A single vertical column of white light was used as the starting point for the initial creative exploration. When the dancer was placed in front of the OHP there were three factors which needed to be considered. Firstly, the dancer was always going to be in view because the light was being projected from the front. Secondly, the dancer could choose to stand to the side of the projected light or to place parts of the body directly into its beam. This meant that it was possible to create a two tone effect in which the body had different levels of light on different areas. The last consideration was that a shadow image could be created behind the dancer which could be altered depending on where the dancer was placed in relation to the OHP.
We started by placing the dancer to the right hand side of the column (see photograph above). The column created a strong visual and visceral presence and we explored the possibility of establishing a dialogue between the light and the dancer. We explored how the dancer could enter the light in different ways. Initially the dancer's face is drawn towards the light, and as the face is hit with the strength of the light the dancer sharply retracts the head, almost as if they have been burnt. We then allowed limbs and different parts of the body to be drawn into the light. The effect of the column served to dissect the body into its component parts and allowed areas such as the torso and throat to be framed and over-exposed.
The improvised material was structured into a short phrase of material which we filmed and reviewed. I then watched the same material without the column to see how the material was affected by the removal of the light. In the general overhead studio light the material had a very different quality. The body could be seen as a whole and so the focus on specific body parts which had been a feature of the initial phrase was almost completely lost. It was evident that this was now no longer a dialogue between two visual elements.
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