LIGHT, SHADOW,GEOMETRY,NARRATIVE.MA ISD ZHIHONGLIAN

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Contents

Introduction 4

Case Study 10 -Jinghui Meng’s drama-The Nether-Vault Festival

Research and Work 18-Geometry and light

Developed research, methods and Work 32-Light, geometry, material work together to narrate a story

The Movie 50

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Introduction: Theories of light and shadowLight is an energy which can make forms. It is invisible, but makes things visible.(f ig.1) Lighting design becomes a key element of a performance. The light helps to tell a narrative story on the stage. The stage design is a mixture of space design and furniture design. In addition, drama also tells a narrative story, which can also takes some inspiration from movie design

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The abstract meaning of light as it relates to the art work

It is light’s elemental nature that gives it the potential to be so powerfully enlighteninig. Art historian Rudolph Arnheim has noted: Light is one of the revealing elements of l i fe.... It is the most spectacular experience of the senses, an apparition properly celebrated, worshiped, and implored in early religious ceremonies. But as its powers over the practice of daily living become sufficiently familiar, it is threatened with falling into oblivion. It remains for the artist and the occasional poetical moods of the common man to preserve the access to the wisdom that can be gained from the contemplation of light.( Herbert, 1972, p.11)

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There are a lot of famous architects: such as Louis Kahn, Le Corbusier, Tadao ando.I n a r c h i t e c t u r e design, the use of light and shadow is one of the important means.

light for architecture design

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Light for stage design

L i g h t i n g c a n c h a n g e t h e a t m o s p h e r e o f a s c e n e th rough tex tu re , shadow, colour and intensity. It can also help communicate visual information, such as time of day or a particular season. Lighting is also a way to hide or reveal characters on the stage. ( V&A, lighting section)

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A 1920 a r t i c le in Thea t re Arts Magazine offers a good introduction to the theatrical approach to light. In this article, theater director (and future filmmaker) Irving Pichel writes:“Light, in the theatre, then: 1 , i l l u m i n a t e s t h e s t a g e and actors; 2, states hour, season, and weather, through suggestion of the light effects in nature; 3, helps paint the scene (stage picture) by manipulation of light and shadow and by heightening color values; 4, lends relief to the actors and to the plastic elements in the scene; and 5, helps act the play, by symbolizing its meanings and reinforcing its psychology” (Keating, 1970, p.56).

Here the two functions are at odds, because realism itself is being put on display. The spectator is being asked to compare the light of the theater to the light of the world. This act of comparison forces the spectator to think about the effect as a representation, and not as part of a unified whole.( Keating, 1970, p.59)

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How the narrative comes into beingD r a m a t i c i s d i v i d e d i n t o "literature which constitutes the dramatic" and "the dramatic stage show." The former is ca l led Dramat ic , which is biased in favor of the "spirit" and " i n te rna l " t o peop le . "thinking," and "Voice" (text) as a carrier; the latter is called Theatrical, which is biased in favor of "substance" and "external" to people and the "body," "sound" as the carrier (Dong, 2013).When a complete dramatic works to be " up" on the stage when the relationship of the Dramatic and Theatrical is not who contains who, but i s o rgan ica l l y in tegra ted . Dramatic provides the basis for the thoughts and feelings, the power source of inspiration and behavior; the Theatrical provides sound, shape, color, etc. Theatrical give the form to the Dramatic, perceived physical appearance of it, the latter for the audience deep into the former the spirit of the park, providing a key to the door. The perfect combination of the two, is the best dramatic.

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CASE STUDY

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Jinghui Meng is a pioneer drama director in China. His special stage design, the way he uses a projector, with many kinds of light, make his dramas unusual and modern.The stage designer of his drama is Wu Zhang. He has said, “I got some inspiration from architecture, installation and modern painting.” Crossovers like this can always bring some new inspirations and ideas to an artist’s mind.

CASE STUDY 1

Project lightZhang’s and Meng’s stage design is one of the highlights in the drama "Soft" (fig.4). A cold tonality dominates the stage. The director uses a turntable and two high and low square spaces, expanding the performance area. Jinghui Meng ful ly use the on-si te imaging technology in the performance. The images of male and female actors’ faces are shown in the backdrop surface. In addition, electronic music and images with lasers and special treatments, enrich the stage performance of the story.In the show, the actors’ facial features are magnified and projected onto the low white wall at the sides of the stage. Tears in the eyes, and eyebrows gently provoke. Each viewer will be able to see the actor’s skills clearly. Is no longer about prominent director Jinghui Meng’s individual talent, but the complete performance which brings out the screenplay’s deeper insights from cold to warm. Through these techniques the audiences can feel the heart of sadness." The stage designer use light to magnify the actor’s emotions,and let audience feel like they are closer to the stage. Thus this projection of light narrows the distance between the audience and the stage, making it easier for viewers to resonate with the story. So through changing the light and shadow, we can chang the audience’s feeling to the scene.

- STAGE SETTING,THE POSITION OF LIGHT, THE TUNNING STAGE.

