Week 10: I Can’t Spell Architectural the First 5 Times (thanks Siri)

This is the outside of a restaurant at Downtown Disney. I have no idea what the name is, but it’s like a New Orleans style resturant. I believe the lighting was successful for several reasons. Firstly, the architect of the Deep South is very specific, and very unique. I personally love it. The light in this picture highlights the architecture very well. The uplight accentuates the creases, angles, edges, and depth of the building. The color and intensity doesn’t distract the eye from the overall atmosphere, while adding so much to it. While the building is very square, with mostly edges and straight lines, the lighting softens it. The atmosphere is also very romantic. New Orleans -and the south in general- have a kind of old romance that never really left (not that I wouldn’t know since I’ve never been to the south). There’s a southern genteel, that is old, soft, and laid back with sophisticated ease, which is how I would describe the lighting. (That’s Erika to the left).

The front of this store looks like a night club. It looks like it’ll be fun, cool, and have some edgy styles. If this is what you expect when you walk in the store you will be extremely disappointed.

I’ll be honest, my camera is making the lighting look better than it really was. The lighting is stark, and hard on the eyes. Possibly, this was an attempt to go with the edgy, hard look. However, the lighting failed to convey this in an inviting mannor. It is probably difficult to convey edgy, harshness in a store. On the stage, people come to see these different kinds of heightened emotions. However, as a shopper, people want to be an inviting atmosphere, no matter how theme it is. The door outside told me that the store would have a dangerous, but inviting warm edginess. The white lights, and the pale and oddly laid out walls created a harshness that is acceptable in the theatre, but not in a store.

The only warmth in the store, was an uninviting rosy/pink wash on the clothes. Firstly, the color s just gross. I took a picture of the color condensed on some silver-white tinsel and it hurts my eyes to look at the picture:

The lighting doesn’t serve the purpose of the store. Lighting the clothes with a saturate or semi-saturate color does not allow the costumer to see the clothes how they will be in the real world. Overall, the lighting is uninviting, and the only hint of warmth and flavor does not serve the store.