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Lights! Action! Lights!!
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The Attakalari Centre for Movement Arts has organised a workshop for lighting design for those who want to pursue it as a career and those who want to enhance their skills.
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THE SKIES lit up when Daniela Zehnder descended in Bangalore. What better welcome could a light expert expect! It happened to be Diwali when the Swiss artist-in-residence came to Bangalore.
"The freedom to express one's happiness through lights and crackers in India is absolutely fascinating!" says the tall woman who had the gumption to make it as a serious light specialist and scenographer in an otherwise male-dominated field. Daniela is presently conducting a Light Design workshop at Attakalari. Assisting her are Antje Brückner and Kosmas Kosmopoulos of Germany and Christoph Lechner of UK.
Attakalari Centre for Movement Arts is committed to inter-disciplinary performance work and is an umbrella organisation facilitating and producing international art events such as contemporary dance in collaboration with digital and multimedia presentations. It is a public charitable trust formed by artists from different disciplines to facilitate the development of a South Asian Contemporary dance idiom. With contemporary dancer and choreographer Jayachandran at its head, the centre has had several works portrayed in India and also various workshops in the field of dance, digital multimedia, and lighting.
An intense light workshop was designed based on the work and feedback from Facets 2002 and Biennial Festival 2002.
The workshop is targeted towards professionals in the field of lighting, established dance and theatre persons, dance and fashion choreographers and talented individuals who would like to pursue lighting design as a profession or enhancement of their skills in other areas such as theatre, dance, arts, and fashion.
"I thought I knew everything. But I've learnt so much here, including anti-injury movements," said Vyjayanti, a Pune-based dance instructor who has trained abroad.
"Light is so... so... .enlightening!" says Daniela. "I discovered that in a performance of improvised music, I could use lighting almost as an instrument." And one has to see her slide projections to see the value that it adds to a performance. "Once in Turkey, where I was creating light effects in some historical ruins, a group of boys on mobikes drove in unknowingly. The effect of moving beams of light from the headlights was stunning!" As a creative person, Daniela often `lazes' in the great outdoors, when designs and ideas come flooding to her. "It hasn't been easy to develop this art. Scenography was taught only in very few, expensive institutions. Now, I do light design for companies, produce and manage a maximum of three big light installations per year, and conduct workshops." The present workshop covers aspects of lighting such as general set up, movement and colour, and projections.
It is enriched with Daniela's long-term experiences in light design for music groups, dance companies, and site-specific installations with lights and slides in Europe, Turkey, USA, and India. She creates her art projects with inter-media concepts and interactive environments.
Antje Brückner is a freelance light designer. She has worked for dance, theatre, and music productions and has a lot of practical and technical experiences from international festivals and journeys.
UK-based Christoph Lechner was born in Burma and grew up in India. He has trained in classical dance forms in Germany, He worked as a solo performer in Zürich and for the Stuttgart Ballet.
In his long-term studies, he combines new dance techniques and physical training in deep tissue work and yoga. Kosmas Kosmopoulos is a choreographer, video artist, and performer. He received training at Performing Arts Research and Training Studios in Brussels.
"Apart from the positive energy of light, what propels me on in this field is the opportunity to interact with the best of creative minds. My sister Hydie Dutt (married to a German with an Indian-sounding name!) settled down in India several years ago and has been working with leprosy patients in Hubli.
Her letters gave me a taste of India. Now, Attakalari has given me a chance to be part of this beautiful land of festivals, colours and light," says the 50-plus specialist from Zurich.
Attakalari is planning a special event soon to showcase the results of the workshop. Look out for it and be prepared to be enlightened!
Attakalari centre is behind the BTS Depot in Wilson Garden.
For details call Attakkalari on 2123809/ 2123684.
MALA KUMAR
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