Q&A: Mauro Pujia Sheds Light On the Art of Lighting
☆ BY ASTRID ORTEGA ☆
SHOWCASING THE ART OF LIGHT — lighting designer Mauro Pujia has highlighted how the live industry brings on many roles — roles that are equally as important as the performer. Growing up with a father dedicated to lighting design, Mauro followed him around to major events as a child and played around with creativity. Most of us at such a young age don’t even know how much effort goes into the production of multiple creative formats, but Mauro had always been well aware of that effort. As a result, he became inspired to pursue this creative role in the live industry himself.
Mauro gives wonderful insight on how important this particular creative role is and how it can bring the most amazing and interesting opportunities. Read down below to get to know Mauro and learn more about his passion for lighting design.
LUNA: How was growing with a father in the live industry?
PUJIA: For me it was natural, he was already a well-established lighting designer (LD) when I was born. I grow up with him touring around, getting used to him not being in some of my birthdays, and saying goodbye in airports. I was lucky that he took me on some of the national tours, and that was heaven for me!
Besides my father, most of my family is dedicated to arts, my mother was a dancer, my grandparents both sculptors and my sister is an actress. All of us love music, I think that's the art that connects all of us and explains the huge amounts of guitars we have at my parent's home!
LUNA: You mention music - do you play any instrument? How this influence your work?
PUJIA: I studied guitar when I was a kid and has been always my favorite instrument. In 2020 I've written a song and recorded it with a friend, at his home studio.
I think having a basic knowledge of music is key if you're a creative member of the live music industry. It's the main language that conducts every show. When you work in opera the lead figure is the musical director, he has the final opinion on everything and they are very strict about this. Music concerts might be more abstract, there you're trying to create a visual narrative that embraces the music, you have no historical context or time of the day as you may have in more classical theatre or opera shows.
LUNA: Opera seems to be a big influence on your career, principally after studying at the legendary Teatro Scala, the oldest and more prestigious opera house in the world. Would you recommend this for younger LDs?
PUJIA: Absolutely! Be prepared for hours and hours in the theatre, watching other designers work and assisting them when possible, or as British tend to say "shadow". No matter whats your interest, if it pops arena concerts or experimental theatre, La Scala is a house for a lot of creatives around the globe, you will find people avocated on costumes, big set designers, and of course lighting, a lot of lighting.
LUNA: Did you have the chance to design for opera?
PUIJA: I have collaborated with Horacio Efron, a great LD from home on two projects in Buenos Aires and I did design an opera called Trionfo dell'Onore. I learned a lot, and I love being in projects where you have to cooperate with costume and set departments. Right now I won't say that's my main interest and it's been a long time since the last show, but opera always brings me good memories.
LUNA: What's your field of interest right now?
PUJIA: As a designer, I'd say production design. It's a long way and I'm not still there at all, but that's my goal for the long term. The title itself it's not important, what I want is to conceive and create the holistic design of stage and productions. I great side of our industry to do that is music concerts and tours and I will also add fashion since I'm also interested in it.
LUNA: And as something else?
PUJIA: I love that you asked this question, the answer is art installations. That universe catches me, I think it happened by the end of 2019. I was working in Madrid as LD for a big rental company, designing and coordinating the CAD team. I was a good friend with one of the guys at the office, both of us were tired, we had a huge summer festival season so we decided we needed a weekend in London to see Olafur Eliasson exhibition at TATE.
It was something else, fresh, contemporary, abstract, and big scale. After that trip, I couldn't stop thinking about creating artwork in that direction.
LUNA: When can we expect an installation from you?
PUJIA: I hope soon! I have some pieces designed and rendered and I'm partnering with other artists and producers to release stuff. I'd love to be part of a collective, I feel media art and installations are the present and future of art.
LUNA: Do these installations include lighting? How do you connect this with your actual career?
PUJIA: All of them! Probably having a background on lighting makes me think more in that direction, but when you work so much time on the design and especially projecting (which is my favorite design task) on the computer, you take dimension and include space into consideration. When I think of lighting for a piece, most of the time is a link between the space and the objects, the mass and the emptiness. But then you also have time as the main ingredient when doing media, or kinetic pieces. It's a whole universe, when I met people that are already part of the movement I get excited, it's just a matter of :::time:::
LUNA: Favorite lighting show that first comes to mind?
PUJIA: The 1975 live at the O2 by Tobias Rylander
CONNECT WITH MAURO PUIJA
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From Pavietra 🕊️ https://t.co/BXVgWlZud8 -
slowthai by Rosie Matheson 🤩 https://t.co/z7SDfFQ5iF
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RT @i_D: Ian Kenneth Bird photographs young punks on Polaroid: https://t.co/MKT0tMUqO9 https://t.co/a0tTl12ML5
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RT @AnOtherMagazine: #DreamHome – this isolated idyll in the mountains of Lanzarote 🌵 📸 via Nowness, photography by Clemence Blr 🔁 https://t.co/GUusdxD0cg
