INSIGHTS

2023.03.31

R&D DISCUSSION Vol. 47

Light is Life: Humans on the Solar Earth [Part 2]

Hiroyasu Shouji ShojiLighting Designer

R&D DISCUSSION TOP

Q: Mr. Tokairin, who is also a wine lover, calls himself a "light sommelier" and widely disseminates information on how to enjoy lighting.

A: I started drinking wine in my mid-30s, and was fascinated by the world of wine, visiting wineries on business trips to Europe and enjoying "mariage" by pairing local food with wine. I wondered if I could apply this feeling to the world of lighting, and be able to convey the fun and depth of lighting to the general public. In 2007, I started a blog called "Light Sommelier." Around the same time, I published a "light recipe book" called "Delicious Lighting" (TOTO Publishing, 2007) [Photo 1]. It is a guidebook for homeowners to create their own lighting to suit their lifestyle. It introduces about 40 maniac recipes, from specific installation methods to the names of the lights to use and where to buy them. This book caught the eye of a certain TV producer, and I was featured on "Matsuko no Shiranai Sekai" (TBS TV, 2015).

Furthermore, since I professed to be a wine lover, I decided to study properly and went to wine school to obtain the qualification of "wine expert". There, I encountered the Italian word "Abbinamento". It has a similar meaning to the French word Mariage, but Abbinamento means that both food and wine should be self-reliant and respect each other to improve each other. One day in Tokyo, when I was drinking wine with the vice president of a global Italian lighting manufacturer, I mentioned "Abbinamento" and he was very surprised, saying "How can you know a word that even Italians don't know?" We got excited over the word Abbinamento, and since then, I have visited Italy many times.

While traveling with him to Recanati in the Marche region, he took me to the winery of Kurni, which produces one of my favorite wines. The owner was originally a motorcycle engineer, and since there was no one to take over his wife's family winery, he quit his job to take it over. We got along really well and had a great time [Photo 2]. There is something about "perverted" people who are particular about their work that resonates with me. This trip made me realize that such connections are important for deepening our lives.

[Photo 1] Delicious Writing (TOTO Publishing, 2007).
[Photo 2] Marco Casolanetti, producer of Kurni.

Q: Mr. Tojibayashi has been involved in Zaha Hadid Architects' architecture as a lighting designer for many years. Please tell us how you two met.

A: I met Zaha Hadid in Tokyo in 1988, when she was about 40 years old [Photo 3]. At the time she was known as the "Queen of the Unbuilt" and had done very few actual works, but a project for a building designed by Zaha came up in Japan during the bubble period, and the company I was working for at the time was in charge of the lighting design. In the end, the architectural plan did not come to fruition, and we didn't hear from her for a long time after that, but we ended up working together 20 years later.

Around 2006-07, technological advances finally made it possible to realize the complex curves and cubic surfaces depicted in the "Queen of Unbuilt," and large projects began in China. That's when I was asked to participate in China's first huge project, the "Galaxy SOHO" [Photo 4]. In addition, I was in charge of the lighting design for a series of works that were commissioned from Zaha by a developer called SOHO China, including the "Leeza SOHO" [Photo 5], which was completed just before the spread of the new coronavirus infection.

Although Zaha passed away in 2016, Zaha Hadid architecture is still being built all over the world, and the number of staff in the offices in London and Beijing is currently about 800. I am mainly involved in projects in China, and am currently in charge of two or three projects.

[Photo 3] Zaha Hadid (center) and Tokairin (right).
[Photo 4] Galaxy SOHO (2012).
A huge office building with a total floor space of 300,000 square meters, located in the center of Beijing, China. [Photo: Toshio Kaneko]
[Photo 5] Leeza SOHO (2019).
A 200m-tall office located in Beijing's new financial business district. [Photo: Akito Goto]

Q: You've had many sensational encounters that were accidental but that eventually led to the development of strong connections.

A: Yes, that's right. About 10 years ago, I met the president of an Austrian lighting manufacturer at Light + Building, an international lighting trade fair in Germany. As soon as I met him, I felt that he had something in common with me. We became friends and decided to go to Innsbruck in western Austria to meet him again. When we arrived, he said, "Welcome, let's go to the mountains," and we went rock climbing. He loves outdoor sports, and as a beginner, I immediately decided to climb a cliff-like place. Since I had come this far, I had no choice but to do it, and when I managed to reach the top, he praised me, saying, "Well done!" and the distance between us was greatly reduced [Photo 6]. We are in the same lighting world, but we are completely different people. That's why we shared our hardships and seriously threw ourselves into each other's lives, and it was a task that confirmed our connection in our hearts. The next time I went to Innsbruck, I climbed some incredible rocks on an electric mountain bike. Overcoming the obstacles that were thrown at us brought us even closer. When he finally showed me a special place for him to calm his mind, I was happy that we had built a relationship of trust. We see the same light, share the same thoughts, and stand on the same earth at the same time. That's a powerful feeling. I'm sure he feels the same way.

In Portland, USA, I met a woman who loves lighting and calls herself "Lamp Lady" [Photo 7]. She was the owner of a light bulb specialty store that I came across by chance. It wasn't a conspicuous store, but I was attracted by the many unusual light bulbs lined up in the display window, so I went in. The sticker in the store had an illustration of the sun and a light bulb and said "HIS ONLY RIVAL"--meaning that the only rival to the sun is the light bulb. I was very excited to see that she was thinking the same thing as me. It's really interesting to meet people who have the same vision for lighting and light and enjoy being "perverted" and particular about things. I still treasure the huge light bulb I bought there and keep it on display in my office.

In this way, I feel happy to realize that there are even a few people on Earth who agree with what I am doing, and I think that I will not give up even if the situation is difficult! It makes me stronger. When I think that I will continue to meet such people in the future, I cannot stop my journey in search of light on Earth.

[Photo 6] With Walter in the mountains of Innsbruck, Austria.
[Photo 7] Kee Newell, who runs a light bulb shop in Portland, USA.

[Photos 2, 6, and 7: Provided by Hiroyasu Tojibayashi]

Back to Part 1

PROFILE

Author's Profile

Lighting Designer, CEO of LIGHTDESIGN INC.

Hiroyasu Shouji

Hiroyasu Shoji

Born in Fukushima Prefecture in 1958. He has adopted the concept of LIGHT is LIFE for urban and architectural lighting design, and believes that lighting is an important environmental factor that is fundamental to life, and an important element in our human lives that heals our hearts, gives us courage, and awakens our energy. Since 1990, he has been exploring the world to encounter inspiring light on Earth. He has continued to report on the light of nature, such as the Aurora in Alaska, the moonlit night of the Sahara Desert, and the firefly trees of Papua New Guinea, and is inspired by his encounters with light to design projects ranging from high-rise building projects to intensive care units for babies, interpreting the fundamental relationship between humans and light.

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Update : 2018.09.21

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