“There are no foreign lands. It is the traveler only who is foreign”
– Robert Louis Stevenson
We are always at someone else’s house and, as guests, we must have the utmost respect. It is with this mind-set that I had the pleasure of discovering a land linked to design in a visceral way, if we think of the Japenese attention to the harmony of forms.
From January 15 to 17, the 2nd edition of Design Lighting Tokyo has been held at the Tokyo Big Sight business center, within the framework of Japan Lighting- a trade fair for lighting design that included the 7th edition of LED / OLED Lighting Technology Expo and the 5th edition of LED / OLED Light Expo.
I have personally enjoyed the fact that finished products and the latest industry technologies were put together, since it displayed a valuable opportunity to directly compare engineers and designers (as well as marketing experts). At its core, it was a very clever way to raise awareness about market opportunities and the real potential of technology at their disposal. In my opinion, innovation also means knowing how to build a dialogue between different interlocutors that together express a common “”product””, possibly a successful one
With around 62,00 visitors in 3 days, including at concurrent shows, the event has been a great success especially considering the high growth potential of the fair.
Speaking specifically of Design Lighting Tokyo 2014, the three major initiatives were made up of:
BRIDGE, a selected collection of the simple, stylish and “NEXT” products by European lighting brands that have not been launched in Japan, which was supervised by the worldwide well-known architect Akihisa Hirata. The intent of Mr. Hirata was showcasing the latest European designs in Tokyo proposing Japan as a bridge between Europe and Asia. Some of the brands involved: Slamp, with the Avia by Zaha Hadid; AXO Light, with Nafir by Karim Rashid; Confusion, with Knikerboker p 100 by Gigi Ranica ; Henge, with Ring Light Horizontal by Massimo Castagna.
PROTO LIGHTING, a venue to showcase distinguished prototype of design lightings and a meeting place to seek collaboration such as commercialization and outsourcing of the design. Among the others: Jellyfish Illuminant by Kristin Birna Bjarnadottir; Hoop by Kenji Fukushima; Orchid by Hiroki Takada.
NEXT LIGHTING, where new and fresh design lightings were presented by newly-launched manufacturers and designers.
In all cases, I perceived high attention to details and a design approach highly oriented towards the future: new forms, new features, new uses. Together, local and international designers, have expressed a common approach to innovation.
While participating at the event, I also conducted a seminar named “Good Lighting Design for Commercial Success”. The aim of it was to illustrate a Design Management approach to a wide audience composed by engineers, designers and marketing/sales people. LIGHTING JAPAN Design Seminar attracted more than 1,500 people from all around the world.
In general terms, I found an incredible organization: the location was easy to reach and well served; the entrance to the fair well run with no queues; routes well organized and illustrated in the maps; promotional materials were comprehensive and well described; the staff friendly and helpful. If I had to consider my Italian perspective, I would reduce everything to a stereotype that most of us have towards the Japanese culture: addicted to order and discipline. This is partly true, but I would like to add one more characteristic: empathy. Everyone seemed sincerely interested to fully understand his interlocutor’s demand, not just because it is always polite listening to people, but also because this was the only way to deeply get the sense and need of whoever was talking. That’s a fundamental part of interpersonal relationships, whether they are private or business ones. Personally, I was put at ease in all circumstances.
Of course, a trip to Tokyo can’t be limited to the job, which is why I took the opportunity to do a few laps around the city. Among the stops, the largest fish market in the world (Tsukiji), that will soon be demolished and relocated to make way for Olympic projects, next to which there’s a whole block of sushi restaurants and bars; the districts of Shinjuku and Roppongi, where most of the entertainment and night-life attractions were located; the Meiji Shrine (明治神宮, Meiji Jingū), which is a shrine dedicated to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji and his consort, Empress Shoken. located just beside the JR Yamanote Line’s busy Harajuku Station; the Temple of Asakusa (Sensō-ji), a Buddhist temple dedicated to the bodhisattva Kannon, Tokyo’s oldest temple and one of its most significant.
Tokyo is well served at every corner and intersection. The means of transportation are practically always on time – a fact not to be taken for granted in a city with over 13 million inhabitants. As well as the specific Japanese trait of respecting personal space that is little understood in other parts of the world. Despite the language barrier and complexities aligned with Japan and its brilliant culture, it has been easy to move around and find what I was looking for. Everything is designed in a functional manner and Tokyo definitely seems a like a perfectly balanced futuristic city, where the old style coexists in harmony with a modern and pervasive approach.
In short, this was an experience to be repeated in order to find out more and more about Japan, both from a business and cultural perspective, since, in any case, one affects the other. The more I travel the more I appreciate these differences. That is also why Design42Day, based on its cornerstones of independence, meritocracy and high quality design, is always looking for talents able to interpret their local culture, their background and strong identity. Design has no boundaries, but only meanings, those put by every designer in his works. Design, as always, is a fundamental key to unite and share international experiences.
So I’d like to offer my gratitude once again to Design Lighting Tokyo 2014 for having invited Design42Day to join this interesting event. I am sure that it will gather a growing international attention very soon, especially due to the quality projects presented within it.
