Note: This post first appeared in October 2006. I thought it was a nice compliment to my post last Monday
Something I have not spoken of in this forum, at least not much, is the relationship of light to the performer. Concept, space, time and story are all here, but what of the performer? First, before anything, we are lighting the performer. Be they dancer, singer, actor or DJ. The performer and their body.
But what is that body? In dance it is Body as kinetic sculpture. In theatre it is Body as language made form. In opera it is Body in the world. On the dance floor it is Body as extended psychic presence. How do we see these bodies? What are they and what do they mean? Do we see them differently?
Body. Literally it is a physical composition of living cells. It is organic matter. And it reacts to light in a particular and unique way because of that nature. One of the primary qualities of light that can assist us in doing this is color. Through the use and manipulation of color one can make the body appear dead or alive. Real or artificial. The control of and transformation of the skin tone of the performer is a vital and necessary aspect of the lighting designers job.
In 1986, John Gleason wrote a series of articles for Lighting Dimensions magazine titled “What is the Color of White Light?” In it he explored the myriad variety and variation that commonly comes under the title ‘white light.’ This light refers to both the cold dead green of fluorescent lighting and the vital red warmth of a candle. White light is not a single thing, rather it is a variously aspected dynamic transformative entity.
Transforming skin tone as I mentioned above does not necessitate heavy use of chromatic color, although that too can be effective. Rather the very subtle alteration from a slight green to a slight red can radically alter our entire perception of a body in space. The line between life and death is thin and mutable.
Angle too is a key element of this revelation of the body. The low side lighting so common in dance helps to bring out the sculptural nature of the human form. The angle of the light determines, by necessity, the angle of the shadows. Thus one is designing not only the light, but also the shadows on a performers body.
But then this performer exits within some context. They exist in some physical location, but also in a psychological space as well. So the surrounding environment must be lit to show them and their relationship to that context. As each and every element is added to the equation the frame of reference changes and the balance shifts. It is a constant negotiation. An ever shifting lens that must keep a narrow depth of field on the performer. The focus must always be clear. Sometimes that is difficult and sometimes impossible, but it must always be the first intent.
How a body is revealed determines how we interpret their words and actions. Do we trust them or not? Are we looking for comedy or tragedy? Is it ok that we are confused? What is the nature of their soul?
Light does not and can not answer these questions. Light can be a lens through which these questions are asked. Light can make an action seem natural or forced, it can cause our initial impression to be one of trust or mistrust, confusion or clarity. The focus of the composition can in many ways determine the focus of the performance. Light can not hide a bad performance, but it can make a good performance great.
