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blackbird

by David Harrower

new york university

Director: Maria Palomar

Lighting Designer: Nina Attinello

Scenic Designer: Alex Hardin

Costume Designer: Carla Posada

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For this live production of David Harrower’s disturbing drama I used light intensity and shifting white color temperature to explore themes of revelation and memory.

 

Subtle shifts of color transformed the playing space. Cold and concentrated white light evoked a medical exam table. Dirty amber hues conjured a coastal motel room.

 

Intensity of light signified Una’s power to expose Ray’s history of abuse to his colleagues and family, culminating in a blinding final scene.

drafting & instrumentation

To create a palette of warm and cold white light I customized fluorescent fixtures using LED tape and dimmable LED fluorescents.

 

The LED tape was hidden within the fixture housing and circuited through a dmx decoder into the light board. This allowed the bulk of the lighting shifts to occur within the confines of the set, emanating from the in-world architecture, rather than external to the world--ie, from a theatrical grid--thereby endowing the space with heightened dramatic power and allowing for slow transitions that moved imperceptibly with the emotional beats of the story.

 

Drafting created using Vectorworks.

Nina Attinello Portfolio11.png
Nina Attinello Portfolio12.png

reference images

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