Europe - The Chiaroscuro style of art, first popularised in the Baroque era by painters like Caravaggio, blends two polar opposites – light and darkness, to amplify the evocate power of each.
Hayden Borgars is deploying this technique to reflect the complex, and sometimes raw, conflicted sound of Californian metal band The Ghost Inside, on the six-nation European leg of their current Searching For Solace tour.
Weaving his way through the elusive, shadowy border area that separates light from darkness, Borgars is creating mysterious, captivating looks that reveal parts of the set, while leaving others cloaked in shadows. The net result of this approach draws attention more closely to the stage and deepens the connection between the audience band members.
“Having used a Chiaroscuro lighting style with other bands in the past to add a theatrical feel to the lighting, I wanted to explore using this method with The Ghost Inside, since they’re a metalcore band whose style of music doesn’t typically present that opportunity,” said Borgars. “Doing this is allowing me to highlight the musicians at opportune moments within the set such as the drum intro to Dear Youth, and our guitarist Chris’ intense lighting moment in Earn It.”
Aiding Borgars in this effort is the Chauvet Professional Color Strike M, supplied by Colour Sound Experiment for the EU leg of the tour. (This fixture was also used on the earlier North American leg of the Searching For Solace tour.)
“Throughout the album cycle I wanted to explore the idea of a wall of light as the ‘light’ part of our Chiaroscuro design,” explained Borgars. “We wanted to achieve this aspect in a fresh way across each tour. In the first US leg we used four towers of 12 Color Strikes and an additional four on side pipes. On this EU leg, we carried across the Color Strike fixtures, with four units across the four pre-rig carts, and an additional two to light the backdrop in complementary colours to each song.
“The Color Strike fixtures helped to create a lot of impactful moments within the show, as we pixel mapped across them, using them as a musical instrument,” continued Borgars. “This is something that I’ve become known for as my designing and programming style. Also, the set on this tour has intros and interludes throughout, inspired by Mick Gordon’s soundtrack work. The Color Strike Ms helped build anticipation and create a sinister mood within the dark space required for a Chiaroscuro style show.”
Also contributing to the evocative mood of the show is Borgars’ use of various light angles. Although he uses some front lighting, his primary source of light comes from side angles using his Color Strike M fixtures on pipes. “Minimising the use of front light has allowed me to add depth and help achieve the Chiaroscuro style I’ve been regularly experimenting with throughout my designs,” he noted.
The palette selected by Borgars also engendered the concert’s haunting atmosphere. "Most of the colours used within each song in the set are very monotone,” he said. “Having extensively researched how colours relate to emotions, I strategically implemented my palette choices to evoke an emotional response and set the tone for each track. The Ghost Inside’s new album’s music video uses a lot of rusty whites and CTOs, so that I also use throughout the show for continuity.”
Getting these colours just right was critical to the success of this light show. But equally important was the way Borgars blended this coloured light with the dark shadows that added power to his stunning Chiaroscuro-inspired design.
