LUMIÈRE DIGITALE
Arts Council England–Funded Research & Development
About
/01
Developed during an artist residency at Bristol's renowned Pervasive Media Studio, Lumière Digitale was an Arts Council England–funded research and development project exploring the intersection of digital arts, circus and physical theatre. Conceived for Bristol's historic Old Courts building, the proposed immersive performance drew on Dante's Divine Comedy, using themes of poetic justice and transformation to reconnect the building with its former purpose. The audience journey was imagined across three distinct architectural environments: the underground prison cells became Inferno, the green-tiled rooms Purgatorio, and the ornate courtrooms Paradiso, building towards a spectacular fusion of projection mapping, live performance and digital imagery.
Fig. 01 — Paradiso Concept Overview
Fig. 02 — Show Structure
Work Undertaken
Artistic Direction Concept Development Creative Technology Research
I conceived the original creative concept, drawing on Dante's Divine Comedy to connect the building's judicial history with a site-specific theatrical narrative. Developed the overarching artistic direction and audience journey, transforming the building's three distinct architectural environments into the worlds of Inferno, Purgatorio and Paradiso. Led creative research into combining projection mapping, live motion tracking and digital animation with circus, dance and physical theatre, exploring how technology could become an expressive part of live performance and storytelling. Developed the visual and performance direction, investigating the relationship between architectural projection, moving bodies, light and sound. The research culminated in a detailed creative brief exploring experimental performance concepts and a visually ambitious finale within the historic courtroom.
Fig. 03 — Architectural Animations
Fig. 04 — The Use of Text
Fig. 05 — Line and Form Investigations
Fig. 06 — Aerial Dance
Credits