Scenography

Scenography
A story with and within space
Kristin Nedlich
Stage 4, Dip. Arch
Mackintosh School of Architecture
GSA
1
Table of content
Chapter 1 – Introduction
1.1
Posing the question.................................................................................................p.4
1.2
Methodology
1.2.1 Work method.............................................................................................................p.6
1.2.2 Bibliography..............................................................................................................p.6
1.2.3 Collaboration.............................................................................................................p.6
Chapter 2 – Background material
2.1
Set design, scenography or production design?
2.1.1 History – 2D, 3D, 4D................................................................................................p.7
2.1.2 Purpose – the importance of narrative.....................................................................p.10
2.1.3 Practice – what does a production designer actually do?........................................p.13
2.1.4 Designing for live performance...............................................................................p.14
2.2
A hundred years of Spring
2.2.1 The Rite of Spring...................................................................................................p.17
2.2.2 The rise and fall of the Ballets Russes.....................................................................p.17
2.2.3 Legacy......................................................................................................................p.18
2
Chapter 3 – Work
3.1
Collaborative project
3.1.1 The opening act.......................................................................................................p.19
Chapter 4 – Final discussion
4.1
Analysis
4.1.1 Has the research conducted been relevant in regards to the question asked?.........p.20
4.2
Conclusion..............................................................................................................p.21
Bibliography.............................................................................................................................p.22
Appendix
MONAD – portfolio...........................................................................................................p.24
3
1
Introduction
1.1 – Posing the question
My wish to write about scenography comes from two specific places.
The first is my lifelong love, fascination and obsession with film and theatre. But I don't just watch
films, I absorb them, analyze them, dissect them and try to unveil their underlying logic and power.
This I have done since the first time I ever saw a movie, without anyone telling me to do so. It is
just that my craving and curiosity for these fascinating, wonderful and even sometimes disturbing
imaginary worlds can never be completely satisfied.
This interest has led me to not only explore the finished products, but also to delve deeper in my
efforts to try and sneak a peek “backstage”. When I was in my adolescence I would to do this by
watching the same movie an almost innumerable number of times in order to understand how these
films had been constructed.
The second reason for this essay comes from a comment that was made by one of my teachers in
my previous years of architecture studies. He said: [you should]...study photographer's work and
their use of architectural form very carefully, for they know architecture in a way that you (i.e we,
the students) don't.
So I have chosen to follow this advise, albeit in a slightly more three dimensional direction. If one
carefully study's the environments and places that are used as stage or set in films, they have a very
strong architectural language that enhances the story being played out by the actors. The
architecture and environments that frame the story become crucial to the story being told, and I
would be inclined to say that even the spaces are actors in the story. The story can not come to life
without these magical settings.
So, the question that is starting to transpire here in my introduction will be something like: what can
we (architects) learn from the art of scenography? Or, put in a more formal way:
4
Can the scenographic way of thinking about space, as an actor in the art of telling a story,
inform an architectural practice?
This essay will focus on the philosophical and theoretical issues of design, and not so much about
the practical know-how part of it. That is mainly because I believe that those skills will come quite
naturally as you immerse yourself in the particular field that you are interested in. When you know
what you want to design and why, then you will find a way to make that happen. Even if you are not
the most skilled painter, draftsman or model maker.
If you possess the will, there will be a way.
5
1.2 – Methodology
1.2.1 – Work Method
The essay comprises of two main parts; the first is text based and focuses on my research into
production design as well as architectural theory. It also includes a summary on the ballet the Rite
of Spring, as well as a brief history of the Ballets Russes and the man behind it: Diaghilev.
The second part is a sort of process diary and visual portfolio, recording my participation on an
actual set design project, the centennial celebration of the Rite of Spring. However, the deadline for
that particular project is set about a month and a half after this essay has been handed in, and I will
therefore only give an account of what we have done so far and not its final completion.
1.2.2 – Bibliography
The literature list ranges from a number of books concerning the actual practice of set design, to the
more philosophically oriented that are perhaps more concerned with the inner meaning of spaces
and visual components in cinema, live performance and architecture. I have tried to gather a
selection of books that superficially may look diametrically opposite, but together they form a
whole and complete picture.
1.2.3 – Collaboration
It would feel pointless to research, discuss and think about the specific theories that I here speak of
if it didn't also have a hands-on link to the real world. It is well enough, and very important, to
theorize about architecture and design, but it should at some point be translated into practice in
order to be viable. I think it is vital to let theory be the driving force behind ones work, but it should
be equally true the other way around. Therefore I am very happy to say that this work can be seen
as a collaboration between thinking and doing. I hope that this will be reflected in the second part of
this essay.
6
2
Background Material
2.1 – Set design, scenography or production design?
A rose by any other name, perhaps.
Titles, names and roles shift throughout time as the professions are prone to evolve, cross fertilize
with other disciplines and eventually grow out of their original skins. In this section I will give a
brief account on the evolution in the film industry that has led to what we today know as
scenography.
