Dance 287 - Lighting for Choreography Fall 2023

Irvine Spectrum Center has drastically expanded over the past several decades. The residue of its original theme is most present by the movie theater which is where I focused my energy. The hanging lanterns, palm trees, arches, and domes depict a Moroccan theme also known as Hispano-Moorish.  The Islamic influenced architecture and pottery style is alluded to in tile work, square framing of horseshoe arches, and geometric patterns present on the buildings and fountains. The suspended lanterns are trying to hold the design ideas together but have become overshadowed by the LED lights framing the horseshoe arch. The LED lights increase around the mall and are used mainly for highlighting store signs. This jolts guests out of a North-African ambiance into a commercial Californian mall. As footfall increases deeper into the shopping center to its newer parts, the use of fountains and plants continue the theme, however, contemporary design begins to take over past Dave & Buster's. T...

    My first image is how I captured the overall theme of the venue. The Spectrum was heavily lit in Christmas/winter themed attractions and various light fixtures. While I did not notice the individual stores highlighting this theme, I found many to represent an individual themes that assisted their consumer attention while others failed to do so which had negative effects on their business.      My first example is of a store that had little to no attention drawn to it. Not only was there a lack of diversity in the color pallet, it was a culmination of only cool tones and florescent lighting. We learned in class how warm colors draw the eyes to them so the absence of any warmth lighting wasn't doing them any favors. Additionally, their windows were shut so you could not see the inside of the store without going inside so there was nothing to draw the consumers desire to unless they already knew what they were coming for. This resulted in no one entering their ...

  For my site specific blog, I decided to visit the Irvine Spectrum. They have some decorations up for the holiday season such as the decorated lamps and a huge ornament made of lights which is towards the back of this photo. They are trying to accomplish the Christmas look, but I felt that there could have been more lights in this area. Personally, I think the more the merrier when it comes to lights and decorations during the holidays since that's when I feel the most in spirit. There are different parts of the Spectrum that had more lights than others, but this area in specific could have been more successful if it was more lit such as lights on the palm trees or hanging lights all around. I thought the Hudson Cookies  store was successful in their lighting because it is apparent that they are going for that holiday spirit. The tree, the Christmas decorations, the presents, and the hanging lights were all complimentary to each other and created an environment that was invit...

  I chose to post two different pictures to talk about the overall environment of the Spectrum. I can tell they were going for a festive, holiday vibe, but because they went all out around the Christmas tree and Ferris wheel, the rest of the place felt pretty underwhelming. Especially because throughout the Spectrum there are many dark pathways like this one. The stores, trees and walls are lit, but the pathways are very dark which gives the place a creepy feeling. Not to mention how disorienting it is when you're walking through these dark areas and the periphery is so bright. If they had taken some string Christmas lights and hung them across these areas, it would tie the whole place together a bit more, and maybe even pull some of the crowd away from the heavily themed/decorated area (which was pretty packed). A store I found to be successful in their lighting was LIP LAB. Though it didn't have a lot of people in it, I loved the ambience of the place and it caught my eye rig...

  For my site specific blog, I chose to go to the Irvine Spectrum. As you can see from the image above, the overall theme of the place was Christmas/holiday time. The palm trees were lit and so was the Ferris wheel. The place also now has a skating ring to add to the idea of snow and holiday activities. As with any kind of holiday related theme, it brings about feelings of joy and of course stress specially going through the stores and being constantly reminded that I need to do my Christmas shopping soon. I think with the collaboration of the lights, the physical design and placement of the tree and such, and the music at the venue, it was a successful design and accomplished its goals. For my unsuccessful store, I personally chose Hello Kitty Cafe. Although the theme of the store was cute and is designed to instill happiness, it somehow doesn’t achieve that for me. I think what doesn’t work for me is the darkness in the windows themselves as well as the little roof thing over the...

