Spotlights

Spotlights

Although the main idea behind the form of the light revolves around columns, it is highly likely that users will consider the columns to be spotlights, due to the nature of the lights, after all the lights that I plan to use are spotlights used in theatre and other stage performances. This is a problem that I need to consider, as I don’t want the lights to appear like they have just been taken from a pop concert. Although this problem will be addressed later I also need to consider the meanings that are attached to spotlights in the own right, including ideas that stretch from, alien space ships and war search lights, to rock concerts and sun beams.

I have decided to first look at the spotlight from a chronological vantage, allowing any analysis to be well grounded and informed. Consequently the following section will read as a brief history of spotlights. A great source of information considering this came from …. Chapter on the ‘History of the Spotlight’ in Light Art from Artificial Light.

The ideas outlined here mainly focus on the use of spotlights from the war period, where light was used as a weapon to blind the enemy, meaning that they couldn't seen the attackers, rendering them easier to kill.

As well as being used in war planes, and on the ground, another common connotation is alien spaceships. This idea has been born through several big profile hollywood films, and supported by claims of sightings, where large beams of light appear from the base of the ship, as either a weapon or a method of 'beaming' up something.