It is worth noting that the term scenography is not exactly the same as set design. Set design could
be interpreted as to deal specifically with the craft of building up space that is intended to be used as
enclosure for the play. Scenography on the other hand will include more global aspects of the visual
production; from character development to lighting and costumes and the shaping of the actual
space within which the performance will take place.
Scenography describes the visual side of theatre-making, deriving from the Greek
'scenografia' – literally the writing of the stage space, implying the integration of the
designer with the director on the creation of the work on stage. A scenographer is not doing
either sets or costumes but usually creating a total unified vision as well as initiating ideas.
1
And last, but not least, production design is the term mostly used in todays filmmaking industry.
The term signifies an area of expertise in which the designer's concept drives all aspects of the
production. The work will include everything from script editing, location scouting, set, design,
costume, lighting, deciding camera angles, visual identity (such as title graphics, promotional
posters etcetera).
1
Peter Docherty and Lethaby Galleries (London, England), Design for Performance: From Diaghilev to the Pet
Shop Boys (London: Lund Humphries, 1996), 73.
7
2.1.1 – History – 2D, 3D, 4D
With a few years separating them (1895 and 1902), Louis Lùmiere and Georges Méliès might be
chosen to represent the early stages of the two most predominating branches of cinema. Lùmiere
being an avid documentarian and filming actual events without any attempt to dress or distort the
images. Mélies on the other hand built dream worlds completely constructed to exist outside of the
realm of reality. These two directions still exist in todays film industry, and perhaps now even more
than before. Early studio sets were built as early as 1894, when Tomas Edison's company built the
first dedicated film studio in New Jersey. 2
From the early 1900's, film production progressed from being filmed with a static camera in a twodimensional set environment into a three-dimensional set in which the camera could move freely in
all three spatial dimensions.
Thus a three-dimensional model with which the designer created space was becoming the
norm.3
In the early 1900's, German cinema started to develop yet another turn in the evolution of
filmmaking, by mixing footage of real streets with built sets, thus responding to the critique
claiming that cinema was obsessed with decoration and idealization. This marked the break between
the cinematic visual genres of Expressionism and Realism.
When reading essays written by film critics, directors and set designers themselves during the
1920's in Germany, one can see that the basic art of filmmaking is pretty much the same now as it
was then. And that they, who worked within or around the film industry, would consider the world
of movies to be an elusive, illusive art. And included in that is of course the space and the artistic
control over its design.
Awareness of the vitality of space is already growing, and comprehension of the third
dimension is progressing. 4
2
3
4
Jane Barnwell, Production design: architects of the screen (London; New York: Wallflower, 2004).
Ibid., 5.
David Winton Bell Gallery (Brown University), Film Architecture: Set Designs from Metropolis to Blade Runner
(Munich ; New York: Prestel, 1999), 185.
8
Jumping ahead, we find that in the 1970's came yet another turn in cinematic expression with the
road-movies. The appeal and liberty of found locations didn't mean that there was no longer a need
for a production designer. But, it meant that movies could be somewhat liberated from adhering to a
particular visual style of a studio. And movies could finally move out from the studio backlots and
out into the real and unpolished world.
Just because the locations is real, this does not negate the work of the designer – issues
around choice of location, composition and dressing still prevail.
5
Even in documentaries the real world is in some ways manipulated, staged and sometimes even
manufactured in order to emphasize on certain aspects of the story that the director wishes to tell. In
some extreme cases the “real” location isn't even the actual location, but instead something that
looks like it. Also, the camera is in itself a medium that takes physical input such as light and
movement and processes it before rendering it out through yet another filter. This process applies to
filming with analog film stock, as well as digital cameras. Documentaries are of reality, but they can
never truly be reality.
Despite his efforts, even Lars von Trier was forced to admit that his Dogme manifesto '95 needed
revision, in particular when it came to the rule of live sound recording, and that despite his efforts it
could never be as true to reality as he wished it to be. 6
5
6
Barnwell, Production design, p.14.
Lars von Trier, Trier on Von Trier (London: Faber and Faber, 2003).
9
2.1.2 – the importance of narrative
Without a place, space or location to shoot in there is no film. 7
True as this quote may be, one can in avant-garde film or theatre find examples when stage props,
walls and other obvious tools for defining space are deliberately missing, an interesting example of
this is Lars von Trier's film Dogville (2003, Zentropa Entertainments). Doing away with the
classical film set, he places the story on a virtually empty sound stage, and the dressing of the set is
very minimal. The division of spaces are made with chalk marks drawn on the floor, lighting,
simple props and a few furnitures.
The suspenseful atmosphere would be created almost entirely by the interplay between light
and shadow, but he would also make full use of music and effects. 8
What you're experiencing as an audience is the sensation that you are watching a filmed theatre
rehearsal before the set has been completed. And, simple as it may look, it was actually very
technically challenging to rely entirely on the ingenuity and skill of lighting director and the sound
director as well as the actors abilities to act as if they were in a proper built set environment.