I took a visit to the Irvine Spectrum this week and the overall feeling of the location was CHRISTMAS! There were lights everywhere- even on the floor. The palm trees, shops, bushes, lounging areas, Ferris wheel, and eating locations were all pleasantly lit and definitely accomplished the feeling of Christmas. There was also a ginormous Christmas tree and a skating rink providing a winter wonderland feel that made me want to grab some hot chocolate and bask in the environment. It was moderately busy with the sound of soft music playing and people chatting and enjoying their night out.  As I walked through the Spectrum I was overwhelmed noticing all the "good and bad" lighting of stores. I honestly never paid much attention to the designs or how I was affected by the lighting. I began to look at the themes and how well they were executed, and the one place I felt provided that for me was  Robata Wasa. The restaurant Robata Wasa had a feeling of elegance, and simplicity while s...

         I took this picture while sitting at the beach at night. Watching the ocean move helps me decompress as we get further into the quarter. However, this time I also had my attention on the light that was sitting atop the water as it moved uncertainly, sometimes appearing to light the ocean like a blanket, while other times having choppy reflections and bouncing off the waves being produced. The light upon the water brought more perspective to my decompress session as it was emphasizing my favorite thing about the ocean: it's impermanence. The ocean is to emotional experiences as the river is to time--While emotions come and go, time is simply fleeting. Watching the light struggle to illuminate any specific bit of water consistently gave me an analogy of how I manage the motion of life.   

  My friend and I were on our way to a meeting at the Science Library and there was a moment I turned my head to look out the window and noticed her reflection. This moment really looked like she was walking on top of the trees and some of her reflection change depending on the angle of the light. I thought it was fascinating to see which colors reflected in the window the most and thought back to what we learned in class about light absorption. The bag she is holding with her hand is white and white reflects light the most so it stands out the most. Her backpack almost looks not noticeable in the window because black absorbs the most light. Red and blue reflect about the same so we see the colors almost equally which I thought was pretty cool since this is something I wouldn't have thought about if it weren't for this class. 

I chose to capture the movement of my candle flame for this week's posts. The way the light expands and contracts throughout its burning always remind me of a little dance, whether it is swaying softly from side to side or wiggling rapidly as the air brushes against it. Taking a photo of the flame was fascinating to see as some photos weren't as immersive and some really obtained the flame's length, brightness, and hue. To me, candlelight always holds an essence of calmness and the flicker of the flames illuminate a warm glow for the evening.  I also love the color of the glass the wax and flame are contained in, how it reflects differently from top to bottom, projects various shadows depending on the view, and gives a specific ora of light in the room.   

  The photo I chose for this week's blog is actually the result of a different photo I was trying to take. My cat was antsy and grumpy all weekend because my partner is out of town. I noticed him peacefully laying down at the window (for the first time all weekend), and saw the light moving around on his fur from the trees outside - that's the photo I wanted to take. Well, he saw me and started to get up to yell at me, probably asking where his other dad is. The peacefulness and contentment of stillness was lost. It made me consider my own dancemaking and how little I use stillness or slow movement. I'm a "maximalism" as mia has described, and tend to create (dance, paintings, writing, lighting design, etc.) with almost non-stop action (if you haven't noticed the use of paratheses and run-on sentences, every thought comes with many additional thoughts). I like to fully stimulate (and often overwhelm) the senses of my audiences - and I am now at a point in my a...

For this week’s post, I included these two pictures to show the way that our own movement changes the way we perceive light. In one picture, the one at the top of the stairs, it feels more welcoming and more hopeful as we’re approaching brighter light. The one with the view going down the stairs feels a little more menacing because of the absence of light. It’s interesting because both pictures are in the same spot, but both produce a different emotional response, at least personally.   

  movement The lighting coming through, being blocked by, and diffused by the thin curtain suggests that although we are looking at a still photo, the fabric reacts and shifts in space. The lighting also suggests that this fabric is delicate and light, but also opaque enough to limit light where it is folded and layered. Lighting can aid in understanding objects by showing how they interact - whether they move or are still. Below, the lighting helps to give a narrative of direction that the fabric has gone through or is going through. Overall, I feel peace and ease with the natural light sharing space in and around the curtain.