Gallery artist, film designer, and video artist Ravi Deepres has worked with some of the most prestigious arts organizations in the world, changing the way their audiences experience live entertainment. Deepres' background is in photography but he has integrated video, animation, and other screens-based imagery into work performed in the UK at Sadler's Wells, the Royal Opera House, and English National Opera, as well as internationally at La Scala, the Paris Opera, and Tokyo's National Theatre.
His has chosen to work primarily in dance and theatre, introducing his visual language to audiences which are perhaps the last to embrace immersive and active staging.
Live Design talked to Deepres about his career, helping the next generation of screen-based artists, and his latest project, UniVerse: A Dark Crystal Odyssey, based on the 1982 cult film, which has just closed at the Royal Opera House in London and is now on tour. The Guardian's review of the dance piece singles out Deepres' work as, "scenes of shattering beauty and frightening depredation," in this statement on ecological breakdown.
Live Design: How did you begin your career?
Ravi Deepres: I first got interested in cameras through the influence of my uncle, who was himself a photographer in his earlier years. It opened a new way of seeing of the world for me.
I was always very good at creative subjects so studied a fine art foundation doing a lot of sculpture and painting which has a major impact on my approach to photography and film. I then did a film and photography degree at University of Northumbria which helped me develop a quite unique hybrid focus between the still and moving image. It also gave me a lot of documentary as well as conceptual influences. My work always originates from real world-based, well-researched concepts, whether it ends up as pure film sequence, animation or hybrid visual languages. This retains a natural primal essence which you can feel in the work.
LD: You are most associated with designing video and images for dance, how did you begin designing for this type of live performance and why do you prefer it to, for example, theatre or concerts?
RD: I’ve always been interested in movement and had done a lot of work around football crowds and the spatial movement, identity, and choreography of that environment. Just after university I was commissioned to create some work for the Japanese choreographer Saburo Teshigawara who then invited me to Tokyo to create a film installation for a dance piece at the National Theatre. He had been experimenting with this form for a while and was a big influence on my understanding of how multiple elements can exist to create unique and raw states having their own but shared choreography and essence. We work on many unique film and photographic pieces together to this day.
I then met Wayne McGregor, who I have now been working with for over 20 years on various film design, broadcast, and photographic projects. Wayne and I had a shared interest in pushing how new technology can influence expressions of the body and open up new spatial environmnents while delivering strong and challenging narrative content.
LD: You teach at Birmingham IA+D, what guidance do you offer your students on the skill set required for a successful collaboration between static or recorded art and live performance?
RD: Make as many mistakes as possible by experimenting with different mediums relevant to the concept!
Developing the concept is key and the research that goes with this, both conceptual and technical.
LD: What are your preferred design tools?
I have a small, specialist team I work with and depending on the concept we use a variety of cameras from cinematic, infra red, thermal, retro etc. We normally work with Premier Pro, After Effects, and various 3D software. For film design shows we often work with the D3 system and disguise.
LD: Where do you think the future of technology in live entertainment is headed?
RD: I’m excited to see more immersive work where technology allows the viewer not to be shackled by headsets. There are a lot of creative ways to use technology to make environments based on design concepts, special gauzes or screens. It is very hard to tour live performance now so there is a lot of potential to create virtual environments for audiences to inhabit.
LD: What attracted you to work on UniVerse: A Dark Crystal Odyssey?
RD: I’d always been a fan of the story and Wayne approached me due to our collaborative relationship and the themes of threats to our environment which we extracted and recontextualized from the story. I also had a lot of material already made which fitted well.
LD: What was the scope of your work on the production? Can you describe how your design was integrated as part of the performance?
RD: The film design is an integral part of the narrative and creation process, helping to open up new worlds within the piece. We used a lot of strong conceptual imagery using a virtually invisible holonet at the front of the stage and black screen at the rear in order to create two visual spaces, exchanging different narratives and spatial worlds. We also worked directly with Brian and Wendy Froud to create some of the more cinematic and drawing material. All imagery is derived directly from themes within the Dark Crystal to create a challenging and immersive environment.
LD: Where did the inspiration for your design come from?
RD: The world around us, particularly new ways of expressing climate change, threatened environments around the world, the impact of digital social conditioning on society, and abuses of power.
LD: Was this a complete reimagining of the film?
RD: It is a recontextualization of the themes in the story that is very relevant to the present day, mixed in with clear references to the original characters and narrative.
LD: Did the design team feel any pressure because the film is such a cult favorite?
RD: It was important to reference the film to show its timeless relevance and importance, but also to challenge audiences by recontextualizing certain elements so that audiences relate it to what is happening now.
LD: What was the most challenging part of the design?
RD: Time. We had a very short production and technical rehearsal period for such an ambitious project. However, as a creative team we work very fluidly and instinctively, always finding new ideas and solutions as part of the process, where all mediums have the ability to adapt to each other quickly.
LD: What is your favorite part of the design?
RD: The shifting of different states, from beautiful and hypnotic to oppressive and filmic, in particular the build up of the cosmos where I used real aurora footage as part of theAugras section.
LD: The show is going to tour. What changes will you make?
RD: We hope to be able to refine certain elements when possible, including potentially more of the work we did with Brian Froud. But everyone, including the critics, was very happy with this powerful first iteration of the work.
- D3 media system
- Holonet
- Peroni Screen
- Premier Pro
- After Effects
- Sony
- Canon and Nikon cameras
- Ronin, Oil, Fire, Water