Screenshots from Dogville, DVD
7
8
Barnwell, Production design, 2.
Jack Stevenson and British Film Institute, Lars von Trier (London: BFI Pub., 2002), 185.
10
The emptiness, or the lack of spatial enclosures, tells a spatial story in which the films narrative
unfolds. But even he, avant-garde as he is, cannot survive without visual language, and he 'cheats'
one might say by drawing marks on the stage floor to divide the stage into specific territories. What
von Trier actually does is that he is drawing on the audiences capacity to fill in the blanks as well as
their desire to fill the emptiness of the space with meaning.
Place and event, space and mind, are not outside of each other. Mutually defining each
other, they fuse unavoidably into a singular experience; the mind is in the world, and the
world exists through the mind. 9
A successful production designer must be able to climb into the minds of the characters in order to
properly design the set. In relation to architecture, this is something that all architects should do
every time they design anything, be it master planning an urban development or constructing a
shed. Due to the lack of an actual script with carefully thought out characters, events and stories,
this imagined world has to be conjured up by the architect herself.
The architectural brief is in my mind not exactly equivalent to the film or theatre script, but it does
bear some resemblance. It could be seen as the rough draft of the synopsis to a script, which gives
the outlines of intention and content in a film. This leads to the idea that the architect's brief actually
has to be broken down, rewritten and expanded by the architect before proceeding to designing in
order to provide a suitable product for the client.
The designer may be similar to an architect, but their design and build must imbue the
character and feel of the production, and project this message clearly to the audience from
the first frame to the last. 10
We may note that the production designers often utilizes key architectural elements, such as
thickness of walls, window and door openings, color and materiality in order to provide the right
setting for the story. And architects borrow tricks from the set designer, albeit not in such an
apparent manner as the opposite condition, in order to create spaces that evoke something more than
just being shelter from the elements.
9 Juhani Pallasmaa, The Architecture of Image: Existential Space in Cinema (Helsinki: Rakennustieto, 2001), 22.
10 Barnwell, Production design, 23.
11
So, even though set design is not architecture and architecture is not set design they are still linked
together on a physical level as well as an emotive and philosophical one.
Architects, no matter how rational they think they are, inevitably deal in the poetry as well
as the science of space. 11
Interestingly, we also find the idea of architecture and cinema as being two linked forms of
expressing spatial narratives in the work of architect Bernard Tschumi. He investigates the idea that
architecture is formed by events and can therefore be described in similar techniques as is done in
synopsis, storyboards etc.
Can one attempt to make a contribution to architectural discourse by relentlessly stating
that there is no space without event, no architecture without programme? 12
He wished to find a way to describe architecture through events and narratives and reinforcing that
architecture's ultimate function os to provide a space in which bodies (human or non-human) move.
Examples of his work on that subject may be found in The Manhattan Transcripts, and a later
development of that work can be found in The Screenplays.
My starting assumption was that architecture actually begins with movement. 13
11 Colin Davies, Thinking about architecture: an introduction to architectural theory (London: Laurence King
Publishing, 2011), 67.
12 Bernard Tschumi, Questions of space: lectures on architecture (London: Bernard Tschumi and the Architectural
Association, 1995), 88.
13 Enrique Walker and Bernard Tschumi, Tschumi on architecture: conversations with Enrique Walker. (New York,
N.Y.: Monacelli Press, 2006), 027.
12
2.1.2 – Practice – what does a production designer actually do?
In all the books that I've read on this subject try and do their best to summarize in a couple of
sentences what the job actually is about. Here follows two definitions:
Essentially, the production designer assists in bringing the script to life through a range of
technical and creative choices. 14
–
For the purposes of clarity, let's give it an official job description: the production designer
heads the art department, and working with the director, conceives how the film will be
brought to the screen. 15
Ultimately, the best thing one can do to fully grasp the complexities of the work executed by a
production designer, is to read books containing interviews with a variety of designers. From that
type of interviews one can extract certain similarities, as well as great differences, in their
individual processes and point of views. They all come from different backgrounds and some are
very skilled visual artists, while some are more apt in organizing and creating great concepts.
A big part of a production designer's work time will also be spent on managing people and money.
This may sound uninspiring and dull at first glance. But, needless to say, this is a big part in the art
of designing. The practical issues that a designer has to wrestle with in order to make her design
come to life can sometimes seem insurmountable. But, having the ability to create magic within a
restricted framework is what defines creativity and it is that skill which makes a designer truly
worthy of her name.
The importance of research, planning and economizing with resources can not be emphasized
enough, as this is also one of the main responsibilities that the designer has. Of course, we would all
dream of just doing that which is most appealing, i.e dreaming up the fantastic worlds in which the
performance will take place. But, as with all creative professions, reality will have its due.
