Interview
I-Chung Hung
1 Please give us a brief bio of yourself and your design background.
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2 What made you become/why did you choose to become a designer/artist?
Because of my interests and hobbies, I attended a special art class when in elementary school. The joyful and beautiful memories of traditional Chinese painting, calligraphy, pottery, printmaking and carving have always been deeply imprinted in my mind. When I grew up, I first learned about interior design in the college, which can be used to practice aesthetics in life. Then with the thorough and practical background of interior design, I stepped further into more advanced fields, specializing in lighting design and becoming a professional lighting designer.
3 Tell us more about your business/company, job profile, and what you do.
Atelier Lumenplus is a Taiwan-based lighting design consultancy founded in 2019. Our experienced designers provide professional lighting design services of interior, architecture, landscape, and customized luminaire design. We are a customer focused, innovative solution-driven company. Dedicated investment and attention to detail from concept to final stage is the consistent attitude we have always kept in mind.
4 What does “design” mean to you?
Design includes ideas and plans. To envision, we need to set a goal and make arrangement for realizing the vision. It is not only a perceptual imagination, but also a rational execution, both of which are indispensable. Beauty is the appearance conveyed. Under the premise of paying equal attention to feeling and function, the balanced effect and atmosphere created through all the conflict between sensibility and rationality are the ultimate result.
5 What’s your favorite kind of design and why?
Lighting design is an application art of light, an art that connects light with life and environment. How light produced is physics, what we see is physiology, and how we feel the environment we see is psychology. There are so many different layers and aspects encompassed to the intangible and illusive light, and that
6 To you, what makes a “good” design?
Light allows us to see at night, to be aware of and feel the surrounding environment and changes, and stimulate perception. We thus understand the relationship between environment and people. Light itself is neither right nor wrong, and it cannot be judged by stereotypes. Good design, regardless of type and scale, can fully express what is in the heart, present aesthetics in the design, externalize visual and psychological connections, and enhance the positive interaction between light and our lives.
7 Describe your design style and its main characteristics.
Human perception matters to our design. By collaborating closely with clients, architects and interior designers, space esthetics and lighting effects are tailored to individual needs. We highlight the characteristics and shape the atmosphere of each case, while attentively balancing spiritual feelings and functionality. Let there be jade-like light. Just like jade with its warm luster, we present you an unique and appropriate appearance of light and shadow in the most elegant posture in each project.
8 Tell us about your design process.
Since lighting design is symbiotic with the interior, architecture, or landscape, we start by understanding the conditions and the design spirit of the space, and then form the concept of lighting design after digesting and fermenting. We generate an overall imaginary picture of the light environment, balance various considerations and make choices to present it with the most suitable and appropriate lighting method.
9 Do you think your country and its cultural heritage has an impact on your design process?
Taiwan has experienced colonial rule by some countries. Although it was only a short period of time, it has integrated many foreign cultures. This historical background makes us more tolerant and flexible, and thus has a broader imagination for design. With an unrestricted open mind, we actively explore new methods and propose creative solutions based on the background of each project.
10 Congratulations! As the winner of the 2023 MUSE Design Awards, what does it mean to you and your company and team to receive this award distinction?
It is a great honor of significance for our team to be the winner of the 2023 Muse Design Awards. In particular, this small-scale project received double recognition from both architectural lighting design and interior lighting design awards. We think this proves that if you work heart and put your mind to it, you will be seen one day.
11 Can you explain a bit about the winning work you entered into the 2023 MUSE Design Awards, and why you chose to enter this project?
The lighting design idea for the first synagogue in Taiwan is originated from the Jewish holiday song, Banu choshech legaresh (Song of Hanukkah). The core concept is extended from the song, defined as eternal light. We transformed the shape of the building facade into the image symbolizing candle flame, like a guide in the dark. The spirit of eternal light runs through the entire interior parts. This special type of project fully demonstrates the cultural characteristics of diversity and tolerance in Taiwan. The simple and powerful concept of lighting runs through all the project, and the execution is quite complete. This is the main reason why we chose to enter this project.
12 What was the biggest challenge with this project?
Jewish Taiwan Cultural Association is a renovation case of old building. For the fa
13 How has winning an Award developed your practice/career?
We are more confident now. For a lighting design company established less than 5 years ago, participating in the competition for the first time and winning double awards at the same time is a great recognition, which means that we are on the right path. We will work harder from now on to create more high-quality lighting environments, and make our lives better with light.
14 What are your top three (3) favorite things about our industry?
Imagination, creativity, and practice.
15 What makes your country specifically, unique in the design industry?
Taiwan is a society that encourages multiculturalism. In 2019 we became the first and currently the only country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage, and it
16 Where do you see the evolution of design industry going over the next 5-10 years?
In the future, the design industry will not only changes in creative techniques and styles, while artificial intelligence and big data are quietly affecting our lives. Perhaps more and more tasks can be substituted by computers or machines, such as data collection and generation. Due to such amount of massive information, it will be one more responsibility for the designer to steering the overall direction and deepen the cross-industry cooperation. However, we believe that the designer
17 If you were a student entering this industry or an aspiring MUSE Design Awards submitter, what advice would you give them?
Thoughts create your reality. A thousand miles begins with a single step. Dream with your heart and work hard to achieve it.
18 What resources would you recommend to someone who wants to improve their skills in the design industry?
Read books, watch movies, see exhibitions, go traveling, receive beautiful things from all aspects, and build your own aesthetic system and database. The most important thing is to keep the curiosity of the designer at all times, and observe and experience from nature and daily life.
19 Tell us something you have never told anyone else.
When I was a high school student, it's written in my "My Will" essay, "I hope I will become an interior designer in the future, and design house with warm lights waiting for people to come back home..." I may be one of the few lucky men who realized the childhood wish.
20 Who has inspired you in your life and why?
Rafael Nadal is my favorite tennis player, not just for his skill or performance but more his mindset and personality. His enthusiasm and perseverance on the court, as well as his and the low-keyness and humility off the court, have always been a great inspiration in life for me. His fighting spirit is worth learning from, especially when encountering difficulties and challenges.
21 What is your key to success? Any parting words of wisdom?
All that is necessary is an accumulation bit by bit, that's all.
22 Do you have anything else you would like to add to the interview?
Remark: Our project is honored to win both Architectural Lighting and Cultural & Historical Buildings (Interior Lighting) Gold Awards, and we are ecstatic. Since we won two awards and there are two major designers, after asking for permission we submit two winner interviews, so that both of us can leave a record to commemorate the glorious moment. (Huai Chun Liu for Architectural Lighting, and I-Chun Hung for Interior Lighting) Some of the content is common, and some are our personal answers. I hope you can understand this situation, thank you so much.
