Download discourse on duro oni?s conception of the ontology of stage lighting

ARTS AND IMAGINATION: DISCOURSE ON DURO ONI’S CONCEPTION OF THE
ONTOLOGY OF STAGE LIGHTING
Dr. Chiedozie Okoro
Department of Philosophy
Faculty of Arts
University of Lagos
Abstract
This paper examines Duro Oni’s conception of the ontology of stage lighting. The ontology of
stage lighting refers to the creative powers of the mind which manifests in the form of arts and
imagination. This will take us into the examination of the ontology of man or the metaphysical
structure of the mind that endows man with the power for creativity. We shall then show that the
human imagination as the faculty of image formation, is the vary source of creativity, and in this
instance, arts. We then show that since creativity like thought is spontaneous and voluntary, it
follows that stage lighting as creative art, can be re-invented or adapted into perspectives that suit
the culture of the people. Hence, the evaluation of African contribution to stage lighting as well
as the adaptation of Western genres of stage lighting into the African paradigm, creates the
avenue for the delineation of Duro Oni’ conception of the ontology of stage lighting.
Introduction
The word discourse immediately calls to mind the term logos, which is a metaphysical
concept. A concept is metaphysical if it is non-empirical and non-physical, but rather dealing
with a priori cognition or deriving from finite reason. As a metaphysical concept, logos is simply
defined as art, craft, science, theory or discourse. This implies that the word discourse can also
be defined as art, craft, science or theory. Since our objective in this paper is to show how art and
imagination relate to stage lighting, it follows that our usage of discourse, in this instance, would
be expository and interpretative, making our method of analysis to proceed hermeneutically.
The hermeneutic delineation of any issue whatsoever is meant to yield interpretations which
are intended to reveal or bring to light facts which hitherto appear hidden. In the light of this,
Martin Heidegger makes strict distinction between logos as logic and logos as discourse. The
former depicts logos as ratio, logical deliberation or ratiocination, while the latter portrays logos
as understanding, intelligibility, that which reveals or brings a thing into light. This act of
revealing things in a new light is designated by Heidegger as the ‘hermeneutic situation” (1962:
275). Accordingly, he explains that: “The function of ‘logos as discourse’ is to make clear that
which is talked about” (59). The distinction made between logos as logic and logos as discourse
marks the difference between traditional logic and hermeneutics. Whereas the former delights in
critical discussion of issues, the latter moves from critical discussion of issues to interpreting
issues in a new light in such a way that vistas of images are opened up, which would crystallize
into new concepts.
It is clear from the above that by the term discourse we simply mean interpretation or
hermeneutic delineation. Thus, this paper is meant to interpret stage lighting from ontological
perspective. The ontology of stage lighting is intended to explore into the metaphysical structure
of the mind (i.e. the ontology of man), with a view to showing that the human imagination is the
center point of creativity in general and artistic creativity in particular, and for this reason, makes
the acculturation or perspectival adaptation of arts and stage lighting possible. What this boils
down to is that the ontology of man provides the foundation for the ontology stage lighting
possible.
The Ontology of Man as the Basis of Artistic Creativity
The ontology of man simply refers to the metaphysical structure of the human mind that makes
creativity in general, particularly, artistic creativity, possible. The Oxford Advanced Learner’s
Dictionary defines creativity as “having the power or capacity to design, or create, or invent,
which requires the application of intelligence and imagination”. According to E. A. Ruch (1977:
324), human creativity “involves a ‘newness produced by the human mind’, combining elements
from previous experiences into radically new patterns”. He however, makes distinction between
(a) the “creative action” of man, (b) “the creative activity of the mind” or “creative thought
process”, and (c) “creative thought” (324 & 329) itself. The first refers to the physical
transformation of the universe, the second concerns the mental or mind process by which we
give form, design, direction, plan, order to our creative action, while the third depicts the
autonomy of the mind, the free, voluntary, or spontaneous activity of human consciousness
which dowers man with the power for both creative thought process and creative action or
creativity in general.
What then is the structure of the mind that makes creativity possible? The foregoing question
takes us to Immanuel Kant’s analysis of the mind. He outlined four faculties of the mind and
their functions thus: intuition or sensibility as the a posteriori or immediate condition for
cognition, which refers to our five senses, by which we perceive or gather information about the
world; the understanding or apperception as the a priori condition of cognition, which function is
concept formation; the imagination as the mediator or center point of gravity between sensibility
and the understanding, which function is image formation; and reason or transcendent reason as
the overseer or coordinator of the whole functions of the mind, which function is to legislate the
ideas or transcendent ideas for directing the totality of the mind’s activities. Below is a diagram
illustrating the faculties of the mind, their categories, functions and general characteristic.
