Tuesday, November 22, 2016
Beams of Light Illuminate a Medieval Gothic Cathedral
The Creators Project: The interior of York Minster, one of the largest cathedrals in Europe, was crafted by stonemasons in medieval times. Now, centuries later, the main nave of the building was complemented with a vast light installation. LightMasonry by Jason Bruges Studio recently paid homage to the work of the highly skilled masons and carvers using beams of choreographed light.
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5 comments:
I think the photograph and final recording of the performance are very cool! The large intricate architecture of the cathedral really lends itself to being sculpted with narrow beams of light. That being said, I question the complexity of the technical side of the design. All the movements and "cues" in the video could have been easily controlled with a regular lighting console. The programming did not appear that difficult or complex, and could have been done on-site after the rig was installed with relative speed. Even if they still wanted to do pre-programming, I don't know why they couldn't use regular lighting pre-visualization software. Working in C4D and writing custom plug-ins seems a lot more complicated for what appears to be not that much payoff, other than working in a familiar environment.
I have to imagine this "animation" approach to controlling the lights stems from this designer's background, which is not in traditional lighting design, but more in video and media.
This is a very cool installation, but it’s even cooler because it speaks a lot about the ways that the current state of art and technology can interact with historical art and technology. The geometry that exists in the architecture of this cathedral clearly compliments the types of geometry capable with narrow beam lighting fixtures despite the fact that the two typically come from completely different backgrounds, both historically and culturally. I may be reading too much into the project, but the cohesion of style bridging radically different mediums and cultural positions is pretty inspiring when looked at metaphorically.
This type of project makes me wonder what other interesting intersections of that nature might be feasible and interesting. My first thoughts would be to bring a similar light show to public places of historical significance, like maybe a historical fountain or monument. I wonder how this project was received by those who frequent that cathedral, and if they thought it was respectful, because the public approval of a project would be extremely important to whether or not such a project was tasteful or not.
What I like about this installation is that it deconstructs all preconceived notions of how cutting edge technology and age-old history must compete in order to be relevant. Instead we see here how a cathedral built by stonemasons can be accented and flattered by the latest and greatest in fancy futuristic light beams. Rather than removing the old to make way for the new, the two work together to reveal just how incredible they both are. More so, while the installation itself appears impressive and creative in such a dark and distinctive space, the space itself is illuminated to reveal the innovation and ingenuity of the technology which made it possible - even if that technology was spade, mortar, and manpower. I hope that as we move into a future which makes our historical relics seem more and more obsolete, the technology which we develop can continue to serve that history by reminding us why it is important. Without stonemasons we may never have come to hydraulic cranes - and if time has brought us this far it is out responsibility to honor it. Hopefully, this installation will serve as an example to more artists and innovators seeking to integrate the past with the future.
I thought the effect they created in the theater was really beautiful, but I think they could have pushed it further. Even more lights could have been used to really echo the magnificence of the space it is occupying. I am also a little put off by the trusses. While usually I like the aesthetic of truss structures, in the grand architecture of York Minister they look out of place and almost tacky, at the very least I would have socked them. Despite all of that I think they ended up with a very cool concept of a way to use what are often rock and roll lights in a new and innovative way.
While I find it quite cool that they were able to control all of these lights in Cinema 4D, and would love to learn how to do that myself having dabbled in Cinema 4D, I agree with Ben that it seems weird that they chose that software for this project. Nothing about the lighting looked overly complex, and I am not sure what doing the programming in Cinema 4D bought them. Still, it was a neat use of plugins in that software to do awesome things. I especially liked the part of the behind the scenes video when he is editing the Cinema 4D file live and the lights are following it.
I'm always psyched to see what The Creators Project has in store. After seeing (and loving) some of the more media-centric work they've showcased, I was ready for this article to be 80 percent video and maybe 20 percent stuff I had to read. But today i decided I'd try something else, and read the text of the article first. And thus, I resigned myself to actual book learnin.'
While this article did contain a couple very cool videos, the only one I watched (instantly regretting my crusade to rely on text) was that showing the final product spayed across every nook and cranny of the beautiful Gothic architecture, with some very dramatic organ as accompaniment. (10/10 would recommend, especially if you're feeling doubtful about the gravity of what we do). The second video was a behind-the-scenes look at the work that went into the creation of the piece in particular. Some notable elements of the piece's conception include the 48 narrow-beam fixtures used to create the intricate shapes and movement of the light, as well as the made-to-order control system created in the space to control the lighting element. I should clarify that there's more information in this article, but it's contained in a video, not written explicitly in the article.
TL;DR-Lights, music, Gothic architecture. Just watch the videos, they're pretty cool anyway.
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