housed in a landmark building in the capital, originally designed by internationally renowned Spanish architect Fernando Higueras, the space has been completely redesigned by B720 Fermín Vázquez Arquitectos. The modernist, minimal interiors and original areas created for planting – Higueras’s ‘geography’ of the building has been respected – form an ideal backcloth for lighting effects. The lighting, which in certain key demonstration areas has more than a whiff of James Turrell, combines Simon luminaires and electrical accessories with a ProtoPixel control system. ‘It has been conceived to be able to show, demonstrate and exemplify different uses and atmospheres and the changeability of light,’ says Arola. ‘It suggests thousands of possibilities to specifiers and clients. It is a huge space to learn about light and its control.’ estudiantoniarola.com | simonelectric.com


GUILLERMO GUTIERREZ


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