GHOST LIGHT
June - November 2024
Ghost light is a light is left in the theater when it is closed, for example at night. Most often it is a bulb placed on a stand in the center of the stage. The main reason is safety, but several superstitions have been born related to this practice - the most popular is the one about ghosts in the theater. Apparently, the light left on the stage allows them to return, calms them and prevents the sabotage of new productions. Another superstition holds that light is precisely to deter spirits.
The Gustaw Holoubek Dramatic Theatre in Warsaw - which I photographed at nights - does not leave a light bulb on stage. But this theatre has its own ghosts. They take different forms – for me have become felt emotions and returning thoughts. Presented photographs illuminated usually in total darkness. This habituation of eyes to black and extracting shades of gray from it has become the visual foundation of my project. These images like memory hide a lot of details and you need time to reveal the truth, see them and fully realize.
This project is about the nature of memories. About what they are to us and how they help us cope with loss.
