Theatre Design & Technology - Spring 1994 - 36

for the performance, all controlled from a central console. The
production of such a show needs to be done in a specialized studio, equipped with an artistoriented technique. The analog\' of
the LP recording sound studio may be of some value here.
Onlv this combination of close artistic and technical design,
supported b\, special organized activir\', will open the war for
the future development of lasering.

\'(fith faint wind, there is little harlllony, with Strollg Il'ind there
is a great harlllony. But once the Il'hirlwind subsides, all the
openillgs becollle quiet. Is this not how the trees are sll'inging
and singing under the wind?
-Chung-Tse

CDNCLUIIDNI

n the past 20 )"ears, laser light effects have reached a high
level of popularitv and technological de\'e!opment, but
their artistic possibilities still remain to be revealed. There
can be no real "laser art" untillasering is understood, not
in its current ghetto of novelty, as a new isolated visual
form, but a new method of artistic expression, requiring con'ect
identification of its place in the world of art. The generic name
that outlines the class of laser visual effects as a whole is considered to be "Iaseri ng. "
Lasering answers the most complicated demands of modern
scenery. Laser visual effects are not onlr interesting to look at,
but acrively captivate the spectator. This unique characteristic is
so strong that very soon the spectator starts to identify his inner
sta te wi th these images.
Though of new character, lasering lies in the mainstream of
theatre art development. Its coming was anticipared, making it
easy for the artists and the audience to get used to this new language of artistic expression. Lasering is the method which, wirh
rhe use of modern high technology, realizes the principle of theatrical scenography design discovered by Adolphe Appia and
Gordon Craig. The key parameter in that link is spaciousness,
the characterisric shared by all laser light effects.
The development of space concept is one of the dri\'ing
forces of civilization. One may see easily how is has pulsated
through the different forms of human activiry and arts throughout the centuries. Through space and time transformations, carried out in the imagination of the audience, the "drama of the
human spirit" was first presenred in theatre bv Shakespeare. For
the first time in world culture dynamic space was used as a carrier to communicate the author's personal life experience to the
audience. Shakespeare succeeded with such skill and power and
put in such a huge amount of information that properl)" staging
his masterpieces was a goal unattainable for the Renaissance
theatre. To answer that principle in \'isual form, Gordon Craig,
who belonged to another cultural era, invented the "stage with
a million faces"-a scenographic method, meditative in nature,
based on the reflection of the inner state of the protagonist br
means of space \'isualized \\'ith dynamic architectural forms and
lighting.
The same mechanism can be seen in rock and \'arien' shows
and in discos. To a certain extent, these genres are more active
in bringing to life rhe theatrical principles of presentation
through space operarion than theatre itself. Laser images have
not rer been incorporated into theatrical performance, where
rheir presence is limited to special effects. The real future of
lasering is connecred with its active involvement in staging high
drama. The other possibility is the production of top qualit~·

P R I '.; G

I 9 9 -1

T D &: T

light-to-music performances. In anr case, lasering should answer
the demands of very deep and subtle, highl\' nuanced shows.
Nowada\'s one should not speak about a new form of
"laser" art, but about a ne\\' method, an artistic technolog~' utilizing laser irradiation for generating a ne\I' [I'pe of I'isual
images. The products of lasering will gain real aesthetic qualin'
onlr after their artistic con\'entions become a practical filling of
space with deep dramatic content.
The artistic convention of lasering is of a verr special (I'pe in
comparison to the traditional arts: It is based on a direct correlation of those spaces outside and inside the human being, and it
utilizes a mechanism that is close to meditation through visual
images. The \'isual specifics of lasering allow it to address directly the depths of the psyche of the spectator, the subconscious
and the archetypes hidden in his mind. This is a creative method
operating with imagen' and large scales, compared to the existing artistic forms. Lasering demonstrates new qualities appealing to a non-separated ancient rype of culrure and myrhological
rhinking.
Gordon Craig's ideas s)"mbolized rhe end of rhe Renaissance
rradirion in rheatre art. Perhaps lasering is the high technologr
embodiment of a new artistic form thar is to come.
To answer these demands rhe LLSS needs to reach new levels of qualiry and to be turned into an open computerized network with the possibility of taking in all SOrtS of equipment
used in the performance. And very serious attention should be
paid to creating a laser art studio to develop such performances.
Anyone who chooses to develop lasering and LLSS design
will come across serious problems, though these problems are
not new. \Xfhat is new is the level of complexin' dictated by the
necessity of a high quali~' final artistic resulr, which reallr could
present a certain new step in world cultural del·elopment.
Lasering lies on the crossroads of several spheres of human
knowledge. Like different ra\'s of light focused b\· a lens, it concentrates problems that were touched on by many brilliant minds
at differenr times in art, physics, psychology, and philosophy.
Many of them came to the understanding that these problems
must be solved in close connection. Lasering-this new technical
method of artistic expression-shows that in order to have
progress in the future, it needs to be recognized in practice as a
connecring point for all of them.

Oi'l'IlTRY MIKHALEVSKY is a leader in the field of high-tech
scenery productioll in Russia alld the president of a private
Russian lighting equiplllent lIIanufacturing cOlllpallY ill St.
Petersburg specializillg ill effects gellera/ioll, holography, alld
lasers.
Tote: All quotations, excepr from Delllian br H. Hesse, were
translated by the author from Russian. Special thanks to Elbin
Cleveland for his assistance in the editing of this article.
Endnotes
I. Dryer. ··.\lessage froIll the Presiclcnr."· The Llseris/ Summer 1991.
2 Y. BoreL "n' ~lS.1 ~e\\' T~'pe of An ,lIld 1£5 Poremi..l1 Function:" Forms ol
.4rl ill So"i,disl CII/illre 1~losco\\' .-\rrs Publishers. 1984) 199.
3 .-\. '.;. LeOlH,'e,'. "Some Problems oi An." Selected I'('orks all Pswh%gy
1~losco\\' Ped.lgogi( Publishers. 1983) \'. II: 2r.
4

LeOl1f~'e\'

:U-.

23 -.
6 Herm.1I1 He"e. Dell/hll/ ILondon: P.lmher Gr.1I1.,d., Publishing. 19-8) 98·99,
- F, Clik,. The AII'.lkCllillg Thillkillg (~Iosco\\': Progress Publishers. 1983) 13.
8 L.~. \'igorsh·. Ps)'"h,,/og\' "/ ..Iris 1.1 loseo\\' .-\n Publishers. 1968) 2-12.
9 KOIh,oIHin S. S,.lIli,I.l\',h·..\1)' LiI"1I/ Al'l (~I<,,(O\\' .-\n Publi,her,. 198.;)
352-353.
-'

Leollryc\"

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Spring 1994