The Fabric of our Society

December 2023

Asian Lighting Community Gathers Forces and Resources 

David Seok
Senior Lighting Designer, The Lighting Practice

In the fall of 2022, I had a conversation with Gary Wong, Creative Director at BOLD, about how many Asians there are in this industry, and being an Asian lighting designer in general. As we continued to talk, we realized that there are likely many others who share experiences similar to ours. So we had the idea to start the Asian Lighting Community (ALC).

As a senior designer, I was initially motivated to support younger Asian professionals, recognizing that there were differences from their peers. I identified, particularly, the ways that they presented themselves during interviews and how they communicated with management.

Personally, being born and raised in New York, I didn’t think that being Asian would have any impact on how I performed in the workplace. However, like so many other Asians that I’ve spoken to, advocating for myself is an uncomfortable task. I often find myself deflecting and giving credit to others. I was raised in a culture where if someone is even a few days older than me, I had to recognize and address them with the proper honorifics. Consequently, it took me a while before I became comfortable with addressing my senior colleagues by their first names. At my first job, I remember finding every way possible to avoid using my boss’ first name; like standing by and clearing my throat until they noticed me so I could start talking.

I wanted to conduct mock interviews, portfolio and resume reviews, and mentorship sessions. I wanted to help guide junior designers through their entries in the lighting design community.

Help with immigration
However, as we got the group started, the biggest topic that we heard younger designers wanted to talk about was help with visas or Green Cards (Permanent Resident status). A vast majority of the younger Asian designers that we spoke to were here in the US on visas. And while I was thinking about how to guide them in their careers as lighting designers, many of them weren’t even sure if they would be able to stay here long-term.

So on September 28, ALC hosted an excellent, first educational event. Moderator Michelle Yang (MYLD Studio) and panelists Eli Anders (Tirschwell & Co.), Mai Shimizu (BOLD), and Xingying Peng (The Lighting Practice) spoke about their various journeys navigating the American immigration system. Thanks to USAI for hosting!

We are so grateful to the Illuminating Engineering Society, International Association of Lighting Designers, Women in Lighting + Design, and Equity in Lighting, and all of the individuals who have offered love and support as we got ALC up and running this year.

Over the past few months, I’ve also had the opportunity to meet and speak with incredible Asian designers who have pioneered this industry before me. They’ve been so generous with their help and guidance. Though I started this group with the intention to help younger designers, I’m always looking forward to connecting with these amazing people to get some mentorship and guidance of my own!

The mission statement of the ALC is “To promote, empower, and support the growth of the careers of Asians in the architectural lighting industry.” We’re just getting started and excited to see how far we can go, together.

Asian Lighting Community Board of Directors
(back row left to right): Michelle Yang, MYLD Studio; Gary Wong, BOLD; Michelle Chan, THEA; Doug Kim, USAI
(front row left to right): Xingying Peng, The Lighting Practice; Mai Shimizu, BOLD (on monitor screen), David Seok, The Lighting Practice