The week that was 15-19th May 2017

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The week that was 15-19th May 2017

France, weekend 20-21^th May 2017

Yes I am still in France…it’s a big change of pace, but I feel it is a very necessary one to incorporate in my life at tmes…I have been running around the world like a mad man, in a plane on a weekly basis flying out to another project site or sharing my experience on lighting platforms. Taking the time to literally smell the roses, slow down the pace, chat with my neighbours in the village about the weather, getting my bread from the local bakery, having a coffee at the local coffee shop…you get the picture :). The thing is that it allows you to slow down, recharge your batteries and enjoy a bit of “real life” without the worries of the daily running of the company.

This week we have the pleasure of having Anya as our guest blogger from the Jakarta team. As always I very much appreciate the effort!

Introduction: Anya Azaria, Lighting Designer

Hi, my name is Anya, lighting designer and head of our KLD studio in Jakarta. First of all I’d like to thank Martin for the opportunity writing for this week’s blog. To be honest when I first heard from Mr.Galih that Jakarta team would also take part and participate in Martin’s blog, like the others, I actually didn’t have any idea, just thinking about what I should write? So I guess I’ll start my writing and take all of you back to the year of 2015.

In 2015 I graduated from university, I was majoring architecture but decided to start my career as a lighting designer not as an architect. Lighting has already captured my heart since I took my internship year at KLD Jakarta in 2014. That was why as soon as I graduated I applied for the job and got accepted at KLD Jakarta as a lighting designer assistant. It is always good to be back at the place where you were first introduced to lighting design. So why a lighting designer? Why has this job really taken my heart?

First, I remember back then when I was studying architecture there was a subject called Building Physics. In that one semester I learned mostly about heating, cooling but also about lighting for buildings, from daylight to artificial lighting. It is then that I began to realize that lighting can bring great impact in building design. Not only for the building beautification but also it takes an important role in the interaction between human and the activities inside. With lighting we can do many things, enhancing the concept from architect and interior designer, setting the mood and situation for users, or, through the advanced development of technology, we can integrate lighting with audio visual system and security systems which can be controlled with one hand which I believe will be an integral part of our future daily life.

All the theory that I got from college came to hit the reality when I started working life. At first being a lighting designer was below my expectation, but now I really enjoy my job. Creating concepts and designing is always my favorite stage of the project. During this stage I can go wild with my ideas but also be rational at the same time. In my opinion, the first concept will be the key point for how far we will go with the next design. As the result of this stage, watching the client happy with our concept ideas really gives me great satisfaction.

Of course being a lighting designer is not just about creating concept and designing, we have to have the ability and skill to manage our projects, deal with the client or our suppliers and choose the best fitting for the design. Having product knowledge is a critical plus factor for a lighting designer. That’s why I am willing to learn more and keep me updated with the LED technology as much as possible.

Last but not least, I think being a lighting designer in Indonesia is something new. Well not as new as you think but if we compare with other occupations like an architect or an interior designer, lighting designers surely are “your fresh brewing coffee” in the Indonesia market. Nowadays, when we take a look at Indonesia’s economic development programs for hospitality, housing and urban design, public transportation facilities, office buildings and shopping malls, especially in Jakarta, there are still many opportunities for lighting consultants to grow and become big. As far as I know, there are still very few lighting design consultants in Indonesia.

Let’s set sail and catch all the big fishes in the ocean!

PS Below are project pictures that I am currently working on, the public area renovation of Sahid Jaya Hotel Jakarta.

Cheers!

Anya.