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Different light angles create perspective illusions Another drama is "The love story of three oranges ". Although inspired by many ancient legends from Europe, the story is adapted from Russian short stories. The stage is sp l i t by a huge frame structure, made out of several parts. It is clean and simple; gray walls, looming veil, a chair with a completely different shape covers the stage. Stage designer Wu Zhang said: "This is a dream world, a love swell space that is not trivial and dull of life. pure stage is poetic and is uncompromising with reality! Just like love never compromise with reality! "

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In one scene the light is from an angle far behind (fig. 5.2). This lets the audience feel like the stage has become a deep street. In this scene, the heroine chases the actor, who runs into the alley.In another scene the light is forcused on the foreground, (fig. 5.3). This lets the audience feel like the stage has become a room, and the actors are having an intimate dialogue in the innermost room.

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I chose a drama called “The Nether” (Duke of York’s Theatre). This is a drama which uses lots of projectio¬n and light to generate different secenes. The drama posed a question to the audience: if they commit a crime in a virtual world, should they be punished in the real world?

Right at the heart of ‘The Nether’ is the question of: does feeling or imagining a vicious act make it real? This is an extension of a question that emerges today whenever a child massacres their classmates and people ask if video games, or films, can be blamed for brutalizing someone. Here, in a world where digital life can replace a life itself – something we’re perhaps not really that far from – that question takes on a whole new dimension.The play moves between two worlds. The first is a dull reality, where detective Morris interrogates grey-haired Sims about the whereabouts of the server for his virtual realm, The Hideaway (In the first scene). The second is Sims’ realm. People log in to spend time – literally smelling, touching, tasting – in a beautiful, and very real, Victorian country manor house and are encouraged to hurt, rape and viciously murder four charming children that live there.

CASE STUDY 2- P R O J E C T O R , A N I M AT I O N , T H E COMPARISON BETWEEN REALITY AND THE VIRTUAL WORLD

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I analysed the drama by drawing a section and constracted a model of it. I tried to project images on the model to test the scene in the drama. In this way, I discovered how he design and control lights to get a visual impression which fit the drama. In the drama, only one scene is used to generate different atmospheres which are suitable for different plots of the story.

The stage design of this play is very clever. I made a model of the stage in order to analyse the light deeply. The stage set up creates the illusion of looking into a computer.The projector will project the virtual world on the screen. Then, when the screen raises up, the real thing will take place in the same position. This brings a feeling to the audience that the virtual thing has come true. It is a total fit with the core ideas of this drama. It asks the question if the digital world will replace real life. The designer uses the screen of the stage to separate real life and digital life behind the screen. The audience looks at the stage just like they look into a computer. The stage designer knows the story is set in two worlds. He uses a digital projector to tell the audience this is a digital world. Then he raises the screen, to let the digital world become the real world in the same

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CASE STUDY 3

“Liberation investigates the psychological power of colour, the naked form and what it means to be liberated. It’s a vivid and visceral experience. Sometimes violent, sometimes beautiful, always messy. Expect vast quantities of paint thrown on to dancing bodies, brave and honest performances, and a show unl ike anything seen before.” according to the website of the vault festival.

The in te res t ing th ing fo r me is tha t th is performance uses a new way to describe the concept of liberation. The challenge of a new way is always difficult. But the outcome is always exciting.When asked about the reaction to the performance the director said,“It’s such an unusual show and so unlike anything we have done before that we really had no idea how it would go down, but feedback has been very positive.”During the Vault Festival, “Liberation” was the most exciting drama for me. I thought it was very experimental. There was no dialogue in this drama. It is a silent drama. The actors paint splashed each other, and chasing each other, the pigment powder mixed in the air. There is no obvious story plot or narrative, but the visual effect is prominent. Colors reveal a certain mood.The abstract is also attractive to me. I believe we do not need words to tell what is going on. The audience can still feel the story or performance through the visual image.

-THE ABSTRACT MEANING OF COLOURS

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Greater investigations into color character can be found in specialist literature. I have chosen and assembled the ideas that are most important to me subjectively. The table draws on sources including: Heimendahl, Licht und Farbe; Frieling, Gesetz der Farbe. The following is quoted in translation from Kuthe/Venn and Marketing mit Farvben: (Kuthe, p.60)

I chose two colors of my practice to explain.Blue is the colour of the sky. The deeper the blue, the more metaphysical it becomes: blue-black has the note of overwhelming cosmic mourning. Blue is and always will be an enigmatic colour for us. It always seems distant and may be soothing, but still it radiates seriousness, cold and yearning, with an undertone of sadness. Blue makes a hole in the picture-says the painter-and this means that blue always seems to be drawing back. Ultramarine is also cool but has an agreeable, calming, peaceful effect, because it behaves passively. Blue-green fuses blue’s reticence and yearning with the peace and freshness of green. Blue-green induces yearning but is soothing at the same time.

