Archive for February 3rd, 2012

Lighting Observation

Friday, Jan 6, afternoon.

I was walking back to my dorm from class, and looked up at the bleak grey sky. It was the kind of cloudy sky where there are no individual clouds, merely a mass of flat grey light, dreary, to say the least. But as I looked at it, a flock of birds crossed overhead, appearing in silhouette only.

Yet somehow they transformed the sky into an old black and white film. The silhouettes of the birds swooping and diving at one another reminicent of WWII planes cutting accross the sky. There was no color overhead, but instead of making the scene gloomy, it drew a sort of focus the the shapes and the movement of the scene. While the monochromatic lighting may have made the day look bleak at first glance, it transformed the sky into an old movie screen, where silhouettes became the projected film.

Photo Observation

I took this picture of a sunset over the summer. I was struck by the way the light pierced through the clouds making it look as though the sky was on fire. Yet the clouds directly in front of the sun are still in shadow, a siloutte in the forground, lending dimension to the image. The light was reflecting on the tops of the water only, creating depth to the shadows and motion of the waves. The colors of the sunset reflect in the wet sand, which looked as smooth as glass and glowed orange along the beach, reminding me of a  watercolor painting.

Photo 1

1) Sunrise over the Taj Mahal- Geraint (http://1x.com/photo/23781/portfolio/18527)

2)Sunsets or Sunrises

3) The universal sunrise: it’s what starts the day; a new adventure. This image of a sunrise is not the typical sunrise, it is not a huge blaring sun that paints the entire sky a bright orange. This sunrise is small and far away, yet still very powerful in the way it lights up everything in this photograph. The minuscule  man in front of the grand Taj Mahal and the distant sunrise tell the story of the almost unimportant, and unnoticed man who embarks on a great journey into the great unknown with nothing but nature and self confidence to guide him. The relative size of the man and the sun in comparison to the building, is quite interesting. Something as important and as powerful as the sun seems so tiny and unimportant, yet it is what makes life possible. Before the light hits the ground, it reveals a cloud of sand covering the entire ground, I see this as a metaphor explaining than on whichever journey you take, no matter which route you take to reach it, there will be some obstacles and difficulties you, the journeyer, will have to face and overcome to reach the big sunshine in the end.

Light Observation #1

1) Feb. 2nd, 2012 – 5 a.m. – Dorm room, Alliance Hall.

2)Outside my window is a never-ending sea of speckled lights, every night they are on, and stay on. These lights range from soft oranges, greens, and blues, to strong and bright yellows, whites, and reds. The nearest building to me is the student center, and it also stays lit; its giant windows usually show us a gallery of empty rooms with fluorescent lights. But on this morning a smooth blanket of fog covered the city, and those surrounding it. The top of the fog cloud started right under my window, since I am on the ninth floor. Since it was night time, the fog was not itself visible, but the effects it had created when it covered thousands of lights was magnificent.

3) The light show, created by the city’s lights and the fog was beautiful. The fog sort of diffused each specked light and instead of looking like sprinkles, it looked more like glowing balloons floating in the air. These “balloons” were so randomly spread around the landscape, that it almost seemed like a pattern; as if it was important to have no two lights colliding with each other, and instead the evenly spread out as if they were placed one by one.The best part, in my opinion, was Hofstra’s stadium. The stadium has the biggest lights on display, and they give the richest orange color. These bigger “balloon” lights caught my attention the most, since they are gathered closely, and brightly. The lights surround the stadium in an oval shape, and  these almost gold/orange lights create a crown. This moment was very serene. It’s almost as if the city, for just one night, had disappeared, and in its place  it left a motionless body of diffused lights.

Photo Observation #1

 

 

 

 

2. Taken by Me walking by from the gym one night

3. Sunsets and Sunrises

4. Though I personally like sunrises better this sunset struck me at the time. It reminded me of something from home except replacing mountains with dorm rooms. The split of colors is fascinating that one side of building its clearly orange and on the other its yellow as if behind that tower a magical process happened to alter the beams of light. Contrastingly, to the right you see a blueish area that has already lost its light making me think the sunset is directional which seems impossible when so far away and we are such small pieces in the scheme of light. I think this moment would be incredibly difficult to recreate on stage since it would include many lights and many gels and it still wouldn’t be perfect. The fact that one source is supplying each of those colors and qualities along with the light I am using to walk in this field makes me marvel at this sunset.

Lighting Observation #1 – Angler Fish Are No Joke!

1)      February 2nd – 3:45 AM – Outside Hauge, Near turnstile

2)       Objective Description – I was walking outside of Hague to clear my head and was spooked by a flickering light. It hung on the building adjacent to a tall tree. The ugly orange light bounced off the bare tree. It had a pattern of staying on for 3 seconds then quickly flickering five times.

3)      Subjective Description – I do not know what it is about drawing, but it easily stresses me out and I am not very good at it. Nonetheless, when I started to work on the first project Pei Chi assigned I put all my energy into it. I finished my first sketch of what was supposed to be a coffee maker (it looked like a puppy). Next thing I know it is almost four in the morning, but I had to cool down before going to bed. I looked out my window and saw the ugly orange light connected to the building that always shines in my room. It seemed pointless at the time. I grabbed my coat and went outside through the turnstile of the Netherlands. I started to walk alongside the building when I noticed the ugly light near my room. It was flickering, quite obnoxiously. It had a steady rhythm. It was alluring. However, I noticed the bare tree next to the light. The ugly light was reflecting the death off the tree. I was spooked but I could not turn away. There was something about the rhythm of the flickering that would not let me walk away. I was generally frightened (we live in Hempstead and I am outside at four in the morning). I thought to myself, that light is so ugly. Hofstra should replace it with a much calmer colored light. Still, in the back of my mind I was trying to pull away and go back inside. Finally public safety pulled up and asked if I was high. I responded “No, the light is just so ugly”. The public safety officers looked back at me, as if I were high. They told me to go back inside and they wouldn’t write me up. I told them that the light kept flickering. They began to laugh and told me to go inside, go back to bed, and sleep “it” off. They drove off. I looked back at the light and it was no longer flickering. My heart sank and I ran back inside. I looked out my window and the light was still, like it was supposed to be.

