Pražské quadriennale 2007

The demography of Ireland has changed dramatically in the last ten years with the creation of new communities across the country and the rapid expansion of small towns and suburbs. One result of this population change has been a rise in cultural activities and the construction of new venues to house them, often in places where no arts or performance facilities existed before. Ireland’s participation in the architectural section of PQ 07 will focus on two smaller theatres built in the last four years, both incorporated into multi-functional developments and a unique venue created for an audience of one. The Source Arts Centre and Library, Thurles – a 240-seat theatre in a new arts centre that includes a library, an exhibition space and a cafe/bar. Solstice Arts Centre, Navan- a 320-seat theatre in a new arts centre including three galleries, a multi-purpose studio and café. The third exhibit is a unique venue created for Pan Pan’s One – healing with theatre with an “auditorium” consisting of 100 rooms, each housing a single actor and audience member. This radical re-organisation of the performance relationship challenges conventional ideas of theatre as a communal experience in acommunal space.

Mexico CITY... One of the biggest cities in the world... It’s about the necessity to design a theatre based on the complexity of such acity. To find the simplest solutions for the enormous diversity of artistic demands, as well as the need to find the lowest costs for economic reality. So, it’s all about complexity and simplicity at the same time.

Throughout much of the 20th century, the geography of Lithuanian theatres did not change – theatres were not built, or even restored, quite the opposite – one building in the centre of Vilnius was even demolished. In recent years there have been noticeable changes in the area of theatre architecture. Last year a new home was found for the Small Theatre of Vilnius, operating since 1990. Major reconstruction on the Kaunas Drama Theatre also began at this time. The architectural reorganization of these two theatres is presented in Lithuania’s exhibit in the architecture section of PQ 07. The new venue for the Small Theatre of Vilnius, an architectural and cultural monument of the end of 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries, was built by architect Konstantin Korojedov. The most important element that survives in the reconstruction effort, is a unique cylindrical arch, comprised of glass blocks in the main hall, very characteristic of aesthetic construction solutions from the beginning of the 20th century. In 1991 the building was dedicated to the Small Theatre of Vilnius. Reconstruction started in 1993, and continued for 12 years, based on the design plans of architect Nijole Sciogoleviene. The theatre opened its doors on November 11, 2005. Kaunas State Drama Theatre has been performing in the Metropolitain cinema, designed by architect Vladimiras Dubeneckis, which opened on December 4th, 1928. The theatre troupe assumed the space on April 29th, 1959. On June 1st, 2005, reconstruction of the theatre, began based on the blueprint of architect Algimantas Kancas. The collaborators of this project were Guste Kancaite, Kestutis Kajokas, Vidmantas Zdanavicius.

 

The BACKSTAGE Theatre Festival is intended to take place in southern Tel-Aviv, a neighborhood called Neve Sha’anan. It is athree day festival, beginning on May 1st. The festival exposes Tel Aviv’s “stage hands” to the visitor, those who allow the rest of us to enjoy the show while remaining hidden and anonymous. The festival opens a window to places that are normally hidden behind the city’s “set”, an invisible boundary, which most people do not wish to cross, that isolates the rear neighborhoods – “Foreign Workers Land”. One of the festival’s goals is to revive the area by adding cultural centres, temporary additions and changes during the festival and by developing permanent institutions. The area, which now includes a few alternative cultural centres, will be converted into a living and action packed centres of attractions. Amongst other possibilities, the inhabitants of the area will be able to present local cultural activities, which currently take place behind closed doors and usually in front of a very small audience. During the planning process the students had to deal with many dilemmas: will the changes we implant in the neglected neighborhood elevate the quality of life, perhaps actually drive away the local population? And if so, is that a goal we wish to achieve? What is the right way for a planner to deal with the public space? Is the festival a theatrical mask, trying to hide the reality in which it takes place? Or is it perhaps the first time that the neighborhood and its residents have the chance to stand at the center of attention, on stage, in the spot light? The students developed the festival believing the city’s “backstage” will offer a stimulating environment for theatre artists and the neighborhood will benefit immensely from the visit of the public, and that it is significant for the whole population to be exposed to that side of the city, with its local inhabitants. The project was planned by fourth year students at the University of Tel-Aviv Faculty of Arts, the “David Azrieli” School of Architecture headed by Architect Hillel Schocken. The urban workshop The City as a Stage is composed of 24 students, and it is led by Architect Prof. Elinoar Barzacchi, Architect Ayala Ronel and advised by Prof. Ben Tzion Munitz from the Theatre Department. Unlike other educational workshops, our group worked as one big planning team, thus simulating “real world” planning processes. This approach is not common in universities; hence, it is regarded as experimental and innovative. This presentation will also be performed in front of representatives of Tel Aviv’s municipal authorities, in hopes of having the ideas of the piece examined further.

This selection presents Belgrade as a “city-stage” and as a “cityscene”. Belgrade festivals and events, particularly BITEF and BELEF, which are permanently exploring stage potentials of the city by enlarging the already significant list of permanent, temporary and occasional stages in the city, will be placed on the same level with architectural and technological projects, which have dramatically increased the scenic quality of Belgrade houses, objects and ambiences in the last couple of years (lighting design of the Belgrade Fortress, of the capital objects, bridges and urban spaces, reconstruction of the business centre Ušće, etc.). The third aspect of this phenomenon can be seen in the efforts of the City to reconstruct, adapt and technologically revitalize theatres and other objects of spectacle in Belgrade, for which Gorica Mojović and the Belgrade City Hall were awarded the Special Award of the Fifth Biennial of Scene Design in 2004.

The Example of the New Theatre in Potsdam

The theatre history of Potsdam and the history of the new building reflect in particular the changing significance of theatre in Germany’s cultural life, but also the turbulences after reunification. The new theatre of Potsdam and its historical context is presented as an example of new developments in German theatre culture. The theatres now need to generate their own income. Are there solutions that architecture can offer? The theatre of Potsdam looks like a traditional theatre but is in fact amulti-purpose building. The exhibition explains the concept and gives examples of its versatility.

