Description Of  The Piece

The performance of Co Lab2 is fundamentally inspired by a legendary snake that eats its own tail (Ouroboros), and uses the mysterious structure of the 12 zodiac signs and seasonal changes as the basic cycle of performance, showcasing and reflecting exploratory macro themes about life and the world. 

The specific content of Co Lab2 performance starts from the position of Pisces, and moves backwards in a specific order from the direction of the vernal equinox. The 12 constellations correspond to the prototype area markers on the ground, which are divided into 12 small parts, and each part corresponds to each number from 1 to 12. Correspondingly, the area of each number corresponds to the time related to the number. In the first area at the beginning, an actor displays the attribute characteristics of the Pisces area through a one minute singing scene, and as time passes, it reaches the specific area of the number 12 represented by the last 12 minutes.

As one of the lighting designers for this performance, Chenli Michael is mainly responsible for the specific lighting and stage effects of the third area out of 12. In this area, the specific performance duration has been adjusted from the initial three minutes to two minutes, with a total of three performers: TJ, Katie, and Jae. Three people represent the specific number 3, and in this Capricorn themed performance piece, they use chasing and running movements to create a specific stage scene content, accompanied by corresponding changing and dynamic lighting styles, becoming a personalized part of the entire performance process.

 Research / Process  information

When I first learned and became familiar with the performance theme of Co Lab2, I was very curious and interested in the specific performance process and content meaning. This performance theme divides the lightning designers and performers into 12 equally sized parts in terms of time, space, and regional direction, and reflects the relevant stage performance content cycle based on specific representative numbers and time changes. Against the backdrop of all these highly coherent performance arrangements, each region also fits well with its own constellation connotation, showcasing many important attributes about the world and life.

While making a number selection, I quickly chose the number 3, which I found very suitable. Because first of all, 3 is one of my lucky numbers, and as a regional part in the third position at the beginning, the specific performance effect of 3 must be very cohesive and distinctive, and it plays an essential role in promoting the development of the theme. At the same time, the performance process and duration of the 3 representatives also conform to my specific design arrangements in mind.

The decision and design of the lighting part is a very important link. Before making the lighting selection, I watched the performers perform in different areas. In the constellation area represented by the number 3, the three performers adopt repeated and coherent actions of chasing each other to showcase life and vitality, and in a direct way, indicate the theme content of this scene to the audience, which is very clear and intuitive. When arranging lighting, I changed my specific choice from the initial consideration of three lights to the option of four lights: Four Source 4 Light - All for 50 degrees. Three of the lights are suspended in a specific arrangement and combination in the three specific roof pole areas of E, D, and C. At the same time, I added three different colors of Gel to the surfaces of these three lights: pink, blue, and purple. In addition, the fourth lamp is equipped with a Gobo logo with an Earth pattern to highlight and showcase specific themes of the world and life. And my specific idea is that in the first minute, three colored lights appear simultaneously, and the performers enter and chase with ordinary movements. After the second minute, the three colored lights start to show a fixed effect: the three lights flash one after another in a fixed way and disappear, and the performers accelerate their chase movements. At the last minute, the light with Gobo patterns turned on and were displayed in the specific performance area, and the actors chased around the shape of Gobo until the end. After trying this process in Cue to Cue, the duration of this area was changed to two minutes to ensure more coherence and visual rationality in all processes, allowing the audience to have a better viewing experience with the combination of actors' movements and lighting changes.