For my site-specific post, I went to the Irvine Spectrum Center. I've been there before but not during Christmas. Seeing the lights created a whole new, exciting environment. The overall feeling that I got was very pedestrian and open-air. I believe the designers wanted to accomplish a sense of luxury, cleanliness, and indirect lighting, so that people felt individualized, not as part of a large group of shoppers/townsfolk. This is especially shown through the use of ground lighting, creating pools instead of constant lighting. The designers definitely accomplished their goal through the use of practical lighting of the trees/Ferris wheel/Christmas Tree to be looked at and the pools of light on the ground to be used by pedestrians to see.
The first store I stopped by was a Sleep Number store. While it was unfortunately closed, the lighting inside still worked out well to its advantage. I think the overall theme of being both a bedroom and a store worked out very well. The beds are lit in a low, general space light (like a Fresnel would be used for) and the shelves of products against the wall were highlighted. As these lights did not bleed into each other, it created two separate worlds that abutted each other nicely.
I also stopped by a stationary store which I do not think succeeded in their goal. I believe they wanted to be bright and fun, but it did not work well. The lighting is too strong, creating a glaringly cool, white light. Due to the placement of the fixtures, half of the items on the shelves were cast in shadow due to the shelves above them. I think that using a warmer-toned light and moving the fixtures farther into the room so they shone at a less severe angle would have accomplished their goal much better.
Very detailed post - thank you for your insights and I hoped you enjoyed doing the project!
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