History

The city theatre was destroyed in the last days of World War II. The resident company received an ancient dance hall to use as its theatre, though the necessity to build a new theatre was never questioned. In the last years of the GDR, the construction of a new building began in the old historical centre of Potsdam. After reunification, the plans changed, as the entire historical centre was earmarked for reconstruction. The recent building was demolished, and a competition for the new theatre began, as well as finding a new site for the building. Fifteen years passed before the new theatre was to open in September 2006.

The New Building

Architect Gottfried Böhm won the international competition. He designed a theatre that opens onto the waterfront of the Havel River. On the rearside, it is integrated into an historical group of former industrial and military buildings. The riding halls are now used as rehearsal stages and a childrens’ theatre. With its large glass front facing the water, and its curved concrete roof, the building has been named a “rose“, an “orchid“ and even a “Little Sydney“. An open air theatre is integrated on the grounds, and in the summer, access to the theatre can be obtained by boat. From outside, the building is open and inviting.

The Functions

The main entrance of the theatre is from the land side, where the administrative offices and the various workshops of the theatre are located. Once the visitor has entered the foyer, he will be drawn to an upper foyer with its impressive panoramic view over Potsdam’s cultural landscape. The transparency of the foyer continues towards the auditorium. Its back – which faces the waterfront – is made of glass, which is very unusual for a theatre. The auditorium, which holds approximately 475 seats, can be darkened by black curtains. The theatre of Potsdam is used primarily for drama, though opera and dance theatre can also be accommodated. The exhibition shows the technology and also illustrates the different ways this flexible space can be utilized.

The exhibition title, Impromptu encounters, suggests an unplanned performance or meeting, which is the very unique idea driving this design concept from the outset. Typically, theatre complexes have very clear separation between the enclosed auditoria and the front of house public areas. At PAC the auditorium design incorporates windows allowing views from the public areas. This unique idea creates an interesting and unexpected event. Within the auditorium the public watch a performance on the stage, where outside the auditorium the performance includes the public within the theatre space. Further impromptu encounter’s occur in the surrounding landscape where performers and public mix, and where the architecture and landscape becomes the scenery. The clever design of PAC manages to play on the idea of “life’s a stage”. PAC occupies 6.6 hectares in area, including the centre and the cultural park. It is a special performing arts center that combines functions in performance, education, exhibition and recreation. The original concept of the centre was mostly suggested by Lin Hwai-min, the artist director of Cloud Gate Dance Theatre in Taiwan, and Dr. Chen Chin-huang, the director of Hsin Kang Foundation of Culture and Education. The Southern Fuchien style architecture is contributed by Wong Wing-Hung, and the professional stage and the experimental theatre are designed by designer Lin Keh-hua.

The most important theatre architecture project in Slovakia recently – the new house of Slovak National Theatre. The architect team Martin Kusý, Peter Bauer, Pavel Paňák, solved the assignment as a complex with two presentable halls – for opera and ballet (capacity 901 places), for big drama (capacity 644 places) and studio (capacity 180–215 places at most). In 1980 the project won the architectonic competition. The building has been created from 1986 till 2007. As well it offers excellent conditions and background for all of the theatrical kinds. The new building is located in a significant quarter of Bratislava on the riverbank of Dunaj. Nowadays the extensive building of the new city centre developes. That’ll be the appealing part of the modern complex Eurovea in a short time.

The other presented projects

Abrief presentation on the refurbishment of the City Theatre in Žilina;

Aproject prepared for the National House in Banská Bystrica, now the seat of the State Opera in Banská Bystrica;

The project for the Railway Station Žilina, and its transformation into a multicultural centre of alternative arts;

The Project of the cement works reconstructed to a theatre space and cultural background for the Theatre from Passage in Banská Bystrica

Project: Complete Reconstruction and Restoration

6, Pl. Ostrovskogo, St. Petersburg, Russia

The Alexandriiski Theatre, built in 1828-1832 by K.I/ Rossi, is the best example of the Russian classicism and one of his best creations.

Built and designed with advanced technologies of the time in the 19th century, during its 175-years history, the theatre has been many times repaired and renovated, as a result of multiple interventions, the historic planning of the edifice was seriously changed, its unique decorations lost and acoustic characteristics of its auditorium deteriorated. And some space of the auditorium was turned into administrative offices. All engineering systems have been worn out and do not correspond to modern requirements. Some of them are not still disconnected, though out of order and turned off.

The theatre stage possibilities technologically are outdated and lag behind modern performances. In 1999-2003 on the eve of St. Petersburg’s 300th anniversary, the theatre’s facades and some of its interiors were repaired.

Its complete restoration and reconstruction of 2005-2006 fall on the 250th anniversary of the Alexandriiski Theatre, the new state attitude to the theatre culture and the 175th anniversary of the architectural monument.

During the works, all elements of the theatre’s structure, its earlier renovations and restorations have been taken into account. Designers and conservators-restorers have successfully managed to preserve the edifice’s exterior, its structure and interiors. At the same time, they have introduced up-to-date systems such as automated, computerized and control equipment.

Complete scientific conservation-restoration and reconstruction of the interiors include the re-creation of the pristine design, viz. the re-creation of its original architectural interiors, relevant to certain historical periods (according to research results), the preservation of the original structures, conservation-restoration of historical decorative elements and painting, re-creation and restoration of worn-out details (its floors, doors and windows), removal of later layers as well as intrusive fad of the Soviet times, distorting original interiors.

