week 6- whitney-site specific

 

I visited the Spectrum was definitely hit with stimulation from the lights, people, and the general theme of competition between stores. (this is probably heightened from the pandemic "normal" I am used to) I am not particularly a fan of these kind of environments, but it is always fun to me to have other things to be on the look out for. An outdoor mall is much more attractive to me than a fully indoor mall. To me, the overall feel is to balance the spectrum from coziness to an invigorating "wow" factor. This is done by the way the general areas are lit with warmer lights and there are pops of colored lights, even in random corners. I enjoy how they use the lighting to reveal the plant life, obviously with the palm trees, but also in the smaller potted plants and the fake turf. It felt well lit enough to feel safe and could definitely see people spending hours there even in the darkness. 

This is one of the many stores I feel were temporarily "plopped" into the big retail space. You can see the clothing has warmer tones and attempting that "Southern California casual"aesthetic. Though the store is well light and felt spacious, I thought the lighting is too florescent to create the warm environment that would support the boutique. They painted the wall to create some of those neutral tones in the space, but the overheads just does not feel cohesive in my opinion. Overall, down light was primarily used in all the stores and I'm not sure exactly of what other tactics that would improve this store situation. As with the general area, it did feel safe enough that I would stroll in, but I wouldn't particularly feel comforted or easily see how I would look in a certain garment out in the sun.

I thought this store was very successful in there lighting design. It is a much more nuanced space than the store above, but they highlighted the boards at the back of the store particularly well. This intrigue would definitely pull me into the store and I immediately know the branding of what they are selling, southern California skater clothing and accessories. The smaller directed lights definitely help to highlight certain racks and areas as opposed to big general lights. It felt like a very approachable art gallery or museum. They used the space and lower ceilings well, to make it feel more intimate but everything was a warm white and was cohesive. 

This is another success that I thought I would include. It was a small outdoor stand that really warmly animated the colorful and plush objects evening their small crevices. 

The movie theater uses the reflective floor as huge atmospheric component of creating a cinematic experience. It expands the space and the lights are constantly changing. It reminds me of older movie theater carpet that has all the colors and designs, but this is now done though reflective light.