Week 9: Site Specific Blog Irvine Spectrum

This is a picture of the overall environment of the Irvine Spectrum. I felt that the lighting designers were trying to achieve a feeling of old Hollywood glamour. I think this is what the environment is supposed to feel like because they used these lamp posts that resemble the style of Art Deco. Also, these lamps create dramatic pools of light almost like spot lights. In this picture you can also see that the palm trees are covered in white Christmas lights (I'm not sure if this is seasonal or is always a part of the design) which creates these gigantic pillars of light. These pillars create a statement of grandeur and majesty. I feel like they do succeed in creating a glamourous and glitzy atmosphere because of the stylized lamp posts and the lights on the trees.

The picture on the right is the store that I found had the most successful lighting. This picture shows one side of the restaurant called Javier's. I felt that the restaurant was going for a mysterious, alluring, and sensual atmosphere. As seen in the picture, light is being directed upwards against the building which shows off the interesting patterns and shapes of the architecture. This light has an amber color to it with helps create a sensual and alluring feeling. Also, there is a small window with four candles inside. The motif of candle light is prevalent with this restaurant and it adds the feeling of warmth and intrigue.

The picture to the left was a store that I thought had the least successful lighting. It was a shoe store called Eilatan. All they had for lighting was florescent lighting from the ceiling and long florescent lights against the walls to bring some attention to the merchandise they were selling. I felt that there was only one objective to this design: create a hip and industrial atmosphere and put extra light on the shoes. But this extra light was jarring and harsh. There was nothing hip or exciting about the lighting. They did not play with angles which would have drawn attention to the shoes without overpowering the store.