In the same way, renovated were the auditorium, the central (czarist) and side boxes, staircases, and a dining hall, and some other spaces. The Czarist box’s space acquired its original space, previously “cut off” to house a movie-projection apparatus, and the double-headed eagle, a Russian Royal coat-of-arms has been returned to its original place on the box. Also restored are the central chandelier, multiple wall

The Spanish section of theatre architecture presents the Circo Apolo Theatre of Vilanova i La Geltrú. A burned-down theatre which has been chosen as an example of the fragility of some theatre spaces.

In 1988 Jean Guy Lecat and I had seen the progressive deterioration of this theatre, yet its originality and quality seduced us from the first time we set eyes upon it, and we believed there were good reasons for saving it. In 2004 the Vilanova Town Council asked us to make a report on the possibilities of re-opening the theatre. In the report we evaluated the value of a place where the past, as on the faces of old people, had left the traces of time. Unlike new architectural styles which are often cold, formless and soulless, old theatres retain their charm and emanate with the life which many artists search for. In such spaces the theatre space and the decoration come together to form a unified, unique whole. We delivered our report in December. A month later the theatre was in flames, an “accident” finally put an end to its existence. The case of the Apolo shows how the growth of the city following market forces threatens certain spaces. Sometimes it is no more than public or private idleness which makes them vulnerable. However, many of these buildings deserve to be rescued so that they can be used and enjoyed by society. The case of the Apolo, and many other cases, presses the need to create an Observatory for Theatres at Risk. A collecting point for information on theatre spaces under threat.

Antoni Ramon

Krétakör (Chalk Circle) Theatre / Budapest

Selection from the playing areas for the ten-year-old company. Krétakör - Chalk Circle with its various – and very much successful

– repertoire appears regularly in different, nonconventional spaces, even having a memorable production in a circus ring. Most of their productions haven’t been designed for classic theatre spaces. For the PQ 07 we’ve composed a retrospective selection of Krétakör - Chalk Circle’s stages to show that contemporary theatre work needn’t be bound by theatre buildings. Furthermore, the conditions of some of the buildings will be seen to offer great challenges.

In the Netherlands, almost every town has its own theatre and performances travel to these theatres. In smaller towns, performances stay in one place for only one or two nights before they move on to the next location. This means the auditoria and stagehouses have to be very flexible – they must be equipped to deal with a great many different kinds of performances. For the sake of financial exploitability, these theatres should also be suited to accomodate other events, such as conferences, fairs and celebrations.These circumstances make Dutch theatres unique in the world. Moreover, during the past 10 to 15 years, performances have started to use more complex technical equipment. This means older theatres had to be adapted to be able to facilitate these performances. As a result of this, a lot has happened in Dutch theatre architecture over the past years: new multifunctional theatres were built and older theatres were extended and renovated in order to deal with the changed theatrical situation.

The Dutch entry for the PQ Architecture Exhibition shows a number of theatre-projects that have been executed during the past 4 years. A few of the projects that will be shown are:

• De Meerpaal in Dronten, originally designed and built in the 1960’s. The existing theatre was renovated and converted into acinema, a new theatre was added and the two are connected by akind of ‘urban plaza’, a lively meeting place with a bar and restaurant and lots of space for various activities.

• De Toneelschuur (“The Dramashed”) in Haarlem is aprominent theatre housing the avant-garde of the Dutch drama, dance and film worlds. The well-known comic strip artist Joost Swarte made the initial sketches for the new building. Architect Henk Döll and ensured that it became a functioning building.

• The Parkschouwburg in Eindhoven was built in 1960. In 2006 and 2007, the building was renovated and a new wing was added. The new wing contains new foyers and a multifunctional auditorium. The existing main auditorium is now suited for both theatre and concerts.

• The Royal Carré Theatre in Amsterdam, originally built in 1887. It was built as a circus theatre with small stage facilities and is now converted into a well-equipped theatre fit for all types of performances, including the circus. A new foyer was added in the dome of the roof. This foyer can also be used seperately for meetings and celebrations

• De Spiegel in Zwolle, built in 2005/2006. The basis is atheatre auditorium which seats 850 people. By raising the ceiling and enlarging the stage opening, the acoustic volume is almost tripled, thus converting the auditorium into a concert hall with 1000 seats.

In this edition of the Prague Quadrennial, Brazil presents some projects of the most important Brazilian architect, Oscar Niemeyer, whose work is spread across many countries. One of his best known achievements is the National Theatre in Brasilia, the Brazilian Capital. In the last few years, Niemeyer has conceived many other theatres; some of them already built, others in construction or “in project”. Among them, the four projects shown here at the Prague Quadrennial 2007. These have a common characteristic: Italian-styled, including asecond proscenium arch in the back of the scenic box opening to the exterior. There is also always a square or public park connected, allowing performances to a wider audience. This reflects the architect’s social concern, which is allowis the average man to a type of performance mostly attended by the elites. Notwithstanding his important contribution to the conception of scenic spaces, it must be stressed his more than 70 years of uninterrupted creative production in Brazilian and international architecture.

Oscar Niemeyer

Oscar Ribeiro de Almeida Niemeyer Soares Filho (December 15, 1907) is a Brazilian architect who is considered one of the most important names in international modern architecture. He was apioneer in the exploration of the constructive possibilities of reinforced concrete. Although he was a defender of utilitarianism, his creations did not have the blocky coldness frequently criticized by post-modern critics. His buildings have forms so dynamic and curves so sensual that many admirers say that, more than an architect, he is a sculptor of monuments, a trait some critics consider to be adefect. Oscar Niemeyer and his contribution to the construction of the city of Brasília is portrayed and somewhat parodied in the 1964 French movie L’homme de Rio (That Man From Rio), starring Jean-Paul Belmondo.

