Mobs of Light
In my work as the Director of Media Arts at de Toledo High School, I conceived, choreographed, produced and directed short animated films working with the entire student body and sequences of long exposure photography.
Rafael Monkarsh
River of Light
At the 2013 New Community Jewish High School All School Shabbaton, 400 + students, faculty, and counselors flowed together as a community into the "RIver of Light". This animated sequence of long exposures of LED finger lights is based on spiritual ideas from a midrash in which Abraham chases a calf to the cave of Machpela. He sees at the back of the cave an opening into the Garden of Eden. Out of the cave flows a River of Light. Like the river that flows out of Eden, our river splits into four branches - our school grade colors. It then swirls into the Tree of Life, a sun, and an eye which blinks and then turns back into another sun. After we wink at paradise "between the suns", our in house DJ, senior Nick Rivera, elevated us all to a realm of enlightened bliss. A night to remember!!!
Crossing of the Red Sea
On a moonless night the entire student body of de Toledo High School in West Hills, CA gathered on a dark field to re-enact the seminal event in the story of the Jewish People: The Exodus from Egypt through the Red Sea. The movie was created by assembling sequences of long exposure photographs of 400 rapturous students equipped with blue, white, red and green LED finger lights. As the students wildly waved their lights, guided through the choreography by a dedicated group of teachers, the images were captured by a drone, from the top of a 50 foot climbing wall and at ground level.