Professionals to stage light show

By Melissa Christensen
Staff Reporter

Two professional lighting designers are performing magic this week for 10 upper-division lighting students.

Paul Gregory and Jonathan Speirs donated $300,000, so students can turn the Moudy Building atrium into a colorful display of light from 9 to 11 p.m. today.

Somebody Get the Lights

Photo by David Dunai - Senior Photographer Jonathan Speirs, guest lighting designer from Edinburgh, Scotland; Madeleine Clement, a senior interior design major; and Melanie Keig, a junior interior design major, arrange lights Wednesday for today’s light show, themed “Transforming Architecture.” The event will begin at 9 p.m. at the Moudy Building atrium.

“We are going to turn this space into an event,” said Gregory, owner of the New York-based Focus Lighting.

The designers were invited by Fred Oberkircher, associate professor of interior design, to speak about their specialty and to critique student work.

Gregory said he and Speirs, owner of Lighting Architects Group in London, have collaborated for 15 years to develop projects like the atrium lighting and to help students gain invaluable experience.

“Students really learn seeing it with their own eyes,” Gregory said. “Subtle variations make all the difference.”

Dallas Rainey, a senior theater production major and student of the Lighting for Visual Presentation class, said the professionals have been completely open to student ideas.

“They’ll sit down with us to rewire an instrument, or they’ll talk to us about high-level color theory,” he said. “They’ve been amazing because they have a real interest in us learning. It’s exciting to enhance a building like this.”

Technicians Bobby Harrel of Strand Lighting, Bill Belleveau of ETC Americas and Kirk Lewis of Lighting Alliance have assisted in setting up and organizing the equipment for today’s show.

“The companies donated these technicians to the cause of TCU,” Speirs said. “They are all top people who are well-known in their field, and they have been incredibly helpful.”

Oberkircher said he was impressed that the designers suggested the hands-on project and twisted the arms of major companies to donate the equipment and manpower.

“The atrium will become a theatrical canvas to be painted with light,” Oberkircher said. “If we are successful, that whole atrium will glow.”

Melissa Christensen
m.s.christensen@student.tcu.edu