14 Barnwell, Production design, 2.
15 Fionnuala Halligan, Production Design, FilmCraft 5 (Lewes, UK: Ilex, 2012), 8.
13
In all essence, what a production designer must be really good at, is telling the story, knowing the
characters and how to portray them not only physically, but also psychologically. The how comes
last after the why, who, when and where.
In many aspects the role and creative process of the production designer is very much like that of
the architect; someone who orchestrates a multitude of disciplines in order to create a whole. This,
in turn can be compared to the role of the director. And great examples of directors that are very
visual in their way of working with film production are Ridley Scott (who actually started his career
in the film industry as a production designer) and Tim Burton, who studied character design at
UCLA.
Their work shows a very strong involvement in the visual story of the film and shows not much
evidence of it being handed over to the cinematographer as a separate or specific task which can be
excluded from the production of the story.
Film is a collaborative process and if it's not, it's sort of screwed. A lot of what this does is
prevent it from being an ensemble […] 16
2.1.4 – Designing for live performance
Intuitively, one of course understands that designing for a dance performance is by far a very
different thing than designing for theatre and film. What I want to investigate briefly here is how
different it is, and in what way the designer may adapt the techniques from other types of
performances to fit this particular field.
In Design for Performance – from Diaghilev to the Pet Shop Boys, Peter Williams writes that the
particulars of the performance, such as the movement of the dancers costumes and sets, should be
considered as a whole. (Which may seem important in all disciplines of design, but I think it doesn't
hurt to emphasize it one time too many rather than not.) In a more practical way he continues:
16 Ibid., 27.
14
Before you put pencil or brush to paper, get hold of the score and play it again and
again, absorb it until your body and brain reacts to it in the way you feel is right.
17
Apart from finding the form for the ballet, the designer must also keep in mind that the performance
most likely will travel to theaters all over the world, and therefore it must be able to adapt to various
types of stages.
During a study visit to the Stockholm Royal Opera, I remember the stage master telling us about the
life of a production and the work involved in shipping it and fitting it to the locations. Productions
may be shipped all over the world, and logistically they must be able to adapt to various conditions
or they will not have the desired commercial life that is needed to make money from it. The Royal
Opera is for example one of the few remaining opera houses in the world that still has a leaning
floor (4 degrees). This, of course has a great impact on the performances and performers, but as
well on how the set is to be designed.
Another difficulty regarding ballet design is that sometimes there may be no literal story or
narrative for the designer to adhere to. That leaves the music and choreography to tell a wordless
story, and the design of the space must somehow complement that in an intelligent way.
The importance of knowing exactly where the dancers or actors will be at any given time is really
put in first place when it comes to ballet. And a funny link between design for the ballet and film
comes to mind when reading an interview with the production designer Yohei Taneda, who
designed Kill Bill: vol 1. Concerning the set for the fighting sequence in The House of Blue Leaves
he says:
Once the filming started, this set was going to be destroyed. [..] That was what I needed to
be aware of – the destruction. 18
So, even when making film the designer have to bear in mind how the set reacts to movement. And
she must also know the exact placements and movements of the actors or stunt persons, so as to be
able to design the set in an appropriate and safe way. This is perhaps an odd example, as it may
seem to only apply in films containing extreme action, such as stunts in an action film or dance
17 Docherty and Lethaby Galleries (London, England), Design for Performance, 29.
18 Halligan, Production Design, 172.
15
numbers in musicals. But, it does give us another link between film and ballet design. The
choreographers plan is to some extent similar to the script of a film.
[So] try to get a rough ground plan from the choreographer so that you know where
every dancer is in relation to other dancers […] 19
The model as a working tool is also something that is very important when design for ballet in
particular, since the whole point of a ballet performance is to expand motion into space. The
designer must have an adequate working tool in which she can move figures and sets (to scale, of
course) in order to properly see the visual effect they have when clashing together.
[…] for remember that ballet is inevitably violent movement. 20
19 Docherty and Lethaby Galleries (London, England), Design for Performance, 32.
20 Ibid., 33.
16
2.2 – A hundred years of spring
2.2.1 – The Rite of Spring
The Rite of Spring, or Le Sacre du Printemps as is its original title, is set in pagan Russia. A series
of tribal rituals leads to the choosing of a young virgin girl to be sacrificed. In the end, she dances
herself to death. The ballet was choreographed by Nijinsky and the score was written by Stravinsky.
The audiences reaction is was described by Jean Cocteau:
The audience played the role that it had to play: it instantly rebelled. People talked, booed,
whistle, imitated animal cries.21
Despite its first encounter with the audience, chaotic and disapproving, it was a bearer of new ideas
in the world of music and dance. Since its first premiere it has been reinterpreted by ballet
companies all over the world in some 200 productions.