Diagram 1.
DIAGRAM ON THE FACULTIES OF THE MIND, THEIR CATEGORIES AND FUNCTIONS
FACULTY
1.
2.
CATEGORIES
INTUITION (or sensibility as the a
posterior or imme-diate condition
of consciousness).
Space and Time
THE UNDERSTAN-DING (or the
apperception or thought is the a
priori or mediate condition of
consciousness).
The
Twelve
(12)
Categories of the Mind
3.
IMAGINATION (the mediator)
Process
Transcendental
Deduction.
of
4.
REASON (or pure reason)
Region
of
Transcendental illusion
(i.e. if unguided by the
functioning of the first
three faculties).
FUNCTIONS
GENERAL OF COMMON CHARACTERISTIC
non-creativity or receptivity. It funds and
activates reason with raw sensory data. The
symbiosis between intuition and thought is
called presentation or representation (see
Heidegger, 1962, 28 and Unah, 1997, 39-41).
All faculties of consciousness are transcendental. Together they constitute
the foundation of knowledge and point
towards the inventive and creative
powers of the mind.
Together they institute human or finite
transcendence, which grants us
autonomy over nature.
Editor of reality (Concept formation or place
where sensibility attains final purification
through the process of schematism. It is the
light of the soul or the source of mental
illumination.
Synthesizer. Image formation, “a function of
the soul described as productivity” (Unah, 55)
or reproductivity. As the mediator or point of
symbiosis, “it is the initiator of transcendence or
point of transcendence itself” (Heidegger, 13637).
Legislation. Institutor or legislator of the ideas
(i.e. the hunch) which first ignite our curiosity or
awareness about entities around us. Its nature
is such that it must always transcend the
bounds of experience a quality that endows the
mind with the ability for autonomy.
From the diagram above, we gather the point that the whole faculties of the mind function
voluntarily, spontaneously, as a unit, meaning that the natural order of the mind is that of
harmony or unity. And it is by this power of forming unity that we are able to package the
heterogeneous experiences of the world around us into homogeneity. This power to form unity or
homogeneity further endows us with the power of transcendence. Transcendence is the mental or
rational ability to rise or go beyond experience or the physical to the ideal world of the nonexperience or the non-physical. When we move from the realm of the physical to the nonphysical, we transit from the known to the unknown. It is by this act of going beyond experience,
otherwise known as the act of beyondness or transcendence that gives rise to the act of invention
or creativity. It is at the realm of the mental or the transcendental that we are able to form
connectedness amongst the events and things of the world, making transcendence, wholly a
metaphysical activity.
But how does human transcendence constitute the basis of artistic creation? This question
requires of us to lay bare the meaning of artistic creativity and link it up to human ontology with
a view to explaining, how the faculties of the mind function individually and wholistically to
project artistic creation.
We define artistic creativity as the aesthetical valuation and qualification of the human
condition, in relation to the environment, imaginatively and symbolically reproduced or
represented. Every artistic presentation involves the ability to imaginatively and symbolically
create a synergy between the mental and the physical, in such a way that vivid images are
projected and represented. These vivid images come about by the unification of the ideal with the
real. The ideal represent the concepts of the understanding, while the real represent the intuited
or the information about the world supplied to us by sensibility (i.e. the five senses). Hence,
images or symbols are a perfect fusion of the mental and the physical. It is clear then that it is by
the act of imagination that we picture or visualize the world mentally.
Concepts provide rules of direction or those laws of thought which act as basic axioms or
organizing principles. Sensibility, by its category of space, makes us to be aware of the physical
world before us and by its category of time, associates, arranges or serializes the intuited into
sequences of events. Transcendent reason, on its part, provides the overall ideas for coordinating
the total functions of the mind. This very function of coordination, grants to the mind the
autonomy for legislation. Legislation is the pre-experiential ability to forge ideas for projecting
and representing the world to myself or ourselves. This means that I/We see the world the way
my/our mind(s) present(s) it to me/us. This also means that the way I/We see the world is not
necessarily or exactly the way the world is. It means that I am or we are the one(s) who
determine or dictate the way the world appears or is presented to me/us. Hence, by the power of
legislation, we think and proceed to impose causality or causal connection upon the world,
meaning that causality or causal connection may not necessarily be part of nature.
