Week 6 - JB - [Site Specific] - Cozy Golden and Harsh Blue

 Week 6 - Cozy Golden and Harsh Blue 

 

I chose to visit Spectrum on Friday, and enjoyed the use of light to evoke a bustling sense of community. There were a few lighting landmarks, including the ferris wheel pictured (along with the giant Christmas tree, the billboards outside the movie theatre, the light up floors, and others), that captured my attention due to the constant changes, quickly shifting between intensely different saturated colors. I believe the designers were trying to accomplish a sense of life and movement in the space, which I think they did achieve. This caused me to stop and watch for a while, waiting until the Christmas tree turned fully blue, which then made my hands cold, which then made me want to buy hot chocolate... Overall, definitely successful, if success is defined by capitalists.

One shop which I thought was unsuccessful was this video game cafe. The severity of the harsh neon blue lights is not captured accurately in this photo, but they were very bright and sharp. They hurt my eyes and started to give me a headache even in the minute I was in the store to take the picture. This might be subjective, though. I personally did not like this lighting, but the cafe was populated by patrons playing various games. This was ironic to me, considering that many gamers invest in blue light glasses to prevent the eye fatigue caused by extensive computer usage. 

On the other hand, a store that I felt was successful was this tea shop. The minimalist font and subtle shadowing by the lights gave a sense of elegance to the store sign. The inside was warm and cozy, which was inviting compared to the darkness of the evening. The soft amber and gold tones felt calming, and I could imagine sitting inside and sipping tea, while watching passersby outside. The soothing lighting of the store definitely appealed to my aesthetic, and although I did not buy anything this time, I see myself returning in the future as a customer, purely due to the energy of the space.

-Jeevika