A Luz Ativa de Adolphe Appia: entre aproximações da teoria e prática, uma análise de dois projetos de iluminação cênica com o olhar da matriz appiana

Abstract

This dissertation explores Adolphe Appia’s concept of Active Light and its resonances in contemporary stage lighting. The discussion centers on Appia’s formulation of Active Light, its practical applications, and its implications for the creation of lighting design projects. The research focuses on the analysis of two original lighting designs — one for a theater play and the other for a contemporary dance performance — with the aim of understanding how Appia’s propositions might reverberate in current creative practices. The study is justified by the scarcity of specific investigations into the application of this concept in contemporary settings and seeks to answer the following question: how is Active Light referenced in the creations of the two projects analyzed in this research? By investigating and interpreting Adolphe Appia’s writings, we aim to examine how his conceptual principles on stage lighting may, or may not, find echoes in the compositional and operational choices of lighting in today’s performance scene, establishing connections between his proposals and the procedures adopted in the researcher’s two projects. To this end, the study draws on theoretical references from the works of Adolphe Appia, particularly Music and the Art of the Theatre (2010 - 2022) and The Living Work of Art (1959 -2022). The research adopts the matrix analysis methodology developed by Rubens Brito and Jacó Guinsburg (2006), articulating it with reflections from authors such as Jean-Jacques Roubine (1998, 2003), Marvin Carlson (1997), Cibele Forjaz (2008, 2013), Eduardo Tudela (2018), Charles Baudelaire (1996, 2013), and Giorgio Agamben (2009). With this study, we hope to contribute to a deeper understanding of the concept-method of Active Light, demonstrating its relevance to contemporary stage lighting practices.