On Monday January 27th IFP is hosting a conversation on the topic of scenography in collaboration with the Norwegian theater company Ibsen International.
Architecture and scenography share the common goal of manipulating and transforming the space for specific purposes. They also share a similar condition, split between artistic vocation and technical requirements, aiming to combine the aesthetic with the practical.
Under the constraints of engineering safety and economy of space, bond by the limits of the materials they rely on, both architecture and scenography are primarily expected to perform a task: to be functional and effective. On the other hand, however, they are expected to fulfil other, more elevated functions: to stimulate certain frames of mind; to attract or divert our attention; to make heavy, bulky things look aerial _ and the other way around.
While Philip Johnson's definition of architecture as "the art of how to waste space" can be applied to scenography too (this is all the more evident while touring a performance). The same can be said about Pamela Howard's definition of scenography as being concerned with both reception and engagement, "a sensory as well as an intellectual experience, emotional as well as rational".
In this open conversation between architects and scenographers from China and Europe, we will investigate the points where the two disciplines overlap, exploring the different ways they can inform and inspire each other.
Monday 27 January 4:30 PM @ IFP Studio, Heizhima hutong 13
PARTICIPANTS:
Inger Buresund (Norway) - Artistic Director Ibsen International
Max Gerthel (Sweden) - Architect and Program Director IFP
Dou Hui (China) - Scenographer
Yngvar Julin (Norway) - Architect and Scenographer
Annelie Håkansson (Sweden) - Architect
Gao Guangjian (China) – Scenographer