2.2.2 – The rise and fall of the Ballets Russes
The dance company known as the Ballets Russes had its glory days between 1909 and 1929. The
company was founded and headed by Serge Diaghilev (1872-1929). His famous collaborators
consisted of, amongst many other artists, composers and dancers, Pablo Picasso (painter, artist, set
designer), Léon Bakst (painter, set designer, costume designer), Igor Stravinsky (composer) and
Vaslav Nijinsky (dancer and choreographer). Many of those who worked with the Ballets Russes
productions went on to have great careers, while others faded when they didn't have Diaghilev to
guide their work and hone their abilities.
When reading Alexandre Benois' own account of the events leading up to the decision to export this
young, exciting and fresh Russian ballet to Western Europe it is quite clear how important
Diaghilev was to the creation, survival and high artistic level of the company. Even though Benois
seem to elevate his own contribution and importance within the dance company quite high, he
21 Boris Kochno and Adrienne Foulke, Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes (London: Allen Lane, 1971), 88.
17
doesn't fail to give Diaghilev credit for the success of the company. 22
Interestingly, the ballets were supposedly not the primary performances that Diaghilev first intended
to export. But, for economic reasons as well as the public appreciation for the ballets, they soon
became the primary product.
I suppose one might say that Diaghilev was the executive producer of the show, as he was the
money handler, promoter, and the head authority on any creation by the company. He hired the
artists, dancers and composers and together they would work collaboratively to form the
productions. And, this is what strikes me as perhaps the strongest and most innovative of any of
Diaghilev's talents. He was a talent scout extraordinaire, with an eye for style, taste and modernity.
He also possessed the ability to lead and maintain a creative group, in a time when the division
between disciplines were more rigid than they are now.
The Ballets Russes toured all over Europe and America, bringing russian culture, art and dance into
the cultural circuits outside of the confines of empirical Russia. Due to unfortunate circumstances,
the company never performed in Russia. With Diaghilev's death, the dance company could not
manage to survive financially and was therefore, perhaps fittingly, also laid to rest.
2.2.3 – Legacy
This year the Rite of Spring celebrates a hundred years since its première opening in 1913. This is
being recognized and celebrated all over the world with new interpretations and renditions of the
original ballet.
That not every ballet was a complete success was inevitable given the number of creations
for the Ballets Russes and Diaghilev's constant search for novelty, but most works intrigue
us even a century on. 23
The Ballets Russes had a great impact on the world of art, set design, music, dance and fashion and
traces of that impact are still evident to this day.
22 Kochno and Foulke, Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes.
23 Diaghilev and the Golden Age of the Ballet Russes 1909-1929 (New York, NY: Abrams, 2010), 88.
18
3
Work
3.1 – Collaborative project
To celebrate the centennial of the Rite of Spring, the GSA, RCS and BBC have decided to do a
collaborative production that will be mostly student driven, but with support and supervision of
teachers.
3.1.1 – The opening act
I came in contact with this project through posters that were hanging around the staircase of the
Bourdon Building (the building in which the Mackintosh School of Architecture currently resides).
It started with an open, public presentation in the GFT (Glasgow Film Theatre) main auditorium.
Presented there was the projects outlines and collaborators (BBC, GSA and RCS) A curator from
the V&A museum gave a short lecture on the history of the ballet. I immediately felt that I wanted
to be a part of this exciting project, especially in the part that concerned the set design.
However, there was a problem in the fact that the organizers had only considered third year
architecture students to be eligible for this project. They thought that the higher stages would have
too much school work to do to be able to combine their studies with extra curricular activities.
But, we (myself and my fellow exchange student Mia Modig) managed to convince the school to
allow us to do this if we combined the project with our dissertation. And, me being fanatically
interested in everything that has to do with film, theatre and art of course wanted to take every
opportunity possible to spend my time researching this subject.
The portfolio containing documentation and illustrations from this project can be found in the
appendix.
19
4
Final discussion
4.1 – Analysis
At long last, the end.
In this part of the essay I have chosen to take some time and discuss whether or not I feel that my
work has been relevant to the question that I sought to answer.
4.1.1 – Has the work been relevant to the question asked?
When working with spatial design, one must remember that this is a subject with a number of
different approaches. Be it functionality, logic, technology, aesthetics or something else that
provides the starting point for the design. And when I set out to write this essay I did so because I
have a passion for film as well as architecture.
I will admit that I was at some point not sure if I would prove this research to be of specific, if any,
architectural interest. However, as I have been reading about the works and backgrounds of many
set designers, I have noticed that many either come from an architectural background or at least
have a keen interest in space and, more specifically, spatial design. This would indicate that there is
a dialogue between the two disciplines, and therefore the relationship between them is worth
exploring.
At the end of the day, we all live in and with space and we must never forget the power and the
impact that space has on us. And that we, in turn, exert power over spaces.
20
4.2 – Conclusion
Architecture is the scene where life takes place, and we must set the stage accordingly. By this I do
not mean that all and every space that we experience must be designed. But when we do design, this
concern must be of the greatest importance. When you start viewing spaces as scenes for narratives,
they change before your inner eye, and we read them differently. Personally, I love to imagine what
may or may not yet have happened in the spaces that I come in contact with.