Applied to the issue of stage lighting, we immediately begin to see that the theatre or stage is a
pure mental construction of the mind (i.e. design), meant to replay human experiences (i.e.
tragedy, comedy or a combination of both) projected or presented in some organized patterns
called drama, in which events are carefully arranged or serialized in order of sequence otherwise
known as scenes. We can then regard theatre or stage as a miniature world or a microcosm for
replicating events of the world before a select audience. Lighting provides the illumination for
making the images played out on stage to become lively to the viewing audience, who on their
part, appreciate the drama on stage in their various perspectives. It is also clear that without the
abilities of the mind, it is absolutely impossible to idealize, conceptualize or visualize a world of
theatre where we play out events of the world, in scenes, within an enclosure, and then proceed
to living it up through the act of lighting. It means that all the while, the sum-total of the activity
called stage lighting, is made possible by the wholistic functioning of the faculties of the mind.
This takes us to the ontology of stage lighting.
The Ontology of Stage Lighting
The ontology of stage lighting is already set out in Duro Oni’s Stage lighting Design: The
Nigerian Perspective ( 2004) and Lighting: Beyond Illumination. The first is a text and the
second his inaugural lecture for 2010. Both works outline the spirit (philosophy) and body
(practice) of stage lighting and ensconced in this, are the evolution and actual practice of stage
lighting in Nigeria and the world at large, articulately laid out. Henceforth, in this segment, we
lay bare both the ontology and the story of lighting the theatre as told in the two works.
Lets cast our minds to that primordial state of void, when from boundless expanse, formation
began. Projected from the idealistic/religious perspective, we are told that the almighty mind (as
presented in the Bible and the Quran) began the whole process by illuminating the stage, such
that light arose to liven up darkness (2004: 19; 2010: 5 & 6). Again, from the materialistic/
scientific perspective, we see that order (cosmos) arose from chaos, in the same way as void gave
birth to the sun and through the process of thermonuclear hydrogen fusion, the sun began to
shine (Williams, 1997: culled from the internet by Duro Oni, 2010: 7 – 8). From the foregoing,
we gather the following clues:
1. That man gathered the knowledge about stage lighting either from God or nature or
both
2. That stage lighting is both creative and inventive, in the sense that it combines the
methodological procedures of the arts and the sciences.
Going by the above submissions, we proceed to ask the questions: (a) How did man come
about the idea of stage or theatre? and (b) How did man come about the idea of lighting up the
stage?
It is common knowledge that humanity and divinity are inter-connected. This interconnectivity, as already outlined, derives from the fact that man like his maker, has the ability to
create and to invent. Put differently, like creativity is nature’s signature, so is man a creative
agent. Thus, whether from idealistic/religious or materialistic/scientific perspective, man is a
second order creator or inventor, in the sense that he merely replicates the existent order. Since
the earth presents us with a natural theatre, in which all of us are the dramatis personae, it is
logical for man to clone the idea of theatre from nature and in that process replay the drama in
the world before a select audience. This actually begun when we were children playing in the
sand, where, innocently, we began to burry secrets in the sand. This means that arts and theatre
are natural with us. What about lighting? About this question, Duro Oni has this to say:
The early man had to cope with darkness at night, after an exhaustive day in search of food and
shelter, and he also needed fire to cook his meal … Lighting began, therefore, from natural
sources of light, from the sun and the moon, before the development of artificial ones such as
candles, torches and oil lamps (2010: 20 & 21)
By natural and logical order, man learnt the act of lighting from nature. Having derived the
ideas of stage and lighting from nature, it was a question of time before he pieced up the two to
create stage lighting. This means that the connecting point between stage and lighting is the
intent to create design. To make this matter clear, Duro Oni makes reference to Gillette and
Pilbrow. Gillette has this to say about stage or theatre:
In the theatre, design involves creating a stylistic plan for the production concept and developing
the necessary sketches, patterns, and other visualizations of the design concepts (2000: 74).
Pilbrow on his part, has this to say about lighting:
… Lighting design is visual design in space and time. The controlled consumptions of light may
change and follow the play like a musical accompaniment (1997: 30)
Consequently, the connecting point between stage and lighting is the plan or design laid out.
