In 1881, the first experiments of electric theatre lighting using Swan lightbulbs were carried out in the Savoy Theatre in London and at the Opéra Garnier in Paris.
Fairies filled the stage of the Savoy Theatre wearing dresses made of light. Tiny Swan bulbs were sewn into the hems, and the dancers wore battery packs hidden in their underwear: the term ‘fairy lights’ was born.
The French newspaper Le XIXe siècle did not commend the piece, but marveled about the atmosphere: ‘l’opérette à Londres est une chose bien curieuse. Tout y est franchement mauvais, de l’orchestre à la chanteuse; mauvais le chant et mauvais le jeu, et pourtant le public y prend un plaisir extrême. Pourquoi ? C’est que dans les théâtres d’opérettes tout est joli.’
The effect of small fairy lights in movement is to create a glow. Still, they are sparkles, lit filaments within dark spaces. This talk will discuss these lighting effects in relation to emotion, making connections with the hyggelys that is part of Nordic lighting æsthetic.