Hologaland Theatre was established in 1971 as Norway’s first regional theatre in the northern part of the country. Only now, after years of touring and temporary locations, this theatre has apermanent home – the result of an open international architectural competition in 1998. The building is located on a harbourside landfill near the centre of Tromso. The theatre is a pivotal project in the urban development and transformation of this harbour area. The simple scheme and functional composition generates the characteristic shape of the building, with the functions visible and suggested in the volume of the exterior. Furthermore, the ambition of the building’s shape is to combine the rough character of the theatrical institution with the surrounding dockside architecture. The glazed walls connect the interiors with the surrounding landscape, and big wall areas without openings express the closed functions of the theatre. The main structure is in-situ cast concrete, with steel girders abové the auditorium and stage. The facade is kept in only one material, a dark engobed Dutch brick, laid in a variety of different ways. The semi-reflecting facades change strongly with the varying northern light and midnight sun in Tromso. The main material in the foyer is a light concrete, contrasting the dark brickwork. The foyer floor is laid in Alta slate. Other materials in the foyer are a big wall made of ash wood, and some wall areas coated with «stucco lustro». The furniture and interior elements are made of oak. The auditoria have predominantly black acoustic elements covering the walls and ceilings, with wooden floors treated with black varnish. The auditoria / stages are designed for intimacy and contact between actors and audience, with 330 seats in the main auditorium. The theatre has advanced stage technology, and the auditorium is designed to be flexible. The actors’ dressing rooms are connected with the back stage areas. Through their full height windows, these rooms have a nice and special view of the marine environment outside. The theatre administration is located above the foyer, with visual contact of the space and to the main entrance outside. The indoor and outdoor integrated art projects complement the stringent shape of the building.

Most city’s in Sweden have established theatres with employed staff, as, in principle, all theatres are subsidised by the state or the local city council. One of the consequences of reduced financing to cultural facilities during the past years is that new theatres are seldom built. The existing theatres are renovated to keep up to modern standards and to meet new safety regulations. However, during the last years several theatre schools have increased their activity, creating more demands for modern spaces for performance training. Nearly all schools for professional training have new or renovated performance facilities. The architecture exhibition for PQ07 displays four of these theatres built in Sweden. Two stages are new and two stages are built in converted buildings. One shared characteristic of these facilities is that they must be adaptable for a variety of performances. Different configurations of seating and stage area are a common demand. Common for all these stages is that they do not have full height stage towers. Side spaces and good storage areas are also rare. Even though most schools have similar problems, it is of interest that the solutions are often vastly different. These solutions bear witness of the people involved in the process of designing: the schools, staff and the hired consultants. Another determining factor is the amount of money spent on the various projects. The latter is also a decisive for the quality and quantity of the technical equipment invested in each. Most schools could only afford to invest in the minimum of stage, light and sound equipment required. Any additional equipment needed must be rented; a condition that certainly affects the design decisions. Another similarity between these facilities is that no workshops are built in connection to the stages. Subsequently, sets are often manufactured on the stage. The exhibition displays the different stages in plans and sections drawn in similar scale to make it possible to compare them. The photographs show the differences in character and expression of the stages and their connected areas.

The space of an old underground cinema on Thessaloniki’s Egnatia street was transformed into a basic teaching class that covers the needs of Acting, Directing, Movement and Scenography courses. More specifically, the variability of the theatre was the basic aim of the space’s design, mindful of the events that take place within it. A hall-studio with folding seats was the result, offering the basic necessities for such a fluctuating space, with all the corresponding technical support. Plans and photos of the space will be presented to demonstrate its usage. Three dimensional models of the space are also exhibited, apart from the plans and the photos, presenting the way it is being utilized by the scenography students.

The UK Architecture exhibition carries on our overall Collaborators theme and shows work from the national exhibition held in Nottingham in January 2007. UK architects, theatre consultants and designers are all engaged in the continuing challenges of making space into ‘place’ and ‘spaces within places’. Ambitious new buildings such as the Sage, Gateshead are intended as major drivers in the development of, often, depressed environments. They are intended to re-focus a cityscape and to aid both national and local communities in re-imagining their relationship with their culture(s) and their environment. Similarly site specific performances can involve communities in re-imagining their streets, parks, wastelands, ancient buildings leaving, perhaps, an imprint, a legacy of possibilities. Examples of this can be seen in Roma Patel’s The Merchant of Venice designs for the Irish city of Cork and Steve Denton’s Harmony Suite in a derelict street in Liverpool. The re-imagining of existing spaces is as much a part of designing theatres as it is a part of designing performance. We include the redevelopment of industrial buildings such as the iconic Roundhouse in London as well as the re-invention of influential theatre forms as in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Courtyard and Trafalgar Studios in the old Whitehall Theatre, London. The teams assembled to transform or articulate these spaces are of course key to their distinctiveness. This is as true of a performance project as it is of the design, construction and equipping of a new or existing space. At the RSC, Resident Designer Tom Piper collaborated with a team including Theatre Consultants Charcoal Blue, Ian Ritchie Architects, to arrive at an integrated auditorium, stage and set for a two year cycle of History plays. Contemporary performance spaces are required to be endlessly reinterpreted by their prospective users. To have adaptable, technically versatile, designated performance spaces is essential, but the whole building – and even its environment should offer up spaces in which a performed something could, might happen. At Northern Stage in Newcastle, Neil Murray, Head of Design and Associate Director, has worked with The Arts Team to create cavernous epic space in the occasional combination of both their theatre stages and versatile foyer space for exhibitions and performances. Similarly The Sage, Gateshead offers any number of formal and informal spaces in which a reading, music rehearsals, amusic performance, part of a promenade, a moment of dance… can work to re experience the place and the people in it.

A structure concealing within its depths the mysterious story of a350-tonne iron barge used for transporting sand, coal and stone, converted into the Mystery Boat Theatre and the production of Purple Sails.

This section will contain some new ideas of trends, forms, materials and techniques currently being explored and utilized in Egypt.

