1 - Aim

Woolf Works is an Olivier Award-winning contemporary dance project that I created in collaboration with Wayne McGregor and the Royal Ballet and subsequently made into a BBC film. My research process, which is embedded in the production, focused on new ways of adapting cutting-edge camera technologies for use in an artistic context. Novel approaches were developed to create new representations of key aspects of Virginia Woolf’s work and legacy. A central feature was the use of LIDAR scanning to create digital moving images of her garden in a way that references the influence of post-impressionist painting on her work. The resulting footage was then used as a choreographic component of the production. 

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4 - Process (Shifting perspectives)

Tests were done with materials such as gauzes stretched over the front of the stage in order to create a 3D quality by holding an image while simultaneously allowing the audience to see through. This nformation makes the live experience more immersive and adds depth to both narrative and visual effect. Normally projection in the theatre relies on shwoing an image upon a visible screen. Tests done with different thicknesses of semi translucent gauzes led to the creation of an image which begins to function as light as well video allowing the projection to have narrative and physical depth rather than just being a 2D backdrop. 

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Contents

Introduction (Woolf Works)

1 - Aim

2 - Process (LIDAR)

3 - Process (Slow Motion)

4 - Process (Shifting Perspectives)

5 - Dissemination

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The sequence was shot using a Phantom Gold camera and begins as a virtually static photographic image then gradually builds up into a raging torrent, lasting over 25 minutes, a duration rarely used with this kind of technology. The film becomes the set and a cinematic event at same time.  Tests were done on location with scale and movement to find a way for the projection to dominate the viewer's eye in scale and yet be able to harmonise and drive the action without taking over from other aspects of the production. Most projection in theatre acts as a backdrop, merely serving as aesthetically pleasing or informative imagery, a secondary support to the dance and design, whereas here the innovation is that the film design literally becomes the set. Having this element enabled the choreography and sound to be based on the video and respond to it. The waves are hypnotic through their scale and the innovative slow-motion quality created using professional Phantom cameras shooting at speeds of up to 2000 frames per second. Normally these cameras are used in very controlled studio environments for scientific, industrial and sometimes advertising work. A major challenge was to find a way to use these cameras in the hostile environment of the waves around Godrevy lighthouse. A novel technical solution was devised by using mobile laptops, off camera high speed hard drives and a specialist two-person crew.

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4 - Dissemination

Academic

Deepres, R. & Roberts, D. (2019)'Woolf Works and the Language of Design Ravi Deepres in Conversation with David Roberts' in New Theatre Quarterly Vol. 35 Issue 3 August 2019

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Fig. 2 - LIDAR scan of Woolf's garden

Fig. 1 - Photo of Woolf's garden

Fig. 3 - LIDAR-scanned garden in context

Fig.5 - LIDAR footage of garden in context

Introduction - Woolf Works

(Live at the Royal Opera House 2015) 

2 - Process (LIDAR)

3D LIDAR scanning tests were done in collaboration with APR Services to create imagery which has an artificial yet painterly quality. LIDAR is normally used for architectural purposes with textures added to show surfaces. I worked with APR to change pixel densities of the 3D models to create an aesthetic similar in feel to the pointillistic painting technique. The post-impressionist movement was a major influence on Woolf and her sister Vanessa Bell – herself a painter. One of my main objectives with this work was to find a way of visually representing this influence. I chose LIDAR specifically in order to be able to create a contemporary representation of the influence of post-impressionist painting on Woolf and her sister. 

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LIDAR works by creating points in 3D space, and once a visual path has been set through the 3D mesh the subsequent projection on stage significantly changes our perception of the space. Extensive testing allowed me to discover the potential of the artificial movement created by the LIDAR process for use in a choreographic context. LIDAR had not previously been employed in a dance context, and its unique movement quality adds another choreographic element. This dramatically changes the space by giving the feeling of the set being lifted towrads the audience. 

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3 - Process (Slow Motion)

The film in Act 3 ‘The Waves’ was shot at Godrevy lighthouse, one of the locations Woolf visited frequently in Cornwall, and which was also a major influence on her writing. This sequence was created with the intention of capturing Woolf’s narrative use and absorption of the power of nature and shifting time. The decision to present this cinematically at a huge scale allows the performance space to move from a cinematic experience into something more physical with the other design forms of choreography, sound and light. Woolf’s book ‘The Waves’ was innovative in its use of metaphor and had a radical impact on the use of literary narrative structure. We tried to do the same thing by creating a similarly radical impact by combining different media and perspectives. What is unique about this process is that it draws on a combination of disciplines in order to create a unified design language where no individual element can exist without the others. 

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The Independent  - Woolf Works, Royal Opera House review: Tireless dancers create brave, thoughtful work

Bachtracks - Ferri charismatic and commanding in welcome revival of Woolf Works at the Royal Ballet

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Fig.6 - 'The Waves' in context

Fig.8 - Gauze screen in context 

Fig.7 - Footage of 'The Waves' in context 

Fig.9 - Footage of gauze screen in context

Fig.4 - LIDAR footage of garden