Company
lucent is a company that expertly fuses light, space,
interaction, and the human experience
About
LUCENT is an art studio creating light installations under the concept of "LIGHT EMOTION."
By integrating moving image, lighting, sound, technology, and interaction, the studio explores new forms of aesthetic expression that move fluidly between the digital and physical realms. With light at the core of its practice, LUCENT composes entire environments to create new scenes and experiences that resonate emotionally with people across cultures and borders.
Its work spans large-scale installations in public spaces, exhibitions in Japan and abroad, lighting and interactive art for commercial spaces, and collaborations with luxury brands.
Outline
- Company
- Lucent Design Inc.
- Established
- 2012
- Tel
- +81-3-4455-7258
Business
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Creative Light Artworks
Installation Art / Lighting Art / Interactive Art / Digital Art / Public Art / Planning / Producing / Design / Production / Installation / Operation / Maintenance
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Space & Lighting Design
Visual Design / Lighting Design / Chandelier Design / Sound Design / Interior Design / Window Display Design / Planning / Producing / Design / Production / Installation / Operation / Maintenance
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Digital Design & Technical Development
3DCG / Motion Graphics / Real-Time Systems / UI & UX Design / Application Development / Design / Development / Implementation / Operation / Maintenance
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Visual Art & Projection / Interactive Mapping
Video Art / Projection Mapping / Interactive Mapping / Planning / Design / Production / Installation / Operation / Maintenance
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Kinetic Art & System
Kinetic Art / Kinetic Light Vision (K.L.V) / Development / Design / Production / Installation / Operation / Maintenance
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Art Objects & Products
Chandeliers / Lighting Objects / Interior Products / Jewelry / Planning / Design / Production / Installation / Sales
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Permanent Displays & Exhibition
Permanent Artworks / Museum Exhibitions / Gallery Exhibitions / Commercial Space Installations / Planning / Design / Production / Installation / Maintenance
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Branding & Creative Direction
Art Studio “EMISSION” / Producing / Planning / Design / Management
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Product Development & Collaboration
Product Development / High-End Brand Collaborations / Corporate Collaborations / Planning / Design / Development / Production
Patent
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Spatial Experience Device and Spatial Experience Method / JP Patent No. 7752905
K.L.V
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Water Spatial Experience System and Method / JP Patent No. 7343906
SPECTRA
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Prismatic Decorative Article and Method for Manufacturing the Same / JP Patent No. 6970999
EMISSION WORKS
Access
6F Daiichi Kosan Bldg., 3-14-10 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0061, Japan
- Just a 1-minute walk from Exit 3 of Higashi-Ginza Station on the Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line and Toei Asakusa Line.
- A 5-minute walk from Exit A6 of Ginza Station on the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line and Marunouchi Line.
Clients
※The logos of the companies are used for the purpose of introducing our company's achievements.
History
In 2007, Takahiro Matsuo established his own studio, Monoscape. In the same year, his interactive artwork Phantasm was selected for permanent exhibition at Ars Electronica, Austria’s renowned center for media art, bringing his work international attention. He subsequently participated in major media art festivals and exhibitions around the world, expanding his practice both in Japan and internationally.
In 2009, Matsuo presented Aquatic Colors, a delicate interactive visual installation, at Canon’s NEOREAL exhibition during Milan Design Week in Italy. Through an approach that integrated moving imagery, space, and physical perception, his work gained further international recognition.
In 2011, he held the solo exhibition LIGHT EMOTION at POLA MUSEUM ANNEX in Ginza, Tokyo, followed by another presentation at Mitsubishi-Jisho ARTIUM in Fukuoka in 2012. The exhibition featured White Rain, his first major lighting installation, marking an expansion of his practice from interactive and visual media toward spatial expression using light itself as a primary material.
In June 2012, Matsuo founded Lucent Design Inc. (LUCENT).
Later that year, he created an interactive artwork for BVLGARI’s Italian Magnificence exhibition in Ginza, integrating his work with the maison’s historic archive jewelry. This project marked an expansion into collaborations with luxury brands. Since then, LUCENT has undertaken numerous large-scale projects for corporations, cultural institutions, and luxury brands in Japan and abroad, creating major spatial installations and permanent artworks.
Major projects include a permanent installation for SHISEIDO THE GINZA (2013); an installation for CASSINA IXC. Aoyama (2013); SEIKO window installations at BASELWORLD in Switzerland (2014, 2015, 2017); a SHISEIDO ULTIMUNE installation (2015); Wonder Moments, a spherical installation for the living museum NIFREL (2015); the prism installations Phenomenon, Prism Chandelier, and AURA at Conrad Osaka (2017); the permanent artwork Mirrored Pieces at the SHISEIDO Ginza flagship store (2017); KAWAI Crystal Rain at Milan Design Week (2018); TOKYO AIR at Haneda Airport International Terminal (2020); INTENSITY at POLA MUSEUM ANNEX (2020); LA MER Dreamscape in Shanghai (2020); PIAGET Ginza flagship window installation #YourMagicTurn (2021); the lobby chandelier AURA at Mandarin Oriental Shenzhen (2022); Luminous Way at Enoshima Escar (2022); The Creation at UI ART CENTER in Suzhou, China (2023); the MIKIMOTO Ginza flagship window installation (2023); K.L.V – Kinetic Light Vision at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan (2025); and the Omotesando Hills Christmas Tree (2025); and the MIKIMOTO High Jewellery Collection “L'éclat” Chandelier (2026).
In 2020, Matsuo launched EMISSION, a studio and brand dedicated to exploring original optical materials and prism-based expressions under the concept “Light, crystallized.” Through its independently developed optical material, Prism Ray®, EMISSION explores ways of giving form to intangible light through chandeliers, large-scale installations, and other spatial works.
