SAMUEL VAN HOOGSTRATEN
“The perceptions have been manipulated by the illusion of scale”.
Hoogstraten used shadow play to accentuate the movement of the actors on stage. This also has the effect of including the set and background as part of the production of the scene. This demonstrates how light can cause the distortion of scale; objects that are closer to the light can create a larger shadow than those that are farther away. A method similar to this could be used during our scene to help emphasise the mood and emotion of the characters.
JOSEF SVOBODA
Svoboda is a Czech designer who focuses on a particular part of the human body; in this case it is the hands. Similarly to the concept Hoogstraten developed, shadows of the actors are utilised as the backdrop for the action. By zooming in and focusing the light on specific areas and casting much more enlarged shadows an interesting backdrop is created. Something similar could be used in our concept as it may help emphasise an aspect in the play and also would direct the audience to what is happening centre stage.
TERESITA FERNANDEZ
Shadows can also be used as a means of setting the scene within a play. In this example in Madison Square Garden called Fata Morgana, created by Teresita Fernández, shadows give the illusion of walking through a dense forest. The sculpture hangs above the pavement, similar to a tree canopy and when the light passes through casts the shadow onto the ground. In theatre a similar shadow can be created using a lighting gobo; these discs which slot over stage lighting have a pattern cut into them which will then cast the desired shadow into the set.
NOTA BENE
Based in Istanbul, Nota Bene is a multi-disciplinary studio specializing in digital experience for global brands and artistic platforms. Their concept uses the latest technology to create a interactive experience with the installations through the use of video projection mapping. Although such technology would not be possible to use in our project due to budget constraints, it did inspire our initial concept for our scene.
KINWAH TSANG
The Seven Seals is a series of seven digital video installations using texts and computer technology to show Kinwah Tsang’s thoughts on various issues of the day. The Seven Seals draws its reference from various sources including the Bible, Judeo-Christian eschatology, existentialism, metaphysics, politics, etc. These installations all attempt to articulate the complex situation of the world and the dilemmas that people are facing while approaching as Tsang sees it “the end of the world”.
The thoughts overlap, muddle, complicate and build upon other thoughts, slowly growing into an incomprehensible mass which projects a very visually interesting space. Such a space allows interaction between the audience and the story which is being portrayed.
Initial Ideas
By projecting words an interesting link is created between text, visual installation and the audience. For our adaptation of Antigone this concept could be used to project key words from the play which may help portray the emotion of the scene. This coupled with the use of shadow play would produce a very dynamic backdrop for the play which would engage the audience and allow them to interact and understand the play much better. These ideas form the basis of our concept which we will now begin to develop.
By Marcus Gregory Smith
Group 2 – Marcus, Dela, Danielle, Yousef
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