Shattered Perceptions
Exhibited as part of the Jai&Jai Gallery's RAW Series 2.0 Exhibition, Shattered Perceptions is a stage design for Igor Stravinsky’s ballet Le Sacre du Printemps, as a vehicle to explore architecture’s ability to manipulate perception using perspective. The project is presented as a series of five drawings illustrating the perspectives and perceptions between the audience, the dancers, the orchestra and the relationships in between.
The design both uses and is inspired by Le Sacre du Printemps due to the relationship between Stravinsky’s music composition and Vaslav Nijinsky’s original choreography. Both elements of the ballet revolutionized their respective fields not by using new methods but rather by reexamining old conventions. The work focuses on the relationship between the two elements, examining the audience and performer’s perception of both elements individually and as a whole.
The design both uses and is inspired by Le Sacre du Printemps due to the relationship between Stravinsky’s music composition and Vaslav Nijinsky’s original choreography. Both elements of the ballet revolutionized their respective fields not by using new methods but rather by reexamining old conventions. The work focuses on the relationship between the two elements, examining the audience and performer’s perception of both elements individually and as a whole.
Here, the relationship between ballet and orchestra is stacked, the dancers on top of the orchestra, both surrounded by a screen of adjustable louvers. Orchestra and dance are clearly separated into two parts for the audience, their perspective of each filtered through the screen. The performers also become isolated from each other. The louvers function as an architectural prism, fragmenting both the visual and acoustic aspects of the performance.
The project focuses on consequences that architectural form on the performance itself. The louvers are non uniform, creating different experiences among the members of the audience depending on their perspective. A person in the front row may hear the music clearly, but glimpse little of the dance, whereas someone in the upper seats may hear little, but have a clear view of the dancing. This allows for a leveling of the viewing experience. No two seats offer a superior experience, instead each seat offers its own unique experience. The stage’s prism multiplies the once singular perspective, offering new perceptions of the ballet.
The project focuses on consequences that architectural form on the performance itself. The louvers are non uniform, creating different experiences among the members of the audience depending on their perspective. A person in the front row may hear the music clearly, but glimpse little of the dance, whereas someone in the upper seats may hear little, but have a clear view of the dancing. This allows for a leveling of the viewing experience. No two seats offer a superior experience, instead each seat offers its own unique experience. The stage’s prism multiplies the once singular perspective, offering new perceptions of the ballet.
Special Thanks to Jai&Jai, F. Myles Scioto, and everyone involved in the RAW series.