 

 

Built around 1910, Theatre Odeon lies in the heart of Bucharest. Its main auditorium is one of the most elegant auditoriums in the capital, with a capacity of 300 seats, a stage ? l’italienne and asliding ceiling. The Odeon’s studio hall, however, has long been an undeveloped space. This revitalization project of the studio hall and its foyers, won the First Prize at the national architecture contest held in 2006, and the project’s realization will begin this year. The project concentrates on technological improvements – acoustics, lights, sound equipment – and proposes a less conventional design for the hall and its foyers to accommodate more experimental performances. The interplay of brick and visible concrete walls, complete with graffiti, add to the unconventional atmosphere of the hall. The performance space has a flexible structure allowing for many different configurations, even including an Elisabethan stage. The foyer allows for “bottom-up” sculpture exhibitions due to a ceiling with aspecial hanging support.

The project began with a National Ideas Competition held by the town of Botticino in 1987 for a civic centre consisting of a theatre, a library, spaces devoted to social gatherings, and sports facilities for football, boules and other sports.

The eventual winner of the competition was conceived in response to a fundamental observation: the area, located within a context of low-density residential housing, could only be imagined as a public gathering place if it were to be developed as an open space.

The large urban lot earmarked for the centre thus became an occasion to interpret the programme not as a large multi-purpose building, but rather as a park in which a group of small, autonomous buildings, located around the perimeter and within the green space, could house the various functions. Together these new buildings constitute the new community civic centre.

The element which links and unifies the public amenities is the green space, an oasis crossed with pedestrian and bicycle paths. In this way, even the routes leading to the various structures provide citizens with many opportunities for social interaction. The large open space is bordered on the east by a school complex (screened off by the addition of trees planted in a circle around the two existing buildings), on the west by a pedestrian pathway adjacent to a tree-lined parking lot, and on the north by a row of trees and cultural buildings, located around a square which leads to the historic centre of the town.

Multi-purpose theatre in Botticino

This multi-purpose theatre was designed to offer the community a space for hosting many different types of performances and events. Square in plan and with a compact prismatic exterior volume, the building is similar in type to the city tower, a symbol of the community and a reference to the public life of its citizens.

Within, a cavernous space comprises the central area. This is surrounded by galleries on three sides on three levels, and by the stage on the fourth side. The building's functions are arranged on three floors.

The main 300-seat auditorium has a level floor and is equipped with retractable risers to form stalls, should a performance require this type of seating. With the risers stored away, the floor space of the auditorium can also be used for various other types of events and exhibitions. There are also a small performance areas at the basement level and on the roof.

The multi-purpose character of the building is based on the range of available performance spaces, and on the flexibility of the main auditorium, easily adaptable and allowing for a variety of configurations. On the building side facing the park, the wa

Turkey is presenting three projects in the field of theatre architecture. Two of these are projects for two theatre buildings; one very recently finished and opened, the other still under construction. The third project is an exhibition of 2Dreconstructions of historical Istanbul theatres, which are to agreat extent disappearing. The project designer is educated as a stage designer, and has devoted the last years of her career researching the historical buildings of Istanbul.

Hong Kong Scenography – Art Being Commercialised “Economical + Beautiful + Fast = Sublime?!” is a controversy formula, but it is also a common value judgement and a simple rule of achievement in Hong Kong. Living in an era dominated by financial and economic figures, puzzled in wealth-oriented minds and overwhelmed by profit and efficiency favourable policies, designers are easily fooled by the fraudulent logic of the commercialized society. For theatre designers, the ultimate goals of our works are always the challenge of quality vs. limitations. In such a slanted world, scenography becomes an oasis.

Based on the simple form of character, HKSAR exhibition evolved into unlimited complexity through designers’ creativity.

The design of the booth makes use of over-crowded architectural elements that are internationally well-known in Hong Kong and that embody the five selected designs. These structures fill the booth with commercialised daily commodities / priced objects / social phenomenon that come out of the every-day Hong Kong lifestyle, yet still evoke something from each individual production, thus contrasting the value of the five theatrical art pieces.

Drama / Puppet Theatre / Original Chinese Musical / Cantonese Opera / Modern Dance

These five art forms illustrate the unique theatre aesthetics of Hong Kong scenography. To attain the sublime, all designers must contribute their unlimited creativity amidst the unique commercialised Hong Kong social culture.

Error (Lathos): mistake, wrong, incorrect, fault, misconception, misunderstanding,misapprehension, accident

Error in scenography derives from an incorrect action attributed to wrong judgment, ignorance or misunderstanding. It may also derive from a misconception, resulting perhaps from incorrect information, erroneous belief, or omission. It may also be a gift given by fate or by chance, if you prefer, which may be integrated into a play, thus incorporating the unexpected, something that no organized thought could ever devise. Let us talk about error and creativity.

According to the above mentioned the following questions emerge:

When does the artist realise the error? Can the spectator recognise the error in a set design? Is an error obvious or disguised, recognisable or undetected? When do we choose an error not to be an error? When can an error be stimulating and inspiring? In which way can the error be creatively incorporated into the final artistic product? In which way can the error, in contrast to the director’s approach or even to the text, accomplish the final objective of the performance? Can a casual deviation from the central concept or an “accident” give an impulse to the final artistic product? Are there correct and false errors? When an error is creatively integrated in the final artistic product, thus creating a different and maybe more interesting concept, can it still be considered an error? In fact, what is an error?