The downside of that is that I find it extremely difficult to create things just for the sake of them
being an object. And, sometimes I get perhaps a bit too carried away, and lose myself in the
alternative world that I seek to create. Maybe that type of vivid imagination can be viewed as a
weakness, but I choose to consider it as a potential strength. And, when I am able to refine it more,
maybe it will even prove to be an asset that others may wish to possess.
This philosophy, thinking of architecture as a carrier of narratives is not new, and I am hoping that it
will not become old. Many of my former teachers are or have been involved in theatre or live
performance, either as actors or as set designers. Maybe that is a small sign of the attraction
between architects and storytelling. For myself, I originally wanted to be a director, but happened to
study architecture. This is not a bad thing, on the contrary I think that I now have an even stronger
vision of what I want my future career to be like.
Many may think that professions should stay within their field and not stray too far from their core,
and that once you have been trained as one thing, you cannot be anything else. That may be true in
certain areas, but seeing as architecture is such a multi-disciplinal discipline to begin with, I would
argue that it is within our very nature, within the very essence of architecture and architects to seek
new skills. I am convinced that he best way to stay fresh, alert and creative is to be curious. And
what better way to feed that curiosity than to stray away from your comfort zone in search of new
experiences?
21
Bibliography
Barnwell, Jane, Production design – architects of the screen,
(London: Wallflower Press, 2004)
Burnett, Kate, Collaborators – UK design for performance SBTD
(London: The Society of British Theatre Design, 2007
Collins, Jane & Nisbet, Andrew, Theatre and performance design. A reader in Scenography,
(London ; New York: Routledge, 2010)
Davis, Tony, Stage Design
(Crans-Près-Cèligny: RotoVision SA, 2001) ISBN 2-88046-506-0
Docherty, Peter and White, Tim, Design for Performance – From Diaghilev to the Pet Shop Boys,
(London: Lund Humphries Publishers, 1996)
Neumann, Dietrich, Film Architecture: Set Designs from Metropolis to Blade Runner
(Munich: Prestel-Verlag, 1996)
Kochno, Boris; Foulke, Adrienne, Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes
(London: Allen Lane The Penguin Press 1971)
Pallasmaa, Juhani, The Architecture of image – existential space in cinema
(Hämeenlinna: Building Information Ltd, 2001)
Pritchard, Jane, Diaghilev and the golden age of the Ballet Russes 1909-1929
(London: V&A Publishing, 2010)
Ruthven Hall, Peter and Burnett, Kate, 2D/3D – Design for theatre and performance
(London: The Society of British Theatre Design, 2002)
Stevenson, Jack, Lars von Trier
(London: BFI Pub., 2002)
22
Trier, Lars, Trier on von Trier
(London: Faber and Faber 2003)
Tschumi, Bernard, Questions of space: lectures on architecture
(London: Bernard Tschumi and the Architectural Association, 1995)
Walker, Enrique and Tschumi, Bernard, Tshcumi on architecture: conversations with Enrique
Walker
(New York, N.Y: Monacelli Press, 2006)
23
www.bbc.co.uk/orchestras/bbcsso
www.rcs.ac.uk/
MONAD
rite of spring
100 years on
18 may 2013
tramway theatre
box office
0845 330 350
£5 concession
£7
24
BRIEF
Here follows an edited and shortened version of the brief that was handed out to the work group at
the beginning of the project.
[You will] work as part of a small team to create a visual identity and video projections for
the set for a production of a new work inspired by The Rite of Spring, composed and
performed by students from the Royal Conservatoire Scotland.
Symphony Orchestra, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS) and Glasgow School of Art
(GSA) are collaborating to present new work inspired by the original performance.
encourages young students and emerging artists to work together with Hubert Essakow
and will be set to music by RCS composers.
The costumes, video projections for the set and visual identity of the production will be the
responsibility of Glasgow School of Art students. The identity that you develop should
as the scope of the project.
In other words, we (the students from GSA) are to produce the set design and graphics for this
project. The performance is to take place in the Tramway, May 18th 2013.
Poster from the original production. Boris
Kochno,
, 61.
Costumes from the original production.
Jane Pritchard, Diaghilev and the golden age of the
, 134.
25
ORGANISATION
we had a head organizer, Mairi Mckenzie, who was in charge of coordinating the task group.
She organized a couple of meetings where all the students from GSA and RCS could meet
and exchange contact information. We were also introduced to the producer, director and
choreographer to get a sense of what their intentions with the project were.
happen, but also huge and complex. The choreographer already had an idea and a rough
outline for the dance. The two composer students had two scores, and the fashion students
ing ourselves too badly.
currently looks like. The diagram has been done by us in an attempt to map out the structure
in a comprehensive chart. This is for us a way of understanding who we need to address
with certain issues concerning the project. The existence of a project manager so far would
appear nothing more than a rumor and it seems that nobody knows for sure if there will be
one appointed in the very end. So far Kim O’Neill has been our main supervisor, and she has
done a tremendous amount of work in trying to clarify things as well as organizing meetings
and coordinating information.
