Light, movement and music in Sergey Zorin’s Optical Theatre.

Light, movement and music in Sergey Zorin’s Optical Theatre 

Lighting instruments developed by Sergey Zorin are different from traditional audiovisual systems (like the cinema, television and the Internet) in that the image on the screen (or a system of screens) in his Optical Theatre is not broken up into frames, lines or pixels. Instead, it is integral, i.e. continual. Moreover, Zorin’s invention makes it possible to work in real-time, creating entire dynamically lit works of art in the presence of the viewer. Improvisation is possible and positively encouraged. There is a way to create musical light art together with musicians or even symphony orchestras. Lighting performers are directed by the same conductor as the musicians. Zorin also has extensive experience in creating spatial kinetic objects: in the 60’s he was a member of a Moscow-based kinetic group called ‘Dvizheniye’ (‘Movement’). Zorin will demonstrate some recordings made more than 40 years ago, and make reference to contemporary works that synthesize music, light and spatial compositions.

Sergey Zorin
Creator of continual instruments for musical light art (1963) and the Optical Theatre (1969). Director and artistic director of the Optical Theatre that existed in Moscow for over 20 years until 2008.