Week 3-Kelly -America Really Does Have Talent

 

This weekend I had the opportunity to see a friend of mine perform with Catapult Dance Company, a former finalist group on America's Got Talent, as a part of their 2021 National Tour.  The company's gimmick is that the entire performance is performed behind a screen, behind which a single light source is used to create an array of optical illusions through silhouette and shadow. During this performance I was blown away by the creativity and ingenuity of the designers and dancers. 

The audience sees the performance as one two-dimensional image, while in reality the dancers position themselves at different distance from the light source, so they appear large or smaller, and the silhouettes blend together to make a complete different image projected on the screen. I was able to watch the second half of the performance from backstage and it was truly amazing  to see how this is accomplished. If you look closely at the first two pictures in this blog, you can see the backstage set-up and the amount of spike tape, monitors, and detail go into making this happen. Although some props are used during the performance, the majority of the images are created through manipulation of the light source and reimagination of the form and shape of the human body. 

Talk about innovation and imagination when it comes to lighting!

week 3 - whitney - optical veracity

 

how light and visual perspectives reveal the essences of living forms

what is in focus?

how relevant are compositional techniques in portraying essences of living forms?

does a crisp focus always equate to clarity? 

how does light temperature and exposure effect our emotional connection (to ourselves and others)?

is abstraction closer to the "truth" of things? 

Week 3 - Joey NM - Traffic Light, his three Boxes, and four Palm Trees

I really appreciate the composition of this photo. The four palm trees and three electrical boxes are in the background fixed in space, waiting for their cue. Perhaps they're in silhouette? The traffic light is the real star of the show. He's in front and in a position to do something dramatic.

I took this photo mainly because the images struck me as beautiful. The blue paper meché mountains in the back exude orangey heat as they continue broiling impatience for the octet to begin dancing for them.

It's also a good reminder that this scenery, something so mundane, I'd often overlook. Like the fuming mountains, they wait for absolutely nothing to happen. In the photo's background, I'm fuming for the red traffic light to change in my rush to get to a place that is relatively more unimportant than this beautiful moment in front of me.

Week 3, Lisa Allin, Purple Lights

 

Crawling up my wall are purple lights and soft arching shadows that mimic the spooky branches. Gnarly shapes, swirling colors, and varying levels of intensity entice my inner artist and child. Mystery exudes, but it’s obviously Halloween!

Week 3_Power_TA

 I am not sure where to start. But an ecliptic sun, an exposed dancer, a silhouette,  a matching energy between the dancer, the sun and the mountains? There is no answer to beauty. 

This picture represents power, vulnerability and achievement. The sun is a powerful and affective light source, yet what happens when the sun hides? Shadows? Darkness? Love? 

What if the disappearance of light is when we feel good about showing who we truly are? 

What is light?

This picture is part of a filming that I conducted in spring quarter as part of a Dance Film piece. 

Week 3 - JB - Candlelit

Week 3 - Candlelit

Rain in Irvine is rare enough, but a storm large enough to cut power across campus is definitely cause for news.

I vaguely remembered an episode of a cartoon I watched on PBS when I was young, in which the main character's family experiences a power outage. At first, everyone is impatient and restless, but soon, they make the most of the situation and settle into cozy family time, playing board games, having a party and telling stories in candlelight. When the power does eventually come back, they lament, and turn the lights back off to continue their wholesome night.

At first, I was dejected because I couldn't make hot chocolate, but the two hours of darkness ended up being a lovely night, with ukulele music tinkling amidst the candlelight. Even though candles provide such little light, they bring such warmth and comfort to a space.

-Jeevika

Week 3 - Frankie Henderson - Neon Streaks

     This is not originally what I intended to get out of this picture but it happened to become a happy accident with a slip of my wrist. This picture served as a reminder that the way light moves, smears and passes through the air creates a similar composition to the way dance rushes through the space. Had the camera not made a jarring movement as I pressed the button, you would have only seen the view of hanging lights from the perspective of laying on the ground in a drowsy moment of rest. Instead we see neon lightening streaked colors creating mismatched patterns and figures. 

WEEK 2(Inspiration)- Rubí Danielle - Rainbow

WEEK 2(Inspiration)- Rubí Danielle - Rainbow

Taking this lighting class has inspired me to continue embracing all of the colors that exist in the rainbow. I absolutely love colors that pop, but I also love black as well. I generally gravitate towards black and I tend to pair it with bright neon colors as accents, in the same way these colors above, are paired with the dark black surrounding them. There are so many colors that exist, and I feel encouraged to continue exploring the essence and beauty of every color that is available to me. I want to dive into these colors and jump out with rainbow colored hair. What if everything we touched turned into the shade we were feeling in that moment, in the same way a mood ring changes colors when it feels a shift in our emotions? Colors are so much deeper than what we see. There is a story behind every color, and they each represent different ideas, characters, and emotions. I am inspired to continue exploring the deeper meaning behind colors. 

Week 2 - Amber Morales - Midnight Orange

 

The haunting darkness of the October night sky. Haunting yet inviting. Inviting yet avoiding. One can find themselves in a dilemma between the danger of the howling wind and the comfort of a warm street light. A choice between the sinister world or the foolish living. Most find the horrors of the night sky childish, or even unspeakable. While others wait patiently for their throne in the land of endless fright and terror. 

Week 2- Cheers to solar power -Anna Medina

 

This moment brings me extreme happiness and reminds me of the gifts of nature. The sun, the ocean, the combination of the two. The best things in life are free and we are all capable of feeling joy. Sunlight is something so simple yet so precious. It is important to remember that simplicity is sacred and natural light is a perfect example of this.

Kelly- Week Two- A Shadow of Inspiration

 

The cool thing about inspiration is it can strike anywhere, at anytime. Especially when your assignment for the week is to be on the lookout for it. 

I love natural light and natural settings and for this week's post I took several pictures of the sky, sun-flares, sunsets, and light coming through trees. However, I chose not to use any of these pictures because I felt they were too similar to my post from last week. 

To me, inspiration is not just something you stumble upon, it's something you look for. 

After spending all day being on the lookout for inspiring natural light, I noticed this blank wall on the way back from the laundry room. Seemingly no light at all. In fact, an absence of light which revealed the form of my body. I took a moment to play, be inspired, and try out a few different shapes. 

In these pictures I appreciate the way the light creates shadows which showcase the body in a new way, different from what we see in real life.