However, the show must go on, and we will keep working on our part of the project regard
the sense that we have to be more disciplined, professional and push through despite confu
sion and chaos.
//Mia & Kristin
Mia Modig
Kristin Nedlich
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ORGANISATION
and visual identity:
PRODUCTION MANAGER?
BUSINESS MANAGER?
MARKETING
BUDGET?
SET RIGGING
MAKEUP
Ailsa Sutcliffe
Alice Rooney
Kate Timney
Kristin Nedlich
Mia Modig
MollyMae Whawell
Nicholas Davis
Rosanna Lee
Steven Andrew Swinney
Zoe pearson
THE TRAMWAY
USHERING
BOX OFFICE
MARKETING
GSA
Co-ordinator:
Mairi MacKenzie/Kim O'Neill
COSTUMES
SET DESIGN & VISUAL
IDENTITY TEAM
SATELITE PROJECT
Co-ordinator:
Sukaina Kubba
RCS
Co-ordinator:
Adam McIlwaine
SUPERVISORS
Kim O’Neill/Steve Rigley
FILMING
Kurosh Kani
LIGHTING
Adam McCall
PROJECTIONS
OPERATOR
BOX OFFICE
PRINTING
MARKETING
COREOGRAPHER
Hubert Essakow
DANCERS
Co-ordinator:
Paul Tyers
COMPOSERS
Jay Cappernauld
& Hugh Holton
BBC
Co-ordinator:
Douglas Templeton?
SCOTTISH SYMPHONY
ORCHESTRA
MARKETING
27
TIMELINE
18.05
04.05
09.0412.04
14.04
24.04 28.04
21.04 25.04
25.09
08.04
05.10
04.04
03.04
08.10
13.03
15.10
15.03
12.03
11.03
08.03
23.10
06.03
04.03
01.03
26.02
25.02
20.02
15.11
18.02
04.12
30.01
25.01
12.12
17.01
15.01
25.09
05.10
08.10
-General introduction of Research Project.
-Rite of Spring, public presentation at GFT.
-Submission of research question.
15.10 -Supervisors announced.
23.10 -Meeting with Robyne Calvert.
15.11 -Submission of synopsis.
04.12
12.12
15.01
17.01
25.01
-Meeting with Robyne Calvert.
-Initial meeting for set design team.
-Meeting, brief for set and visual identity.
-Submission of progress report.
-Group meeting, Facebook group and
blog set up.
30.01 -Group meeting, visit to textiles
department.
18.02 -Meeting at RCS about technical
questions and budget. Adam and
Kurosh introduced to the group.
18.02 -Group meeting.
20.02 -Photo studio workshop, meeting on
holding image.
25.02 -Group meeting, holding image
finalised.
26.02 -Meeting with Robyne Calvert.
01.03 - Visit to the Tramway.
04.03 -Meeting with Hubert, Spiers
Lock Studio.
06.03 -Fashion show.
08.03 - Visit to Spiers lock studio, first half of
choreography done.
11.03
12.03
13.03
- Group meeting, emotional timelines.
15.03
03.04
- Costumes announced.
- Model of the Tramway, done.
- Call for proposals for satelite events
04.04
08.04
- Group meeting, visual Identity.
- Meeting at Skypark to finalise
visual identity, deadline for
submissons satelite projects.
09.04 - Submission Research project.
12.04 - Visual identity to print.
14.04 - Group meeting.
21.04 - Group meeting.
24.04 - Photo studio workshop.
25.04 - Group meeting.
28.04 - Group meeting.
04.05 - Preliminary deadline, projections.
18.05 - Performance Day.
- Cross institutional meeting, Monad
set as project name.
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COSTUMES
Costumes for the performance
have been designed and pro
duced by fashion and textile
students from the GSA fashion
department. They have tried
to work with a similar concept
that the Ballets Russes would
have used. This would typical
ly include embroidery, patterns
and vibrant colors.
29
MAS
K
ING
?
?
ING
K
MAS
View from far left seat
View from centre balcony
30
LIGHTING
PROJECTIONS
PROJECTIONS
LIGHTING
Animation of projections sweeping across the stage, intermixing with the lighting.
31
Model Photos
32
Model Photos
33
Plotting the movement of the
dance and identifying key
scenes
34
35
36
MAIN THEMES
37
INITIAL EXPERIMENTS
Video stills
Posters by Zoe Pearson
38
INITIAL EXPERIMENTS
39
MUSIC “EMOTIONAL TIMELINE”
Jay Cappernauld –First Half 10:25
00.00 - soft, tension, quite, single, lonely, minor lazy dips in
Continous build up of layers
music, some resolving, somber, sad, looming, counting in,
anticipation, someone wandering with the fear of danger, in
the dark looking for light, lost
01.00 - magical, mystery
01.20 - growing duality - something added in
Downwards spiral- maybe a spiral staircase?
