5. December 2017
Photo: Screenshot
As part of the 2017 World Architecture Festival in Berlin last month, PLANE—SITE hosted a panel discussion, "The Scenography of Space," on the subject of concert halls. Short films by PLANE—SITE sparked conversations among the panel of designers.
The discussion moderated by PLANE—SITE's Andrés Ramirez took place on the afternoon of day one, coming after a lunchtime lecture by Francis Kéré and a morning keynote by Rafael Viñoly. Even though Viñoly sharply departed from the subject with his meandering talk on the crises of the architectural profession, these and other lectures or panels were geared around the broad theme for WAF 2017: Performance. Panelists in "The Scenography of Space" included Michel Cova, Scenographer at Ducks Scéno; Jacob Kurek, Architect at Henning Larsen Architects; and Tateo Nakajima, Acoustics and Theatre Designer at ARUP.
For "The Scenography of Space," Ramirez and his crew at PLANE—SITE visited a trio of performance halls (Harpa in Reykjavik, Wroclaw’s National Forum of Music, and the Philharmonie de Paris) to depict the buildings in their contexts, provide peeks inside the halls, and speak with the people behind their designs and programming. The short films were shown during the panel to provide context and starting points for questions from Ramirez: How are world-class acoustics maintained when faced with the varied mixed-use programs of contemporary music venues? How can the public be encouraged to cross the threshold — from exterior to interior — without diminishing the creative works within? Can thoughtful and high-quality scenography play a role in a city’s social or educational evolution? Some of those responses are hinted at in the videos below.
According to a press release from the filmmakers, "The Scenography of Space is an ongoing project that PLANE—SITE will continue to develop alongside designers and stakeholders," so look for more related videos in the future.
Introduction:
The Expression of Sound:
The Threshold Experience:
Performance in the City: