Week 4: Forever on the Marley

Week 4: Always on the Marley

This morning I was in a rehearsal for New Slate when I snapped this picture of my choreographer working through timing as she perfectly placed herself within the frame of the window reflection. I was initially very excited by the reflection on the floor because of the various colors streaming through the studio window as a result of the sun reflecting hues of purples, blues, greens and yellows from the dorm building windows across the way. The colors reminded me of the quiet morning that I shared with my choreographer, as we worked quickly and adamantly to continue on with choreography. The coolness of the colors made me feel at peace and not binded to the small space of the studio, and I felt a sense of reflection because I was reminded of the source of the colors on the marley (sun, nature) . As I look back at this picture now, I am more interested in how the window reflection closed off/confined the space by creating a grid-like shape on the floor. I  feel that this confinement makes a large statement because it is forcing the eye (or the audience) to center its (their) focus on what is inside of the space. I am reminded that perhaps some of the biggest statements in lighting design can be created within a very small space, in which using less  (perhaps less space, brushstrokes, or less color) can communicate a bigger statement than lighting the entirety of a space and using many colors and brushstrokes (though I also realize that it depends on what is being communicated). This photo reminded me that as a designer, I am not only enhancing and further supporting the concept of a piece, but I am also  encouraging the audiences’ eyes to focus on specific areas of the space, details in the movement, or emotions within the context of the colors, the brushstrokes and the textures. I believe that I typically attempt to light the entirety of my space, which I am realizing can be difficult for the audience to know where to look or why to look in specific places. I want to think about this in my design processes, because I feel that doing less can suggest more, whether this means confining a space, focusing on using less color, or less brushstrokes in general, and how I might do so to aid the audience in engaging in the conversation between light and movement onstage. More to come on that...