01.43 - single note violin, rising and falling
01.53 - each step is weird, looking at hands- are they changing? Feeling of being off/ not right, unease
02.16 - sneaking
02.43 - (dancers doing hip movement) repeating menacing,
hunter sneaking after, flitting light, plucking, unraveling
02.57 - rituals, marching, spells, round and round, chanting
03.47 - (drums) flashes of unfolding, disparate breaking
down, tension like boxes going to fall down
Sporadic and
disparate
Ambigous flitting between
different states
04.07 - repeat of 03.47, unraveling,
scribbling interruptions, flashes of
new reality
04.36 - alignment, destructive, high, tortuered
04.27 - (low bass) dull electric shocks, vibrating
40
MUSIC “EMOTIONAL TIMELINE”
Jay Cappernauld –First Half 10:25
Continous build
up of layers
Sporadic and
disparate
05.09 - ritualconvulsion,climax, build up, beating:
violent/rythm
05.17 - virus/poison working & getting inside
05.25 - cows?, manic speed building up, panicking, “freejazz nightmare”
05.39 - too much noise confusion - knife, sharp piercing noise
Screeching, uncomfortable, offbeats
06.21 - calm, less fullness of music, struggling noises, weak,
sinister, threatening, stumbling around & things are odd
06.50 - broken free like wires pulled off in hospital
06.57 - glitches
07.18 - stopped, torture is over
07.25 - quivering
07.30 - silence, peace, constant, single violin, paralysed,
Violin audible throughout
Calm, slowly subliminally, building into madness
desolation, like everything has died
07.54 - sad, melancholic, resigned, acceptance
08.00 - waking up
08.10 - dejavu, waking up
08.19 - dejavu, things aren’t right, resurfacing anger of chaos
08.45 - realising what has happened, going to find the thing
that is missing, like reaching for phone/contact
09.40 - realize what has happened, ultimate sorrow,
thinking about revenge, acceptance
41
MUSIC “EMOTIONAL TIMELINE”
Collection of notes, regroup, rebirth
Build up intro
Hugh Holton –Second Half 09:46
00.00 - tensions, strings, minor oboe notes, slimy,
inhuman, insects waking up tense and wird, strange
flourishes, suspense, heightening weird growth sad and
stange
00.40 - high altitude, thin air
00.44 - lift in music, something emerging, tumbling and
emerging
01.00 - something being awoken, woozy drunk beast ,
higher and higher pitch, screaming, up stairs
01.17 - upwards, rising. Building, gets a bit sci-fi, squeaks,
floating mountains
02.09 - things being built/ coming together, blurred vision,
foggy, repeating note motif, circular, glitches, violins
03.17 - find things are not as they seem, nervous feeling
03.24 - bends in pitch more often, slidey
03.57 - feeling resolution is starting to come – things are
getting in order
04.09 - building up fear and uncertainty, beast, horror,
realisation
Release in tension
04.23 - everything is normal / is it, joking high spirits,
subdued, less scary, mischievous, cheeky
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MUSIC “EMOTIONAL TIMELINE”
Hugh Holton –Second Half 09:46
04.45 - treading carefully, things are knocking into each
other, creation precariously building, dips, repeated shapes,
more and more different voices tell their story
05.03 - love/ attraction, whimsical, tentative overlying
suspense
05.31 - playful flute
05.41 - nervous threatening / urgent, chase, troll, escalating stillness
05.49 - worry / run speed up
06.12 - grandeur, swans, calm, odd, severely real thing
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03.04
04.04
08.04
14.04
21.04
24.04
25.04
28.04
12.04
09.04
04.05
18.05
Thoughts on MONAD
Whenever I am fortunate enough to work with others, I
feel that I really learn something for a change, and that
it all (project, brief, work, etcetera) makes more sense
when I am engaged in a creative dialogue with others.
So, naturally, I jump at every opportunity to work in
projects which involves people from backgrounds and
disciplines different from my own. Which is why I think
that my participation in this collaborative project has
been of great value to both my essay as well as my own
personal understanding of theories on spatial design.
04.04
08.04
- Group meeting, visual Identity.
- Meeting at Skypark to finalise
visual identity, deadline for
submissons satelite projects.
09.04 - Submission Research project.
12.04 - Visual identity to print.
14.04 - Group meeting.
21.04 - Group meeting.
24.04 - Photo studio workshop.
25.04 - Group meeting.
28.04 - Group meeting.
04.05 - Preliminary deadline, projections.
18.05 - Performance Day.
me from this project is that I have found the path for
my future career, or at least the next step of it. I will try
to make my way into production design and now that
I have a more clear idea of what that means I feel even
more convinced that that is the right way for me to go.
Where the road will eventually lead me, I do not know
and I don’t think I want it to be too determined either.
But I hope that I will always be able to nourish my will
and ability to learn and explore new things. And I hope
that I will always do so in the good company of others
that are as curious and passionate about design as I
am.
44