Gravity Access Services, a Bay Area company that provides services to make live performances accessible to people with disabilities, has had an ongoing partnership with LightHouse to offer accessible outings for our students and community.
Now, LightHouse’s partnership with Gravity Access Services has reached its zenith in November with two of the programs made possible through a Creative Work Fund grant.
On November 4, LightHouse students had the opportunity to learn about light painting from Gerald Pirner, a blind photographer, arts writer and performer from Germany. Pirner is performing with Gravity in their current production, Into the Dark.
Light painting, a photography technique which had its hay day with artists including Man Ray and Picasso, places the subject in a dark room in front of a camera with an open shutter. The artist lights various areas of the subject, revealing it to the camera. One exposure may take from five to fifteen minutes to create.
Gerald Pirner’s light painting photographs featuring the cast of Into the Dark are on display at CounterPulse through January before and after scheduled shows or by appointment. A QR code with image descriptions and wayfinding tips is available for all to access.
Into The Dark is a new ensemble work spearheaded by Gravity Access Services founder Jess Curtis, in collaboration with a diverse ensemble of blind, low vision and sighted performers. Into the Dark addresses the physical, subconscious and literal effects of western culture’s binary mythologizing of darkness and light.
At least half of the 90-minute performance of Into the Dark takes place in complete darkness, taking the art of dance out of its mostly visual-centric standing and transforming it into an exploration of the senses.
Into the Dark features LightHouse student, Tiffany Taylor, who has worked with Gravity for the last few years since Jess Curtis discovered her during a previous partnership with LightHouse.
Check out these reviews about Into the Dark.
Review: Jess Curtis’ Gravity finds complex gifts in the absence of light | Datebook (sfchronicle.com)
Up, up, and within: Gravity’s Jess Curtis on the wayfinding of ‘Into the Dark’ – 48 hills
What: Into the Dark, presented by Gravity Access Services
When: November 16, 17 & 18 at 8:00 pm and November 19 at 2:00 pm
Access Info: Audio description is available at all the shows. Haptic access tours will take place one hour before every show. The duration of the tour is 20 to 30 minutes. The audio description and haptic access tour are by Europa Grace of Gravity Access Services. Register for headsets and the haptic tour at: michael@jesscurtisgravity.org.
Tickets: Tickets are on a sliding scale from $0 to $50. No one turned away for lack of funds. Buy tickets for Into the Dark.