Within this plan or design are ensconced the idea and concept that prop up a play. Here, theatre
or stage is the arena where the idea and concept of a play is acted out in accordance to a plan or
design. Lighting on the other hand, is the movement of light on stage to achieve the ideas and
concepts of a thought out plan or design in a play. Here, lighting is continually adjusted and
adapted, within space and time, to create patterns of shade and light and to achieve a projected
design. Lighting, therefore, is not a monotonous or mechanical process, neither is it all about
illumination nor is it about making effects. Based on the foregoing, Duro Oni submits as follows:
Stage lighting design, like other areas of design, depends on the elements of design, which include
line, shade, measure, position, colour and texture. It must also conform to the general principles of
composition, harmony, contrast, variation, pattern composition and gradation. The stage lighting
designer, however, does not limit his designs to physical constructions without an appreciation of
the aesthetic factors in design. Stage lighting design essentially strives towards an aesthetic
quality, an expression of sensory perception and judgment that to the audience’s imagination
(2010: 13 – 14).
By the above, we understand that stage lighting is a fusion of idealistic/materialistic as well as
rational/empirical concepts, imaginatively coordinated to achieve a certain plan and create
certain impressions. Since stage lighting entails a fusion of the ideal with the real, it follows
automatically, that stage lighting necessarily combines the genres of the arts and the sciences. On
this matter, Duro Oni (2010: 11; 2004: 31 respectively) makes reference to Francis Reid (1995)
and Bill Williams (1997) as follows:
Reid, for instance observes that:
… the design of lighting for the stage or for any other medium is science in the service of
performing art. While the “science” represents the technological bases for the making of lighting
equipment, the “art” is the creative use to which such equipment is put ( 9).
Williams, on his part, opines thus:
Stage lighting is no longer a matter of simple illumination as it was less than 100 years ago.
Today, the lighting designer is expected to be a master of art, science, history, psychology,
communications, politics and sometimes even mind reading ( 2).
Going by the above, stage lighting requires both versatility and depth, but more of depth than
versatility. This point is reiterated by Duro Oni who states thus: “the point we are attempting to
establish above is that in academics, it is not how wide your knowledge base is, even though that
becomes important, but how deep your knowledge is in your area of concentration. It is
therefore, a vertical arrangement rather than a horizontal one” (2010: 3).
Furthermore, Duro Oni explains that versatility and depth in stage lighting are meant to create
psychological and physical effects as well as aesthetic designs. In the first place, lighting creates
visual effects, in the same way as it affects the feelings of the audience, all of which help to
create a desired atmosphere or mood in stage presentation. Here, lighting is skillfully transmuted,
in such a way that the three-dimensional lighting of key, fill and back, are used to cause
conscious light changes and unconscious light changes (8 & 9). Thus, deliberately or subtly, light
is manipulated on stage to attract the attention of the audience on specific scenes or actors. For
scenes dealing with evil intents, such as conspiracy, light is dimmed or avoided on a part of the
stage, to let the audience see and live, at least in the theatre, how dangerous life could be and
how treacherous humans can become. On the whole, the transmutation and manipulation of light
to create scenery, add up to aesthetic design.
But what is the Africa contribution to stage lighting and how has African artistes been able to
adapt Western conceptions of lighting to further strengthen stage lighting in Africa? The
foregoing question takes us to our next point of focus, which is about Duro Oni’s conception of
stage lighting.
Duro Oni’s Conception of Stage Lighting
Of main interest here is Duro Oni’s criticism, but not outright rejection, of the adherence to
Western paradigms of stage lighting. In one of his essays entitled: “Towards the Development of
Theatre Practice in Nigeria: The Design/Technology Dimension” (2005: 75), he argues on the
need to adapt design and technology to suit stage lighting in the Nigerian, nay, the African
environment. He notes as follows:
Some theorists in the Nigerian theatre seem to have taken refuge in the works of Peter Brook and
Jerzy Grotowski in their approach to the theatre. They virtually perform their plays in the moulds
espoused by Brook and Grotowski in their famous works (Brook’s The Empty Space and
Grotowski’s The Poor Theatre). One is however, of the opinion that, while the “empty space” and
the “poor theatre” may have contributed immensely to the development of the literature on
performance paradigms, they have, by and large, been exercises that have not survived the practice
of theatre worldwide.