The great tradition of Irish theatre is a literary tradition. From Farquhar to Friel by way of Sheridan, Wilde, Shaw, O’Casey, Beckett: a vast and internationally significant body of work. It’s a vibrant and living tradition too, with strong new voices continuing to sound on the Irish stage. This is the work for which Irish theatre is best known. The new millennium has seen a 0remarkable surge in the performance of works from the other great historical traditions of theatre. From the Greeks to the Japanese, works seldom or never before seen in Ireland are being staged, often in new versions by Irish writers. The late 20th century saw the great canon of European theatre mostly unperformed, with the significant exceptions of Ibsen and Chekhov. Even Shakespeare had surprisingly few professional productions. It seems as if Ireland is only now claiming the rich heritage of world theatre as its own. This exploration has been of great significance to Irish scenography, as the traditional form of Irish theatre has been naturalism. In staging works from other traditions, there has been a freer approach, from re-invention in an Irish context to total deconstruction. And this has not been merely a reaction to previous styles of performance or scenography - many of these productions have had no precedent in Ireland at all. Inevitably this experimentation has fed back into the mainstream, and some of the most significant work of the past five years has involved a re-examination of the Irish canon, being, in some cases, are-invigoration of plays that had atrophied through over-familiarity. New approaches in scenography have been particularly significant here. One may speculate on reasons for all this – the emergence of the first generation of theatre practitioners from the drama schools; the sudden growth in the number of theatres and companies; increased contact with other forms of theatre; political and social change. But one factor can be safely excluded – the influence of any particular school of scenography – as there is still no full-time course in any aspect of theatre design in Ireland. An introduction such as this is given to sweeping, contestable generalisations. Visitors to the exhibit – Ireland’s first ever at PQ – will observe, comment, criticize and reach their own conclusions.

Inside me the dead woven into my flesh like the music of bone flutes

Woven Flesh describes how to unveil and perform the ancestral-self in the space of contemporary theatre. It poses that all theatre is an articulation of the ancestral-self: (‘woven into my flesh like the music of bone flutes’). The role of performance therefore is to return this ancestral-self to the world by weaving it through the flesh of the performer, illuminate it with the work of design and throw it towards the world. It is posited here that the role of scenography in illuminating the ancestral-self is like that of a well-kept garden ready to bloom which must convey a feeling of anticipation, of a revelation, of an explosive tension ready to return again and again in the future. The return of the suppressive regime of the Empire after 9/11 has seen a new millennial subjectivity that is searching for new forms and modalities of resistance. Pacific theatre has a history of performance that deploys the body and the environment as a political force that opens up a space where resistance and dissention can occur. The Woven Flesh exhibition proposes to define a space that will allow dissenting voices to be heard.

This selection of projects reflect the contemporary mindset of hybridization and experimentalism, of concepts such as flexibility and transformation, as well as a transdisciplinary approach. Architecture on Stage aims at showing the relational trend of scenic spaces in a wider context of references, which extends from the universe of staging, from the ritual and symbolic, in which the physical and the material properties of space are explored as fully autonomous phenomena in their own intrinsic plastic qualities. Scenography is addressed as an experimentation on processes and the vocabulary familiar to architecture, particularly where the modelling of spaces derives from principles such as scale, composition and construction features, or where the use of geometric, modular devices are concerned. The human, experiential facet of the spaces also determines this selection of scenographic projects. This trait is translated into the close relationship between the scenic objects. The scenic devices are catalyzed by the interpreters’ presence, designed specifically for them and bearing in mind their gestures and movements on stage. The habitability of scenographic spaces reveals itself through the contact with its interpreters, thus turning these spaces into recognisable objects, into communicating signs. Transformation and flexibility are also vital for the current selection, as they are connected to the research on space metamorphosis and manipulation over scenic devices in order to shape/build different representations of the world or hypothetical experiential situations. This relates both to the idiosyncrasies of the different plays or choreographic scripts and to the transposition of aesthetic and conceptual principles of architecture to the universe of scenographic creation, thus emphasising the transdisciplinary trend of the project.

De Chile, de Dulce y de Manteca literally means something along the lines of “(made) of chile, of sweet and of lard” or “hot, sweet and fat”. This popular Mexican expression is often used to talk about the diversity of something. The words originally described the variety of tastes, colours and textures one can find in that most classic Mexican dish, the tamale (or “tamal,” from the Aztec tamalli). Tamales are packets of corn dough with many different kinds of filling and are typically wrapped and tied in corn husks or banana leaves. The packets are cooked inside a large tin cylinder that is used as a steamer. The tamal was born in pre-Hispanic Mexico. The Spaniards were served tamales by the Aztecs on their first visits to Mexico, and shortly after, European ingredients were incorporated into the recipes. Today, as with most Mexican food, the possibilities are infinite and each region of Mexico has it’s own specialties. The corn can be mixed with fresh pork lard, butter or vegetable shortening. The filling can be anything from beans, to fish, chicken, beef, pork, eggs, even dove breast, alligator tail or iguana. The flavors go from the sweet: made of fruit, cinnamon, rum, and raisins; to the spicy: with Mole made of different kinds of chile and sometimes chocolate. Tradition links the tamal with religious festivities, and it’s associated with aphrodisiac to therapeutic properties. Mexican theatre and, in particular, Mexican theatre design, is de chile, de dulce y de manteca. It is diverse and eclectic. Like the variety of tamales, each work tastes different. Each work has a unique flavor, color, shape and size. Each work takes a different mixture of space, light, shapes, sounds, words and movement as ingredients. From the steamer of collaboration, a mysterious, alchemical process is produced, and the unique components fuse into an indivisible whole.

In recent years, Lithuanian theatre and set design has reminded us of a varied, ever-changing landscape, opening up for a 21st century traveller. After a short period of calm, in response to epic social and political changes during the last decade of the 20th century, art and theatre in Lithuania has become vibrant with awealth of new options and opinions on stage design. Not only from professional designers, but also from other artists: sculptors, painters, interior designers and sometimes directors. The variety of set design ideas is conditioned not only by adifferent attitude of the artists towards the musical or dramaturgical material, but also by an uneven financing among theatre organizations. This can sometimes stimulate a burst of inventive energy, but very often forces artists to rely on models and design sketches to express more complex plans that budgets cannot support. Very clearly the language of set design is also influenced by the new technologies – image projections, computer animation and the like during performances, that enable artists to create a multi-dimensional and multi-layered arsenal of images for a production. At the 2007 Prague Quadrennial of Scenography and Theatre Architecture, a varying and constantly changing landscape of Lithuanian theatrical arts is revealed in this collection, formed by the Department of Set Design of the Lithuanian Artists Union. On exhibit are set models and projects, costume sketches, and photographs of the realized shows. The spectrum of the genre is quite wide, showcasing set design and costume projects for the opera, drama, ballet, and independent multimedia events, all coursing with the new energy to be found in contemporary Lithuanian design.