In recent years, Matsuo’s work has received significant recognition from major design awards in Japan and internationally. In 2024, The Creation was named Entertainment Lighting Design of the Year at the LIT Lighting Design Awards. In 2025, K.L.V – Kinetic Light Vision, presented at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, received the Gold Award at the KUKAN Design Award 2025, the Silver Award at the DFA Design for Asia Awards 2025, and was selected as a Winner at the LIT Lighting Design Awards 2025.
In 2026, K.L.V – Kinetic Light Vision received Red Dot: Best of the Best in the Red Dot Award: Design Concept 2026, as well as the Gold Award at the A' Design Award & Competition. The Creation received the Platinum Award at the A' Design Award & Competition and was named a Winner at the German Design Awards, while OMOTESANDO HILLS CHRISTMAS TREE 2025 received the Silver Award at the KUKAN Design Award 2026. These accolades reflect Matsuo’s growing international recognition across the fields of light art, spatial installation, and design.
In 2026, LUCENT opened its new headquarters and production studio in Ginza 3-chome, Tokyo. The new space brings together research, development, and production for artworks and spatial design, creating an integrated environment for expanding the possibilities of expression through light.
Profile
Takahiro Matsuo
CEO / Founder & Director, EMISSION
Born in Fukuoka, Japan, in 1979, Takahiro Matsuo completed his graduate studies at the Kyushu Institute of Design.
Matsuo explores the underlying principles of natural phenomena and the behavior of light, treating light itself as an artistic medium to create new spatial perceptions and experiences. By examining the relationships between light, material, movement, and time, he creates emotionally resonant works that engage the viewer’s imagination.
His practice spans a wide range of approaches, including large-scale light installations, dynamic spatial experiences generated through moving images, kinetic artworks combining light and physical objects, and luminous phenomena mediated through water, mist, and other natural elements. His work encompasses permanent installations in urban and public spaces, exhibitions in Japan and internationally, and collaborations with luxury brands.
Through EMISSION, the art studio and brand he directs, Matsuo develops a body of work under the concept “Light, crystallized.” The studio seeks to give physical form to the intangible phenomenon of light. Centered on installations using the independently developed optical material Prism Ray®, EMISSION’s practice extends to chandeliers and art objects, exploring new relationships between light, material, and space.
In recent years, K.L.V – Kinetic Light Vision, presented at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, received the Red Dot: Best of the Best in the Red Dot Award: Design Concept 2026, as well as the Gold Award in the Entertainment Space category at the KUKAN Design Award 2025. The large-scale light installation The Creation received Entertainment Lighting Design of the Year at the LIT Lighting Design Awards 2024 and the Platinum Award, the highest distinction, at the A' Design Award & Competition 2026. OMOTESANDO HILLS CHRISTMAS TREE 2025 also received the Silver Award at the KUKAN Design Award 2026, reflecting the growing international recognition of Matsuo’s work.
Awards
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Red Dot Award: Design Concept / Red Dot: Best of the Best
K.L.V
GERMANY
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A' Design Award & Competition 2026 / Platinum Award
The Creation
ITALY
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A' Design Award & Competition 2026 / Gold Award
K.L.V
ITALY
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German Design Awards / Lighting / Winner
The Creation
GERMANY
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Kukan Design Award 2025 / Entertainment Space Division / Gold Prize
K.L.V
JAPAN
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DFA Design for Asia Awards 2025 / Silver Award
K.L.V
HONG KONG
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LIT Lighting Design Awards / Entertainment Lighting / DESIGN OF THE YEAR
The Creation
SWITZERLAND
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DESIGN SHANGHAI PICKS | K.L.V
CHINA
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Kukan Design Award 2026 / Entertainment Space Division / Silver Prize | Omotesando Hills Xmas 2025
JAPAN
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Kukan Design Award 2026 / Entertainment Space Division / Longlist | Enoshima Luminous Way
JAPAN
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LIT Lighting Design Awards / Entertainment Lighting Design / Winner | K.L.V
SWITZERLAND
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Japan Sign Design Award 2025 / Selected | K.L.V
JAPAN
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Display Industry Award 2025 / Encouragement Award | K.L.V
JAPAN
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Kukan Design Award 2024 / Show window & Art Division / Shortlist | The Creation
JAPAN
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Kukan Design Award 2020 / Show window & Art Division / Shortlist | TOKYO AIR
JAPAN
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LIT Lighting Design Awards / Entertainment Lighting Design / Honorable Mention | TOKYO AIR
SWITZERLAND
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IF DESIGN AWARD / Winner | TOKYO AIR
GERMANY
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Display Industry Awards / Display Industry Encouragement Award | TOKYO AIR
JAPAN
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Frame Awards / Longlist | SHISEIDO Makeup 4 Texture Rooms
NETHERLANDS
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DSA Japan Space Design Award / Best100 | SHISEIDO Makeup 4 Texture Rooms
JAPAN
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DFA Design for Asia Awards / Merit Award | SHISEIDO Makeup 4 Texture Rooms
HONG KONG
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DSA Japan Space Design Award / Silver Award | KAWAI "Crystal Rain"
JAPAN
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DSA Japan Space Design Award / Shortlist | Panasonic Museum "History Wall"
JAPAN
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DSA Japan Space Design Award / Silver Award | NIFREL "Wonder Moments"
JAPAN
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Laval Virtual Awards / Advanced Technology Awards / Phantasm
FRANCE
Brand
EMISSION is an art brand and studio led by light artist Takahiro Matsuo.
Guided by the concept "Light, crystallized," EMISSION creates singular prism arts that transform light into sculptural expressions.