Today we’d like to introduce you to Ari Kim.
Hi Ari, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am lighting designer based in NYC. I am from Seoul, South Korea. I really liked about lighting during my teenager. It is very impressive and making drama with a single lighting in the frame. Even though lighting design is an unusual job in South Korea, I chose to learn in the college to be a lighting designer. I learned lighting’s language and characteristic in the collage. But it is quite different with actual professional world. I was just a kid who likes lights.
I was in musical theatre industry when I was in South Korea. After graduate my undergrad, I have a chance to work with lighting designer Yun-young Koo. She is the first-generation female lighting designer in South Korea. I was really lucky to meet her and work with her. Thanks to her, I can start my career in the major musical lighting design earlier. I was learned a lot. In South Korea, there is a unique system in working process. I had a mentor who is taught me and also pay me. So, even though I was in academy setting for 4 years, I can learn the professional industry conveniently and fast.
After 4 years in the industry, I felt I needed to learn and expand my perspective for the theatre world. This led me to study abroad, especially the US. Because the US has a lot of remarkable shows and also well-organized systems. I want to be in this society and be grown up as a lighting designer. I moved to NYC and have been studied in NYU Tisch which has good educational settings and numerous talented alumni and faculties.
I’ve been taught for 3 years in this program, design for stage and film, and I was figuring out how to be communicating during creating world of the show. And in actual production, I could experience and create shows. It was my turning point and inspired experiences.
Communicating with various people and being in their group is quite tough at the beginning, but I finally got the way how to make a show. And also, I can create my own visual language as a lighting designer and theatre artist. Depending on how to light the show, the show can have various faces and lead the audience to have diverse experiences. This is so exciting and impressive moments.
Recently I have a chance to use a new technology and create the show in virtual methods. I did musical ‘Kiss of the Spider Woman’ as my thesis. This experience is my last work in the school. So, I did my best. Using technology can be a future of theatre making especially for lighting designer. The language we use as a lighting designer is quite hard because lighting is visible but invisible. It can’t be actual objects, unlike other design. So, it is really hard to communicate with collaborators. This virtual lighting rendering can be a tool for collaboration.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There are a lot of struggle when I just moved into the US. English is my second language. So, I can’t talk and listen well. Especially during pandemic, improving language had so many obstruction. Wearing mask was killing me. And also, there are a lot of culturally difference between two countries. I need to learn from the beginning, like baby. I need to understand and think like American some point to read the script. Historical background and cultural language make me feel far from the society.
Theatre-making is always storytelling and communicating. I need to self-teach my point of view for the show. This is considerably difficult.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I like to talk about a person who is protagonist in the community. There are several works in my works which talk about this genre. ‘Yerma’ I did for the first time in the US, which is a story about one woman who cannot be nurtured in her life. She is slowly decayed and ruins her life to obsess about the baby. This has a lot of messages to convey as a woman. Woman who wants to go against to nature and keeps fighting from it. This has tremendously powerful subject for me.
As a lighting designer, I want to make a world where she cannot be belong. She has been kept marginalized from her world. This gap between her and world make a strong language for her life. Lighting was a villein for her. Keeping pushing her and forcing her not to be in this world. But finally, at the end, making the world being a villein to her. In terms of following narrative and making storytelling, I think this production was really successfully done.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
Being in the different society is really tough and sometimes makes you depressed. It feels like in the tunnel which has no exits. But I believe there is a way to escape from this long traumatic journey. Or being survived in this harsh environment. I am still in the tunnel and trying to get through this danger. But I believe this journey can be fun! There are so many loving and loved one in this world who can be with me in this journey. Thank you for all of these people being with me.
Contact Info:
- Website: lightingdesignarikim.com
- Instagram: with_ari
Image Credits
Jana Schuessler
Charlotte Shi
Nuzzi Li
Ari Kim
