Week 10: Firelight

Fire pits are great. They warm up people, are the perfect appliance for s'mores, and most importantly, they cut through the night with its glowing light. People gather around camp fires to tell stories. The positioning of a fire pit casts a shadow on faces to where urban legends can be told in the most effective way. This is very much like how lighting works in the real world. We move lights in a distinct way in order to create a variety of moods and tones. We highlight or take away with light. Now that the technological age has taken over, traditional methods of lighting are no longer being practiced. Even so, I still appreciate what fire can offer us. How its dim lighting inspires us to tell stories all through the night. How it can go from scary to romantic if we replace a group of boy scouts with a couple on a camp ground. How it can be riveting and exciting at a late night University ritual where stacks of lumber burn sky high. Fire is basic, yet malleable, like all light. Yes, the possibilities are endless with electrical lighting but if we get creative enough with fire, we find ourselves stretching our imaginations, finding ways to push the limits of a more tricky lighting source.