Part 2 Disabled Artists' Collective Kinetic Light: Lighting Designer Michael Maag

Part 2 Disabled Artists' Collective Kinetic Light: Lighting Designer Michael Maag hosted by Carden Wyckoff

Transcript https://rb.gy/fjdrsc

Who is Michael Maag?

Michael Maag designs at the intersection of lighting and projections for theatre, dance, musicals, opera, and in planetariums across the United States. He sculpts with light and shadow to create lighting environments that tell a story, believing that lighting in support of the performance is the key to unlocking our audience’s emotions. He has built custom optics for projections in theatres, museums and planetariums, and also designs and builds electronics and lighting for costumes and scenery. As a paraplegic, Michael is passionate about bringing the perspective of the disabled artist to technical theatre. He is currently the Resident Lighting Designer at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. His designs and creations have been seen on the Festival’s stages for the last 20 years, as well as at Arena Stage, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Utah Shakespearean Festival, Florida Studio Theatre, and many other places.

What is Kinetic Light?

Kinetic Light is different from many other performing arts companies that feature disabled dancers. We are a disability arts ensemble: We are led by a disabled artist; disabled artists create, design, and perform the work; our work speaks to and emerges from disability aesthetics and disability culture; and our work is connected to the rich traditions and exciting contemporary conversations of disabled artists in all artistic fields.
Founded in 2016 under the direction and artistic leadership of Alice Sheppard, Kinetic Light is a project-based ensemble of three disabled artists: Sheppard, Laurel Lawson, and Michael Maag. A roster of additional artists join us to contribute on a project by project basis.

In this episode Michael and Carden talk about:

Michael's spinal chord injury and how he got interested in lighting
Lens shift from non disabled to living with a disability
Lighting and including disabilities
Sensory sensitivities and lighting
Color influencing the unconscious brain and translating into audio descriptions
Kinetic Light a collective of disabled artists and the creation behind it
Disability inclusion and the arts
Universal design and accessibility in the built environment

Resources:

Connect with Michael

@kineticlightdance @longred

Follow Carden on Instagram @freewheelinwithcarden
Find Carden everywhere

Special thanks to my producer Jonathan Raz on Fiverr.com

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