Light Observations

Light has always seem to be a very fundamental tool of both cinema and life, but I constantly find myself struggling and processing it. Light seems to be a very basic concept when you think about it, but the visual spectrum makes it difficult to interpret and the physical geometry crafts it into shapes that, for me, are very difficult to understand. I am getting better at it and am still very interested and invested in its function. My primary focus on light recently has been interior "mood" lighting within apartments and dorm rooms. I love going over to people's houses and apartments and seeing how they use light to shape very simple and boring rooms. Most often people use softer, amber lights in corners which, while simple and typical, still strikes me in a very beautiful way. I've also noticed a trend of people using holiday lights as mood lighting, either with or without additional lamps to give strikingly vibrant colors to rooms. I know when I move into my next apartment and have a little money to throw around, lighting will probably be one of my main concerns and want to craft it in a very interesting and unique way.

I also have enjoyed seeing how professional (and amateur) artists use light to craft and shape their work, particularly sculptures. This is something I've always studied in galleries aided by my moms watchful eye. I've always enjoyed more avant-garde and experimental forms of lighting, such as the AntiVJ group which I've posted a video of above. They use both lighting and geometry to create incredible visual illusions and craft these very strange and obscure scenes or, moments, within or, more appropriately, on a invariable physical structure. Though their techniques and access is unique and unusual, I think it can be recreated and explored further in smaller and more localized forms. I'm not just talking about lighting at clubs or bars either, but creating a true light performance on a small scale within an enclosed space. This is something I would really like to study and pursue when I have additional resources.