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light talk by martin klaasen
CLDA
or how the Chinese Lighting Designers Association is taking off where PLDA left…
Through my frequent travel in the region and China
specifically, as well as my years of being “around” in the
business of lighting design in this part of the world, it is not
a surprise that I have developed close ties with the lighting
enthusiasts, designers and manufacturers, certainly when it
comes promoting the benefits of better lighting design, for
most of us a daily passion. With the unfortunate demise of the
Professional Lighting Design Association last year, a void was
created with many of the former PLDA members left feeling
abandoned by their association. Most of us switched over to
the IALD (the International Association of Lighting Designers)
headquartered in the USA, but with still this need for a
complementary association more engrained with the ways of
working in the Asia Pacific.
The Chinese Lighting Design Association (CLDA) was set up
several years ago in consultation and with the blessing of the
PLDA at the time, with MOU’s signed between the organisations
for cooperation, exchange of programs and joined activities. A
similar cooperation agreement was signed with the IALD. The
void that was created with the demise of the PLDA now seems
to be gradually filled in by the CLDA who is spreading its wings
more actively over the last year or so supported by some of the
former PLDA members.
The CLDA is an exclusive membership limited in numbers
and open to Chinese lighting designers only, with the
members under scrutiny to perform and deliver quality work
throughout the year, failing which their membership maybe
revoked. In other words, membership to the CLDA is subject to
performance and continued delivery of quality work. In order
to help assess and maintain these levels of quality the CLDA is
assisted by an International Advisory Council (IAC) of which I
am a member. The role of the IAC members (most of whom are
previously PLDA members) is to safeguard the integrity and
the professionalism of our profession by its members.
The CLDA further promotes the role of the lighting designer and
the importance of good lighting design through a platform it
calls the Declaration of Green (DOG). Yes, a lot of abbreviations,
I know. The DOG focuses on the sustainability of lighting
(green) and the benefits of better lighting design. Till recently,
DOG’s had been held on a nearly monthly basis in various key
cities throughout China, but since November last year the
CLDA is exploring overseas opportunities as well with its first
DOG event held in Hong Kong during the Autumn Light Fair.
The objectives are two-fold; first it wants to promote lighting
design in China and as such the CLDA offers to be a portal into
the Chinese market for overseas designers potentially through
cooperation with local Chinese lighting designers. Secondly,
it also wants to export the Chinese lighting design brand
overseas. Chinese lighting designers are coming of age (as
do many of the in China manufactured lighting products) and
with the ever expanding reach of multi-national property and
infra-structure developers the outreach of Chinese lighting
designers becoming active overseas is rapidly growing. This
offers in turn opportunities for cooperation with overseas
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lighting designers. It is this international bilateral cooperation
that will help grow the Chinese lighting design industry as an
accepted force not only in China but also abroad.
This year’s DOG event schedule is already pretty much lined up
with a mix of events in China and abroad. Based on last year’s
DOG success in Hong Kong the fair organisation has asked
the CLDA back for its spring edition. Other overseas events
are being planned in Milano (during Euroluce at the Salone di
Mobile) and Singapore. Each of the events will have a mix of
International and Chinese lighting designers as guest speakers
sharing their experiences. I have been invited to a few of them
and look forward to contribute my little piece of mind.
My vested interest is of course my continued project activities
in Asia Pacific and China specifically where I have now been
active for more than 20 years. Through the CLDA and the DOG
platforms we have excellent ways to educate and reach out to
the public and project related stakeholders. It is noteworthy to
mention that the CLDA now also facilitates the first certified
lighting designer’s course at the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute
in Chongqing. I had the pleasure to visit and address the
students last year as part of their curriculum (English language
proficiency is mandatory!) and was impressed by their level
and quality of work.
The CLDA is clearly moving ahead and providing new horizons
to the lighting design fraternity in this part of the world,
gradually filling part of the void left behind by the PLDA.
Elsewhere in this issue you will find an interview with the
president of the CLDA and its plans for the future.