A light and sound installation, In light : of the time at Kaatsbaan Cultural Park in Tivoli, NY considers the realities of police violence and the impact COVID-19 especially on minorities, with a series of images projected onto the interior surfaces of a barn. The property was once a farm that belonged to Eleanor Roosevelt’s grandparents, giving it a historic perspective. Co-curated by Brandon Sterling Baker, with lighting design by Alan C. Edwards, drawings by Jamar Roberts, and text by Carl Hancock Rux and Hope Boykin, In light : of the time is open to the public now through September 27 on weekends. Live Design takes a look at the lighting through Edwards’ eyes.
In Light : Of The Time: Q&A With Brandon Stirllng Baker
Live Design: Can you describe the lighting, from the fixtures used to where they are hung and use of color (or not), color temperatures, angles, etc?
Alan C. Edwards: The lighting for this installation is actually rather simple. There are two levels inside this former stable: the ground floor, which has two offshoot halls, and a second floor that is only present over the offshoots and not over the main corridor.
The majority of the fixtures are placed on the second level on the floor, mounted on floor plates, just overlooking the main corridor. They focus in many different directions, from four Strand SL Pars (two on each side), which cross light the ceiling, to ETC Source Four profiles, which have templates, which are cast onto the ceiling, some onto the walls, and one directly onto the floor.
On the ground floor, where each offshoot hall meets the main corridor, there is a Source Four profile focused straight down the hall casting its template onto the wall at the end of the hall. On one side there is a second profile unit, which is off to the side, with a much wider barrel, which causes the text to be larger and spread on the ceiling, walls and floor. This text overlays on the illustration, which is very presentationally presented on the wall.
The pars which are lighting the ceiling are in something like an R74 blue. We were looking for something, essentially neutral.... to just be a background, without saying anything. Brandon and I discussed what this color should be, and landed here after discussing cultural meaning and association with different colors... and realizing that we didn't really want to add anything to the moment... just provide a background.
As for the illustrations and text which are the templates being cast around: The color varies between Lustr-Clear, and the color the Lustr calls "Cool," which is something like L202/L201. I should say, that because this exhibit runs at 4pm, there's a fair amount of natural light in the space already. Everything we're doing is starting with that as a base. So depending on where the artificial light is being cast, sometimes we use "Clear," and sometimes its "Cool." We found this by accident, when we were troubleshooting something else, and noticed that the "cool" really made the text pop off of the wood wall where it was being projected. And the semi-diffused afternoon daylight coming through the windows, through the bars on the sliding doors into the hall really worked well. That color choice really did pull the picture together. It made the text recede just enough to not feel so "laid upon" what was already an elegant picture by itself.
LD: Any specific technical challenges or problem/solutions?
AE: I'd say the biggest challenge was sorting out how to use the content with which the templates were made; deciding what needed to be seen clearly and let stand on its own, and what we could use almost as texture. In this time, the conversations that are being had are so nuanced and messy, that everything about the conversation and the way it's being had, and who's having it, matters. Any "extra" being put on top is open to be judged, and may send the wrong meaning, or detract from the center we need to be on right now. Not to say that in our previous "regular" time of design that we weren't already designing and editing in this way, but it's particularly and especially important now. We wanted to be super-cognizant of that in how the illustrations and poetry were presented. We tried many combinations of different pieces of content being projected in different places, and I think we landed on a very good layout.
All color and intensity selections are controlled in-fixture. There is no console.The Lustr's are particularly good in this arrangement, because when they lose power, and then have it restored, they return to whatever setting they were last in. Which is fantastic.
LD: What is the goal of the lighting... how does it help tell the story?
AE: It's poignant that this exhibit is in light... something so ephemeral. This concept we're talking about is so woven into our country, that it too is so "there" that it's not at all. We're not talking about an art piece you can buy and display at home. Once this installation closes, all we'll be left with is how we felt, and our action. That should in some way be the souvenir.
The goal is to cause action. Whether you're calling your representative, or doing what you can in your community or circle to change the way people are thinking. "Can you feel the weight of me?" That one quote, a question, leaves room for you to answer it for yourself. I *assume* that that weight would be undeniable to *many* (most?) people now. And if that idea is new, that's a change. Now we have to keep going.
Lighting gear list:
10 ETC Source Four Lustr 2 (provided by 4Wall Entertainment)
4 Strand SL Par 155 Zoom (provided by Strand Lighting/Signify
1 C-Stand
Floor Plates, Pass-thru cables, and A-Size Glass Templates (custom glass templates by Rosco)