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In light of International Women's Day, we sat down with the ladies in our ERCO Asia Pacific in-house technical team, Hla Myintzu Kyaw, Amy Chiu, and Li Lian Tham to understand how they got involved in the lighting industry and what inspires them on a daily basis.
Watche the full interview here: https://youtu.be/PE0X7GDh4AY
“(During the job,) I realised how light can transform spaces and people’s feeling within a space. We can direct people’s attention to different aspects of the space simply by changing the brightness levels, the colour of the lighting, or the contrast level of the light. Even a normal room can feel magical when the lighting’s right. So, when I had the opportunity to work in the lighting industry in Singapore, I grabbed the chance and never looked back.”
Throughout her time as a lighting designer in Taiwan, she was able to witness how good lighting can shape atmosphere within a space, make a building stand out in the night, or even trick people’s mind with colours and intensity. It similarly inspired her to keep up with trends in art, architecture, landscape, interior design, and how lighting techniques are evolving within these fields. “This little detour turned out to be a very fruitful journey. I was very blessed to be inspired by my colleagues along the way, and a lot of talented professionals whom I was incredibly lucky to collaborate with from different fields. Throughout these years, they motivated and inspired me to improve and utilize light as a tool to enhance their design.”
THAM was formally trained as a landscape designer and graduated with a degree in spatial design. During her education, she was offered a chance to intern with a lighting consultancy firm in Singapore, which increased her interest in lighting, especially in areas of aesthetic application and product development.
“I love nature. Taking long walks, camping, and hiking allows me to study how the sun lights up the natural environment, crafting an ambience within a space that humans have no control over. It helps me to understand how I can apply it to indoor spaces using artificial light that we can control, especially as LED technology is constantly being innovated and improved upon.”
Working on different projects has given KYAW many different perspectives on lighting. Amongst it, the work cluster captured her interests most.
“We spend most of our time in the office staring at computer screens. I’m fascinated by how we can increase productivity and creativity within the workspace simply through the psychology of light.”
With her interest in art and architecture, it’s unsurprising that CHIU’s passion lies in cultural and museum projects as these normally house culturally significant artworks or are monumental architecture spaces.
“(To me) Museums are places where knowledge is shared. Where people with varying background and varying perspectives come together to learn about art, history, and architecture. With a proper lighting scheme, we can optimise the visitor’s experience by carefully lighting the artifacts, signages and labels while providing a comfortable environment for them to immerse themselves in the space. By meeting the practical needs of the visitors and the aesthetics aspect of museum design, both the curators’ and architects’ effort will not be in vain”.
THAM, on the other hand, enjoys projects which are on a more personal level. She feels that it is important to be sensitive to the client’s request by supplying the right solution catered to their personal perceptions, which explains why she enjoys residential projects.
“Living spaces are personal and expressive reflections of its inhabitants. The biggest challenge on working on living projects is that different people perceive light and colours differently, and lighting these spaces requires me to be adaptable when working with different clients’ needs. It challenges my own assumptions of what constitutes to good lighting.”
Hla Myintzu Kyaw: “My message for women in lighting is to be more confidence and courageous. Continuous learning is the key to these. If we are more knowledgeable, we will have more confidence and courage to speak out.”
Lilian Tham: "Light to me is a feminine medium. It is subtle and intangible. Sometimes, being sensitive and perceptive is necessary to design spatial ambience that fits the context of the space and influences human emotions on a deeper level. There are negative connotations associated with being too sensitive but for women in the lighting industry, it is a superpower we can embrace."
Amy Chiu: “I agree to both Lilian’s and Myintzu’s points. Sometimes you need to have a little courage to be seen or to be heard in an industry that’s very male dominated. So, it is absolutely important to use your feminine quality as a strength. To me, knowing who you are, what you are capable of, staying curious, and never stop learning; this is how you gain your confidence to voice out, not just lighting but in any industries.”
Allow us to approach your new project together.