Obsessed With Light
Obsessed with Light illuminates the groundbreaking artistry of dancer Loïe Fuller, who inspired the artists and intellectuals of her era—Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Auguste Rodin, Isadora Duncan, and Marie Curie—and continues to influence contemporary icons as diverse as Bill T. Jones, Taylor Swift, Shakira, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and William Kentridge.
Fuller, who used the stage name “La Loïe,” captivated audiences in the 1890s with her serpentine dance, a mesmerizing blend of swirling silk, movement, and innovative stage lighting. After a flood of imitators emerged, Fuller became the first choreographer to seek copyright protection for her dances and later patented her innovations in lighting and stagecraft. A Belle Époque star of the Folies Bergère, Fuller became one of the most celebrated performers of her era.
The documentary Obsessed with Light, directed by Sabine Krayenbühl and Zeva Oelbaum, tells the story of a multidimensional artist by interspersing footage of the creation of Fractal Memories (a Fuller homage by choreographer Jody Sperling) with archival footage of Fuller’s choreography, interviews with a wide-ranging and star-studded group of artists influenced by Fuller, and voice-over of Fuller’s writing by Cherry Jones.
Obsessed with Light opens at the Quad Cinema in New York City on December 6.
