Why The Trendiest Places Labelled Japanese? (Palais de Tokyo, Paris)

PALAIS DE TOKYO, Paris, France. One of the most hip places in Paris – if you ask me – is undeniably Palais de Tokyo. The Art Deco building of the Musée d'Art Moderne was derelict for more than a decade and reemerged in 2002 as a trendy stripped-down space for contemporary arts. The museum hosts no permanent collection, instead, dynamic temporary exhibits spread over a large, open space that's reminiscent of a construction site, with a trailer for a ticket booth.

The new futuristic interior in the style of the seventies was designed by French architects Anne Lacaton & Jean-Philippe Vassal who selected rough and ready style (concrete floor, wall and roof). The unique layout and decoration of this large industrial-like yet chic space was the work of a combination of different artists that included Stéphane Maupain who designed the architecture along with the lighting in the shape of hanging UFO style lamps, Marcus Kreiss who designed the unusual seating with inscriptions - allowing to choose the one that suits your mood the best. For example, nervous breakdown or sex addict... and Yvan Fayard who designed the tables (the restaurant Tokyo Eat).

Palais de Tokyo also roofs the restaurant Tokyo Eat, the Library – one of the best bookshops concerning modern art in Paris (somehow reminding a warehouse), and the museum store BlackBlock.

 

The use of the daylight and decorative lighting is quite impressive and versatile...

PS: not sure it's ethical but... I peeked in the toilet for monseniours also :)

Sky is cold and blue. Not always

FINNAIR FLIGHT, Somewhere up. Most of the aircrafts and aircompanies use grey and blueish colors for their interiors. Aviation ergonomists mix cold and warm fluo tubes to define passages and special zones. In this strikt space green screens of GPS map become relaxing indeed.

Eye-Catching Exposition of Lucas de Staël Glasses

EXPOSITION EN VITRINE DE LA NEW GALERIE DE FRANCE, Paris, France. Drag a passer's-by attention to a shopwindow in the middle of a sunny day? Could be difficult for even all those standardised luminances, shops cannot be compared to an unshielded sunlight.

Designers of a temporal exposition of Undostrial glasses went on antagonists' way, they juxtopposed darkness to light. Perfect way to beat the Sun! Perfect way to ignite interest and curiosity!

In a small Vitrine de la New Galerie de France, where plaster walls were still smelling fresh paint, the exposition was coming to an end, when we spotted it. Unique glasses emerging from and melting into white pannels were lit with a profile halogen spotlights. No light was spilled over. The only source of ambient artificial light was a multimedia projector looping ppt presentation of the products. At dawn and night time the scene may even be more dramatic. Excellent solution!

What LED You Here?

Being a lighting geek means seeking light everywhere... The disco-feel of my TokyoFlash watch leads me through the day (I just want to party all the time... party all the time... party all the taaime!)

Smart Glass at Valentino Boutique

VALENTINO, Paris, France. New-fangled technology - Smart Glass - is applied at the brand house whose designs never scream too avant-garde. Smart glass aka switchable window refers to electrically switchable glass or glazing which changes light transmission properties when voltage is applied.

Certain types of smart glass can allow users to control the amount of light and heat passing through: with the press of a button, it changes from transparent to opaque, partially blocking light while maintaining a clear view of what lies behind the window. Smart, huh?

Antony & the Johnsons The Crying Light in Eindhoven

Moucharabiehs control light at AWI

ARAB WORLD INSTITUTE, Paris, France. Completed in 1987, this building became a major architectural and urban tourists' attraction in the French capital. Jean Nouvel made the South wall resembling Arabic moucharabieh or mashrabiya (window with enclosed wooden latticework). Besides aesthetic function, these lenses also bear a load of energy saving. I failed to find exact figures, but presuming that less light -- less heat -- less airconditionning, would spare fortunes. I will add figures to the post as soon as I find them.

To illustrate traditional moucharabieh, we took a picture of a mosque in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Paris stripes a new trend?

VARIOUS LOCATIONS, Paris, France. Stores, shop windows, bars and bistros of the French capital are striked and underlined with colored fluorescent tubes.

H&M store, Haussmann blvd, Paris

Tubes used for indication of special areas (Mathiew Williamson's collection @ H&M).

Saint Louis boutique, Paris

Palais de Tokyo, Paris

Shop window of Addicted boutique, Le Marais quarter, Paris

Tubes to attract attantion of a bypasser.

Models are different, made by a variety of manufacturers. The simplicity of a luminary and its flexibility make it easy for any shop/bar/office/apartment owner to plug and actually play with it.