InPark Magazine: Lighting and lighting design create a powerful effect on our psyches. The quality, intensity, placement, and color of light strongly affect mood – to the extent that lighting can make us feel everything from infatuated to terrified. Despite this astonishing effect on our environment and our emotions, all too often lighting design can take a back seat to the overall process.
5 comments:
This was a very refreshing article when it comes to the topic of light design. A concept that is very often disregarded by those that do not work in the industry but yet affect the day to day life of most people. “The quality, intensity, placement, and color of light strongly affect mood.” is a really good summation of what light design is in a whole. I have always been fascinated with light design because it is an outlet to be creative and artistic in a way that most people can not. This article also touches on the different industries in which light design is prevalent, such as architecturally. I think this form of design is the most overlooked, observation decks and monuments pose an interesting challenge, such as the Washington Monument that is evenly lit with what seems like no light source. This article was very effective including the different subsects of light design and focusing on each of their importance and how the different subsects can even work together.
It seems to me that we tend to overlook any type of lighting design that does not involve theater. Sometimes it feels like we think we are better than architectural or entertainment designers, because we're doing "real theater" but you can tell stories through architecture and entertainment too. This article does a really good job at explaining that these designs are theatrical in their own right, and they tell interactive immersive stories. Whenever I'm at a particularly interesting attraction I always take a moment to think about the lighting, because just like a theatrical production would be nothing without it's lighting, these attractions are similarly lacking without their lighting. If you think about it, things like haunted houses wouldn't exist with the atmospheric designs (not to mention the fog) and Disney parks would be downright boring without the colors and textures their designers use. There's a real place in this industry for theatrical designers, but oftentimes our own desires to do something "real" stops us from pursuing those opportunities, even if they would be just as fulfilling as traditional theater.
This article describes the work of Mark Andrew, a lighting designer. I was particularly intrigued by the differences described between theatrical lighting and the kind of lighting that Andrew did a lot of, like in observation decks or rides. The lighting he has done for observation decks and rides have some room for creativity, but the focus seems to be on making the space feel real. What I love about theatrical lighting is the space to explore and the fact that it does not always have to be realistic. There are obviously times when the space needs to feel as real as possible but there is a lot room for creativity and making spaces that, instead of conveying a physical appearance, convey emotion in order to make the audience feel something specific.
I was also drawn to Andrew’s comment that, in not theatrical lighting, there is the concern that whoever is in charge will not respect the need for lighting and will not see it as absolutely necessary and as an important factor in the space. For the most part, in theater, lighting is respected and appreciated in the way it needs to be and designers have the ability to work to their fullest potential on each project.
This summer I was really introduced to architectural lighting and other non theatrical lighting methods, and I was very surprised by the extent to which lighting permeates almost every industry. I think lighting design can often be overlooked in theatre, and even more so in other industries, but I really enjoyed seeing this perspective on how lighting can affect both a space and the people in it. I also liked the perspective that stories can still be told in places other than theatre, and that creating a story in any space can be vital to how people who go through that space experience that environment. I think this is a great way to branch out from theatre into other industries: it seems like this could be a great stepping stone for someone in the theatre industry looking to explore other lighting design options that still have a connection to storytelling and theatre.
There is truly something magical about entering into a space where every single piece of lighting has been thought of with a purpose, where architectural features are heightened and placed into the conscious mind. Its like a purposeful and accessible viewpointing exercise, except you are entering into the viewpoint of a single person, the lighting designer, and they've allowed you to experience a place which, while unremarkable under bland filling light, is transformed into interesting geometry which delights the eye and excites the mind. This is how I always feel when I go see the Phipps Conservatory every winter and enjoy their winter light show. There is so much to offer when interacting with the organic and unpredicatble nature of the plants contained within those spheres, that even if they haven't changed their reprtoire of foliage, the experience has been different the two times I have experienced it. I am excited to see what this year has to offer.
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