Ethan Tobman Shares The Secrets Behind Genesis House’s New Lights Exhibit!

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Ethan Tobman has us seeing stars! The creative director behind cultural moments like Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour and Beyoncé’s Black is King film has joined forces with Genesis House for its latest exhibition, “Starscape.” The immersive lights show takes guests into the deeper relationship between light and humanity—all in 7 minutes. On opening night, we caught up with Tobman to learn just how he put Starscape together and his relationship with Genesis House—plus his pro’s and con’s of being a Gemini!

How did Genesis House choose you to lead this new Starscape project?
Genesis House reached out to me because of the work that I’ve done in diverse mediums, from live entertainment—like the Eras Tour—to narrative filmmaking, like Free Guy, to music video iconography like [Beyoncé’s] Black Is King and Lemonade, and videos for Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift. They’re a brand that’s really open to what they call “audacious design,” meaning they’re risk-prone and they are bold, and they are open to surprises. They invite storytellers from different mediums to flex within their space, and to create visually and sonically immersive environments that challenge the limitations of what they call the “Cellar Stage”—their immersive LED basement.

Zoe Saldana, Ethan Tobman, Rachel Espersen

What was your starting point when designing Starscape?
I became intrigued by drawing inspiration from the history of light in Korean heritage. Within that research project—which is how I always start every project, because I’m always looking for the human element and the empathetic element within a culture’s authenticity—we discovered the concept of dongji, which is the Korean winter solstice, the longest night of the year. I learned how important Korean constellations were as a reflection of human experience in 14th century, Joseon dynasty. I also learned how fire, particularly embers, are used to ward off bad luck. These are all different ways in which light affects culture, faith, mood, and reflects progress in civilization and society and brings people together. From there, we also became really intrigued by the idea of transmitting the sound of light, which I’ve never personally experienced before. NASA has a great database of what they call “sonification,” which is where you take light metrics and you interpret them as different timbers, tempos, volumes and pitches, to interpret what light might sound like on a Hertzian scale. But we took it one step further, and tried to imagine what it might be like to see light’s inception from a photon, molecular level, electromagnetic waves—which are in the Earth’s atmosphere, which scientists call the Schumann resonance, which is the Earth’s heartbeat, which I found really beautiful, and also the absence of light. What does it sound like when a black hole envelops light, and literally destroys it? That’s what the experience attempts to create.

“Starscape” by Ethan Tobman

Do you have a personal favorite part of the light show?
One of my favorite moments is when the Seoul city develops below your feet, and the sound of a million—and I actually mean a million—light bulbs clicking on, is employed to illustrate the concept of every light and soul turning on. Seoul, and Korea in general, are such a rapidly advancing culture that have embraced technology and have made extraordinary technological, cultural, and creative advances in the last few decades. I love seeing the idea of the city and its immersion into modernity come to life below your feet. Then, the Earth rotates, and we arrive in New York. I think we’re drawing a parallel between New York’s experience and Seoul’s experience, and what Seoul looks like from above and what New York looks like from above. What I learned, certainly from visiting Seoul recently, is that they’re really not that different—the earth is just so small, and we both look at the same stars every night.

Gwyneth Paltrow, Ethan Tobman

What do you hope people take away from “Starscape,” after seeing it at Genesis House?
Everything I do for a living is try to bring adults joy, and make them remember both the simplicity and the optimism of childhood through immersive visual language. Ultimately, I’m looking to make people feel all of those unifying things, all of those emotions, through visual and sonic immersive experiences. Also, I’m trying to expose them to what I learned about Korean culture and see how small and how united and how interconnected we are from a different perspective.

Great! You’re also dressed equally as sparky—what inspired your look tonight?
I would not say that this galactic-themed Celine suit was sitting in my closet! It was definitely inspired by this experience. I think fashion and textiles have always understood the importance of playing with light and refraction and reflectivity. We do the same thing with the visuals.

Ethan Tobman

Speaking of fashion—you creative directed Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour! Did you have a favorite “era” to create?
I’ve never experienced or been a part of anything where I felt so many people united by something that felt so positive, so supportive, and so communal. There’s very few experiences like that on this earth, and in this culture at this moment. While I’m so proud to be a part of it, I’m also so moved every time I see it.

What’s your zodiac sign?
Gemini.

What’s the most Gemini thing about you?
My Pisces boyfriend.

Do you think it’s fair that Geminis get a bad rep?
No, I don’t. We’re not two-faced! I think we’re multifaceted, and we’re known to be among the most creative and “outside of the box”-ers And as a result,  there needs to be a little leeway given to our craziness  to allow for our our luminosity.

What’s the perfect holiday gift for someone to give a Gemini this season?
A Pisces!

Below, take a glimpse into Genesis House’s equally starry reception for “Starscape”—experienced by guests including Gwyneth Paltrow, Zoe Saldana, Justin Theroux, Mario Cantone, and more.

All images: BFA.com

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