Produced in the Joan & Edgar Booth Theatre in Boston, MA - 2019
Lighting, Set, Projection, Sound and Experience Design: Kayleigha Zawacki
Panthera tigris was an art experience in a theatrical context. This work explored themes of sustainability and wildlife conservation through the use of lighting, sound, scenery, and projected animation. Participants were invited to participate in a one-of-a-kind interaction with one of this planet's most regal, and endangered, species--the tiger.
Sustainability in art.
This project explores ways to make artmaking--especially when it comes to theatre--more sustainable. When selecting materials for Panthera tigris, I determined that they should either be
1. Recycled/repurposed - materials that are given a second life through this process and would otherwise have been trash.
The projection screen scenic element is built from reclaimed pallets and old New England wooden fence panels. I disassembled the fence panels using a pry bar to be sure to use as much of them as possible. The mirror mosaic floor base is an MDF floor that a theater company in town no longer wanted.
2. Reusable - materials that are not use-once-and-throw-away.
The fabric and fiber optics that dressed the projection surface are reusable for other projects. I protected the LED tape (an adhesive strip of color-changing lights usually considered an expendable because of its fragility) for reuse by adhering it to strips of wood cut from scrap sheet lumber.
The goal was to pave the way for reducing the impact of my artmaking in the future by asking myself to think critically about the impact Panthera tigris had on our global resources.