After the spooky encounter, I couldn’t help but think of an Angler fish. The light outside kept blinking and attracted me to it, even though the scene looked dangerous. An angler fish does the same thing. It has a light connected to its body that dangles in front of the face. A prey comes along, attracted to the light, and the Angler strikes and eats the fish. I am just glad that I was not swallowed by the tree. The lighting instilled fear in me and made me question if I was on any drugs and I just did not remember taking any. I felt doubt in my memory; maybe the whole situation didn’t even happen, maybe I just imagined it. From that simple light, it scared me, made me doubt myself, and I was even paranoid for a bit. The feelings bottled up inside of me, this being my first release of the situation.  I can assure everyone and the two nice public safety officers that I was not on any drugs.

Lighting Moment #1

Date/Time/ Place: Monday Jan 30th 4:30pm Playhouse parking lot

Objective: The sun is starting to set over the houses next to the NAB shining against the side of the playhouse

Subjective: The angle of this light gives a unique view to this side of the playhouse. We all walk by it everyday and more times than not this side is in shadow. The position of the sun is equal with the playhouse thus the light has to go through some obstacles before hitting the building. These shadows are much softer than the enveloping shadow that generally hides that side of the building and because of the softness the shadows seem to be caught mid jump. The large scale wash of nearly equal light gives a weight to the light, it seems grounded and welcoming. The color is not only supplied by the tan brick but works in conjunction with the amber light to give off a calming feeling. The story  behind this moment that caught me was the way the light seemed to be putting a blanket over the building and tucking it in for the night as a mother would do with her child.

Photo Observation!

<http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lb8fe31J0g1qcn71ko1_500.jpg>

THEME: Sunrise/Sunset

The bright yellow of the sun itself pervades not only the sky but is beautifully reflected in the water, putting me in mind of water color paint when it runs on a canvas. The dark clouds add a pleasant contract to the otherwise sparkling picture. I really appreciate how the foreground is completely unfocused, making me think of the sunspots you get in your eyes when you look at it for too long. The way the sunlight tips the tops of the waves makes the ripples in the ocean that much more prominent, almost as if the contrast of the clouds are reflected in the contrast of the ocean.

Light Observation!

Wednesday 1 February, 2012
Axinn Library Stacks
Around 7:30 pm

A boy is sitting on the floor leaning up against a bookcase filled with books. His legs are crossed and the hood of his dark sweatshirt is pulled up over his head. His Macbook Pro is propped on his crossed legs, the bright screen reflected in his glasses.

It struck me simultaneously as quite telling of our generation as well as ironic. Here he was, completely engrossed in whatever Youtube video or movie on Netflix he was watching while surrounded by thousands upon thousands of stories to which he was paying no attention. They were nothing better than back support. The way the lights of his show flashed in his glasses parallel to the movement on screen coupled with the given context made him look like a zombie – especially since his mouth was slack and he wasn’t really moving much. Methinks I saw a bit of drool dribbling down the left side of his face – but that could have just been the reflection in the plastic of his earphones.

Light Observation #1

1) DATE-TIME-LOCATION: Thursday night about 11:30, 10th floor of Vander Poel Hall (my dorm)

2) OBJECTIVE DESCRIPTION: With West-facing windows, my dorm room looks out over the last bit of Hofstra’s residential side and beyond to Roosevelt Field Mall. Streetlights can be seen miles away toward the north shore, towers slowly blink their red lights, headlights and taillights pass in and out from behind buildings and trees. The lights in the distance appear to flicker, the glow from the streetlights reflect off of the large windows of some of the taller buildings, and at the nearby intersections, I can see the traffic lights change.  The whole time that I’m gazing out the window, I can see the reflection of myself; my grey sweatshirt, the light from my computer reflecting off of my glasses, the mirror hung on my wardrobe, the lamp lighting the room are all clearly visible in the window.

3) SUBJECTIVE DESCRIPTION: Really, this lighting “moment” is nothing new. In fact, it’s something that I can see every night, and it’s one of my favorite sights in the world. Maybe it seems mundane to others, but it’s a sight that is still new and fascinating to me. I can see all of the commotion; people moving, living their lives at any moment of the day. I find peace in seeing others living their lives before me; the world is there, people are running errands, seeing friends, going to work, riding the bus home from the night shift. Knowing that the world would go on just like this even if I’m gone is strangely comforting to me. But mostly, it makes me feel like I’m finally living life, that I’m finally a part of the world.  For eighteen years, looking out my window would reveal the moon, a few stars, maybe a faint outline of the barns or the trees, and then darkness. No neighbor’s lights, no streetlights or traffic lights, almost never the headlights of a passing car. Of course, this is also peaceful, but I’ve wanted to leave the dark and the 30 miles to a Wal-mart or a chain restaurant for most of my life. Before, I would see myself clearer in the window, but now, I can see myself and the signs of a fuller life that I’ve wanted for so long.