Over the last few years everything in Poland has changed, just as it has changed in the rest of Central and Eastern Europe: the political system, the social structure and the level of life and opportunity for development, and our common memory and view of traditions. The social function of art has also changed, and with it, theatre. The theatre of poetic metaphor and unlimitable creativity which, for years, was a staple of Polish culture, has become a thing of the past. The romantic paradigm has also been tossed aside, although it shaped Polish art over one and a half centuries. In an age of rapid political, cultural and social transformation, theatre chose a path of engagement towards the surrounding changes. By relating to Polish reality and attempting to reinterpret the national mythology and symbols, by taking up social and political topics, by locating plays in real-life spaces, and going outside to the real-life areas, theatre wishes to be closer and closer to reality, to show it and describe and judge it. This attempt is motivated partially by a desire to make contact with audiences, but also by a deep need to create a social mechanism for reacting to reality, even crafting reality through art. This need to craft reality and transform reality, rebuilding what was once destroyed or creating reality on new principles, is the greatest passion that has taken hold of Polish theatre these past few years. If Polish theatre, and with it scenography, as well as theatrical architecture, are to mean anything today, it’s through the never ending attempt to enter into a relationship with reality, obsessively seeking out new images, as well as keeping up with the changes brought on by reality.

You always cover the same road. You always stand at the beginning of this road with empty hands. You always catch an idea, even not knowing where from, and in order to keep it alive, you transform it into an abstract drawing in your little pocket notebook and this very act appears to be the first step of your journey. The end of the road is the performance. And when the phantom of the black box is let out, you are at a beginning again and you try to cover the same road again. That is the Machine. Its simple mechanisms work the same way for hundreds of years. Slowly, but surely. The Machine is quite clumsy, sometimes groaning, sometimes grumbling, sometimes whistling, sometimes singing. The knowledge for the secrets, putting the mechanisms of the Machine in motion, are coming down like know-how to the following generations of scenographers. Carefully greased with wine, perseverance and passion, the Machine still works. Regardless of Time, Fashion, or Revolutions. It works with the same cogs and straps. Taking its breath in at the beginning, and letting its breath out with the rise of the curtain. The Machine – it is hiding in its guts a show. The entire mystery of the theatre closed in an old wooden chest.

The myriad signals that criss-cross our planet speedily transmit information to us, pleasant or otherwise. Within this cat’s-cradle of minute-to-minute transmissions there are subtler signals that can be detected in the background: The signals of cultural continuity. Against the noise of global economical – scientific-technological explosions, these older signals continue to help advance the human race. For this national exhibition a selection of artist Boris Kudlička’s work covering the last four years is presented. Examination of Kudlička’s work reveals spectacular images of a fragmentation of situations placed into the theatrical space; fragments of reality similar to a cinematographic expression. These images are not strictly bound to text, allowing for additional creativity. Expression created by the selection of materials, stage properties, space, time, movement and light is supported by the employment of modern visual and sound media. These media then further amplify the metaphysical expression created by the design concept and installation. A synthesis of elements is achieved, as is a poetic simplicity. Kudlička has shaped new visions in stage design by utilizing various means of expression. His bold design solutions are themselves a potent signal of a new energy running through contemporary Slovak stagecraft.

The letter of the Greek alphabet used for number nine. The initial letter for words such as: God thespis view theatre thymeli spectacle thauma/miracle theme Thalia, the muse of comedy Nine scenographers representing the new generation of Cypriot stage design allow us to have a look at their work and impress us with their view of theatre, their interpretation of theme, thus creating the hauma/miracle of scenography

The fourth wall – is it a barrier or a looking glass? Through the looking glass we enter into a world of fantasy; our curtains, walls, coulisses – our stage images – do we use them to create our visual themes? Do they reflect our own images? Is our theatre vision and scenography a looking glass, or a safety curtain? What relationships are created between our stage images and our real lives? What is our reality, and are we fulfilling our role as artists in pushing and expanding the borders of art? Can we push our borders towards new forms? Can theatre overcome walls and barriers to establish communication between people?

Twenty years ago Russia’s national thematic display, “Our Chekhov,” was shown at the PQ87. The display was awarded a Gold Medal. When the organisers of PQ07 suggested that the participant countries select the themes of their displays themselves, we decided to return to Chekhov. Of course, in the period from 2003 to 2007 our designers were coming up with interesting scenographic solutions of works of both classical and contemporary playwrights, but Chekhov’s plays still occupy aspecial place on the Russian stage, compatible with that of Shakespeare in Britain. Present-day productions of Chekhov’s plays are dramatically different from those staged two decades ago, as time itself as well as the situation that theatres exist in have been profoundly altered. Thirteen Russian stage designers present their models of stage productions. They include: S. Barkhin, S. Benediktov, D. Borovsky,