Yellow has a very stimulating effect, but without causing the kind of excitement we associate with red. Pure yellow is the brightest colour in the chromatic circle and symbolizes fertility, blessing, abundance, and- if raised to the plane of gold- it expresses power, glory and majesty. The brighter yellow is, the more it moves into the foreground. Yellow has a dominant effect. If it is divided, it increases in power. However, it loses its cheerfulness or majesty if it becomes darker. The brighter yellow gets, the more it is refined, becoming less weighty, more delicate and more noble, and then optically more reticent. （pp.58-59（

Color character

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Research and work

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Developed research and work

The story I chose as my content is a manga story called ‘Walk to left, Walk to right’. It is by a chinese illustrator Mi Ji. I use the theatricality of light and shadow to express the story. The synopsis of the story is two souls are living their lives in close proximity without ever meeting like “ships in the night”. Like parallel lines-they never meet until one day fate intervenes and they stumble into each other… I summarized the story into six segments. They are: parallel, meet, match, separate, look for, meet again.

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The key meaning of the story is tha t in the c i ty, peop le are cold and detached. Our physical distance is so close, like living door to door. But our psychological distance is so far away, like two parallel lines.

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I am interested in geometric space and discussion by the plaster model is about the relationship between geometric space and the actor. The plastic model is from Jinghui Meng’s drama. I used a different position emission model. Because o f the d i f fe ren t sense o f s c a l e , i t w i l l b r i n g people different spatial perspectives and imagery. Some people will think of the design as a building, or a corner, or an arc which symbolizes the space in a man’s skull.

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The s tage des igner Wu Zhang inclined arc design stage, with a metal reflective space of a fall. This may seem out of p lace for a love story, but as the plot unfolds it conveys a very rich vocabulary stage. The clock arc moving in the passage of time as the actors fall from top to bottom and struggle to c l imb up. A sense o f weightlessness and fall also demonstrated love’s of ups and downs.

R e p r e s e n t a t i o n a l a n d a b s t r a c t l i n e s , symbolization and a fable-type performance, all are c o n v e y e d t h r o u g h t h e surface texture of the stage. The stage design is unique and innovative.

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Due to my interest in Chinese puppet theater, I was drawn to using lighting and shading in my practice. I chose Chinese characteristics of paper-cut images, separated into three layers. I chose the poem called "Rain Alley". I wanted to use cascading scenes show the artistic conception of the poem.But through comparing these two scenes,(fig.13, fig.14) I find the abstract of the geometric space can let the audience use more imagination. The figurative spatial directivity is stronger, while variability has diminished a lot. Because of my interest in contemporary theater, I decided to analyse this geometric abstraction deeply.

China silhouette

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Developed research,method and work

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Sketch I chose several key part of the story, start to use geometry to represent this story.

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The Prop

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The Device

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The Story Subtitle

-That winter was extremely cold.The damp rain mantled the whole city.-Gray sky, and no sunshine.Inexplicably depressed.-Sometimes, tears just can’t help trickling downwhile walking on the street…

-That night, they are too excited to go to sleep. The rain falls the whole night.

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The Prop

For the “parallel” part I made two same squre spaces to convey their rooms. At the beginning, I just used black and white color to show they are cold and detached. They don’t have any emotions.

The light and shadow make this model looks deeper. It increase the depth of the scene.

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The Story Subtitle

-However, there always are some coincidences in people’s lives, two parallel lines might join some day.

-Then, one day, they meet....

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The Prop

For the “meet” part, the oval represents the agglomeration and aggregation, as two points on a surface that is go to opposite directions will meet in the other side. This is why I chose an oval shape.

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The Story Subtitle

-In this familiar while strange city,Look ing for a s t range but familiar person helplessly.-The city feels like a jail without walls. Tired and suffocated…

-Days passed one after another, they never meet again.-Walking in the crowd, missing that sweet but short time so much.

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The Prop

For the “look for” part, later, in this vast city, they did not encounter one another again. Although they are in the same city, the same building, with only a wall on both sides, their lives are so parallel to each other again.I use the same model, by turning the angle of shooting, to produce two scenes of the story.

1.PARALLER 2.MEET 3.MATCH

That winter was extremely cold.The damp rain mantled the whole city.Gray sky, and no sunshine.Inexplicably depressed.Sometimes, tears just can’t help trickling down,while walking on the street…In the same apartment building…

However, there always are some coincidences in people’s lives, two parallel lines might join some day.Then, one day, they meet

They look like a pair of lovers separated for many years.They had a happy and sweet afternoon.

4.SEPERATE 5.LOOK FOR(LOST) 6. . . . .

At sunset, a sudden rainstorm.They exchanged phone numbers and said a hurried goodbye.He is still used to running on the right… She is still used to running on the left…That night, they are too excited to go to sleep. The rain falls the whole night.

However, there are so many unexpected surprises in people’s lives.The string of the kite might be suddenly broken even you are holding it tightly.Rain has blurred the numbers; Walking in the crowd, missing that sweet but short time so much.In this familiar while strange city,Looking for a strange but familiar person helplessly.

Decide to leave this deserted and cold cityfor a p lace wi th sunshine everyday.But the winter will be over, the spring will come after all…

Reproject

For experiment, I reproject the moive on the model which was been shot. Two space overlap together. This way is also benifit for one-person control . The project produce the third light source in a controlable way. So I can control another two light sourc by my hands.

The movie

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