Week #4: Techies Deserve Pretty Lighting Too...

This week, I had an evening rehearsal for an MFA thesis in the Cal-IT 2 building. We spent a large portion of the rehearsal observing the space and its features. Its a building with a lot of character. When you walk in to the "grand foyer," you can't help but notice the mile high vaulted ceilings and office windows, that tower just as high as the ceilings, that are set in the cement walls to your left and right. The is a staircase glass and steel hand rails that crawls along the right and back wall, that make a balcony. And on top of that balcony are more balconies stacked on top of each other with the glass and steel guard rails. It is an odd, yet interesting space that you would expect to find in a courtyard, yet is enclosed and indoors.

Unfortunately, I noticed that the light was not as positively stimulating as the space. It was dreadful. The vaulted ceilings had lots and lots of hanging, hooded, fluorescent lights that emitted a green tone. Under the balconies were recessed(?) lights that were also fluorescent. These emitted a pinkesh tone. And the hallway that was visible through the windows on the left had whiter lights. Yuck. I hate fluorescent lights! Everyone's skin looked greyish and ashy. All of us were tired, and the lights emphasized the exhaustion on our faces. To make matters worse, the entrance walls were made of a lot glass, so, the light of the night became apart of the space... and so did the ugly orange outdoor lights that you see on most streets. Greenish light, pinkish light, white light, night light, and orange light made the location draining and uninspirational. All the lights were big even washes/floods, so it wasn't showing off all the cool features of the space. Don't these technology peeps deserve pretty lighting too?

We are supposed to be performing there the first week of next quarter- I hope we get a lighting designer to help make this space more appropriate for performance.

See you all in class,

Politeia