WEEK 1 - Long Shadows

The darker, first photo was taken in class on Wednesday. The shadow of the scaffolding onto the cyc wall caught my eye and peeked my interest. Thus, elongated, industrial shadows are my topic for the week.

I took the second photo around 7:30 am on the 5th floor of the parking structure at my apartments in Irvine.

The scaffolding shadow on the Studio Theatre wall gave rigid, geometric shape to a space that would have been empty otherwise. It added a hint of mystery and spookiness, and the figure's height seem to loom in the corner of the room. I've designed a few shows in a small black box theatre (with a 29' x 14' acting space, a single pipe on each of the four walls and access to 23 dimmers). In working with little experience and in such a small space, shadows seemed to be my enemy. Almost every part of the stage to be lit, was also an acting space; so any shadows would leave some performers in the dark. The large size of the Studio Theatre (with this scaffolding shadow on the wall) presented an opportunity for me to mentally revisit the shows I've designed in the past, and imagine the possibilities of using elongated, industrial shadows - to fill space and add suspense.

The shadow of the railing on the floor of the parking lot makes for a more interesting setting - then if it were absent. During most of the day, the sun is shining bright and the shadow is small or non-existent. The geometric shape of the shadow, obviously man-made, adds texture and another layer to a seemingly boring view. The shadow's lines break up the monotony of the open space and "fill it" - without adding any materials or people. I did not experience the same feeling on parking structure rooftop, as I had in the Studio Theatre. The open sky, and warm sunlight chased away any of the tension the darker room held.