The above quotation from Duro Oni is a clarion call to Nigerian and African artistes to get
original in their conceptions and practice of stage lighting. To buttress his point, he goes ahead to
sight the exploits of Clementine Ogunbule aka Adeshewa Ogunde, Kola Ogunmola, Duro
Ladipo, Moses Olaiya and Oyin Adejobi as authentic edifices that showcase the richness of
Nigerian culture. Along this line of thought belongs Bode Osanyin’s contributions to the
development of stage lighting in Nigeria. Thus, in Arts and the Man: Interpretative Essays on
Bode Osasyin (2003), effort is made to present the bio data of Bode Osanyin. Then in “Design
and Performance: Issues in Bode Osanyin’s Three Plays”, Osanyin’s three plays Ogedengbe,
Woman and Our Portrait are examined with a view to showing how stage lighting can be used to
explain events in one’s environment. But it is in the work; “Scenography and Dramatic
Atmosphere in Ukala’s The Placenta of Death” (2008: 134) that Duro Oni lays bare a complete
account of a true African presentation of stage lighting. We notice that Ukala does not obey the
stereotypes of Brooks and Grotowski. As put by Duro Oni:
Described as a folkscript, The Placenta … not only deviated from the use of the Western concept
of acts and scenes, but also abandoned the “African division of plays into situations, phases,
movements and parts”. Ukala runs the entire play from pp. 13 – 74 without any divisions
whatsoever … What this obviously calls for is a smooth and seamless transition between the
different segments of the play.
At the end of his evaluation, Duro Oni acknowledges the innovation and depth of creativity
brought in by Ukala to enrich stage lighting in Nigeria.
However, more intriguing is the pain taken to explore the evolution of stage lighting in Nigeria
from 1880 to date. Kin interest is taken to explain the development of stage lighting in Nigeria
from colonial time to the point of the eruption of the Nollywood movie industry. In all of this, we
can see that stage lighting has undergone major transformations, from what can be described as
the antiquity phase of stage lighting in Nigeria, whereby, candles and lamps were used, to the
revolutionary trends, involving the use of high level techniques as well as technological gadgets.
As of today, stage lighting in Nigeria has so developed such that it has long become a model for
other African artistes. With this, one can boldly say that stage lighting in Nigeria has come a
long way.
Conclusion
In the concluding part of his inaugural lecture, Lighting: Beyond Illumination, Duro Oni decries
the erosion of theatre practice in Nigeria, and this is largely due to the advent of the movie
industry. He then suggested a number of things to do, which will help to resuscitate funding and
facility for the promotion of theatre in Nigeria. Funding and facilities have to be made available
to the departments of Creative Arts and Theatre Arts in Nigerian Universities for the training of
to quality graduates who will keep the dream of theatre alive. This, in Oni’s view, will not only
serve as an avenue for promoting culture in Nigeria, but also help to reduce unemployment in the
country. We on our part add our voices in calling for the resuscitation of theatre in Nigeria, and
in Africa at large. Beyond this, our primary concern is on the need to keep promoting the African
perspective of theatre. This is of absolute importance because, the promotion of theatre is one
practical way of being creative. Since creativity is the mark of arts, arts cannot be said to be
complete without it (creativity).
Theatre has a unique effect on the mind which movie may not be able to replace. Besides,
theatre is live performance, while movie is not. Theatre makes it possible for us to apprehend
real actors and actresses, it makes us apprehend real live situations, movie shields us from these
opportunities through the screen. These obvious advantages of theatre make its resuscitation and
promotion paramount.
Reference
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Costume, and Makeup, New York: McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 4th Edition.
Heidegger, Martin (1962), Being and Time (Translated by J. Macquarie and E. Robinson),
Oxford: Basil Blackwell.
Kant, Immanuel. (1970), Critique of Pure Reason, (trans. N. K. Smith), London: Macmillan.
Oni, Duro (2003), “Design and Performance: Issues in Bode Osanyin’s Three Plays” in Arts and the Man:
Interpretative Essays on Bode Osanyin (ed. D. Oni), Lagos: Concept Publications Limited.
Oni, Duro (2004), Stage Lighting Design: The Nigerian Perspective, Lagos: Society of Nigerian Theatre
Artistes (SONTA).
Oni, Duro (2005), “Towards the Development of Theatre Practice in Nigeria: The Design/Technology
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(ed. D. Oni) vol. 8, No. 1, 75 – 81.
Oni, Duro (2008), “Scenography and Dramatic Atmosphere in Ukala’s The Placenta of Death” in Trends
in the Theory and Practice of Theatre in Nigeria (ed. D. Oni & A. Yerima), Lagos: Society of
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