S. Zograbian, M. Kitaev, A. Kondratiev, Z. Margolin, A. Orlov, M. Platonov, O. Reznichenko, O. Sheintzis. The display design was projected by Dmitry Krymov, as a lecturer at the Set Design Department of the Russian Academy of Theatre Arts, assisted by 4th year students. At the stage of consideration of the exposition, Dmitry Krymov wrote: “It’s always cold or rainy in Russia, or else it snows. Or there’s a leaking ceiling so something is constantly dripping from it. Or it falls on you. Some fluff, for example. More often it is chunks of plaster. You feel like putting on something water-tight, say, a pair of galoshes, and pick up an umbrella. I remember the days when the Mona Lisa was brought to Moscow: people were queuing to see it for up to 8 hours. They were standing in the rain, and when I saw her, I felt she was so umber or bog-coloured that she appeared like any other Russian woman. Poor thing, she was cold. The fate of all works of art in Russia that can be stupendous at times is they are created under inhuman conditions, and are then drowned or burned, or they crack or fall on the ground to be dragged to the mud. And are recreated again. As a matter of fact it is not Italy, where one can see stones and the sun. It’s dark clouds, pieces of plaster and dampness. It gives you shivers, but in some especially sad but still tender way. In a word, it’s Chekhov”. The display Our Chekhov: Twenty Years Later is dedicated to the memory of David Borovsky. An outstanding artist who had planned to attend this Prague Quadrennial together with his friends in the scenography community. He passed away April 6, 2006 in Bogota, on the eve of the opening of his personal exhibit.

Presenting Singapore’s Straits Chinese, through a fashion show, two talks and a demonstration of a digital library of costumes reflecting the history of Singapore.

Although historical and cultural research is pertinent to a better understanding of the peoples in the South-East Asian region, few studies have been carried out to understand the people’s lifestyles and cultures. Following the successful publication of the book “Costume Through Time: The Singapore Story” in 1993, two members of the editorial committee, Dr. Gwee Yee Hean and Ms Gladys Theng, are interested to convert the materials in the book using modern tools in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for wider access and readership. Hence, in 2004, a pilot project was conceived in the development of a prototype of a digital library containing resources on the Straits Chinese, as described in the “Costume Through Time: The Singapore Story” book. The prototype using the open source Greenstone software has received favourable feedback.

For the past decade, Taiwan has struggled under the brunt of politics and a fluctuating economy. Subsequently, our cultural identity is full of uncertainty. Each artistic project evolves from acontinuous questioning of ourselves. What should we retain of the past? What should we challenge for change? This need to discover answers is always challenging to Taiwanese artists. The artistic environment in Taiwan is severe, with insufficient social resources, so the process of theatre-making is never simple. That is why a certain vitality is required for artists to survive in this environment with such difficulties, a vitality evident in the wildly inventive adaptability of Taiwan’s artists. Any kind of social, cultural and economical dilemma that faces them can be turned into nutrients for creativity. Within this cultural atmosphere, the process of creation contains unpredictable energy. On the Go embodies Taiwan’s energy and the attendant stress of running into those daily dilemmas that Taiwan theatre people often experience. Based on four major aspects – neo-classical, technologically influenced, geographically oriented, and historically based- the images in our exhibition are developed to capture the essence of recent Taiwanese performing art. The fusion of our new era with our heritage can be seen within this theme. We believe that the new era needn’t be coldly modern, nor heritage be strictly welded to tradition. This will differentiate us from the classical Chinese aesthetic, and emphasize more of our own philosophy on the contemporary.

Curatorial Statement Tracey Collins and Sue Gallagher:

BLOW is an interactive installation experience of New Zealand Performance Art and Design. An interdisciplinary approach to performance media; lighting, sound, projection, set, object, costume, sensory, surface, body and space. A world to explore and to contemplate the evolving scenographic processes of innovative New Zealand practitioners of theatre and related media, their ideas, strategies, and performance work. BLOW will parallel a theatrical event as a site of transformation, generation, and cultural memory. It is a place of the mythical, the otherworldly, a light-space, a reflective space for collective imagination. The worlds created are always changing, where one moment is never the same for the audience. BLOW will operate as both an installation and as a performance, a cross sensory experience of art and design. Where artists and designers have explored design as a live and vital event. BLOW is designed as a performing body to transgress the shifting boundaries between visual arts, performing arts, architecture, and design, to ultimately expand our conception of performance. There are many influences on designers making work in NZ, including our unique location and physical isolation. Designers will often work across a number of different design industries and take on a number of different roles with each new project. Many NZ designers have developed a unique interdisciplinary approach to creating performance works that transgress many boundaries, resulting in diverse collaborative projects, creating an ever-evolving performance industry, here in New Zealand. As the curators, we developed a curatorial process where a design framework, structure, and form were created to stimulate adialogue between designers, their processes and strategies for creating performance. We collaborated with designers to create dynamic possibilities for translating their production designs into an interactive installation experience. One of our key objectives in creating BLOW has been to generate new audiences, new discussion and to generate a vitality for the NZ performance designers and theatre communities.

The theatrical designer is like a tightrope walker crossing a thin wire of budget restrictions over a waterfall of multiple events. Often times, the balancing act required to arrive at the end of the rope is difficult, some even say impossible, but some designers are not only able to cross their wire efficiently, but they do so with pirouettes executed with aesthetic beauty and precision. Like the tightrope walker, the objective of the designer is to arrive at the end without losing the harmonic nature of his act. The designer’s added bonus is the ability to do the job with renewed imagination every time. The concept of ‘imagination’ is so yearned for, yet so difficult to define that some have formally called it ‘creativity’ and many others, perhaps too many, have superficially called it ‘fantasy’. However, if we were to ask ourselves what exactly is ‘imagination’, we would say that it is the capacity to establish combinations of images, concepts and feelings without resorting to topical references. We can not forget, however, the aforementioned thin wire that the designer has to cross while maintaining a harmonic balance. The objective of this exhibition is to explore the intricate workings that lie between intrinsically restrictive budget realities and the designer’s imagination. In terms of artistic yield, the formula is mathematical: the show is created by the division of the imaginative contribution by the invested money. The artistic ‘profit’ will be lost if too much money is invested with not enough imagination. The most desirable scenario is a significant investment of imagination with little money, because this way the artistic quality of the show will be infinite. And if there are few notable pirouettes, even better.