Creative Textile Set Designs on the Way to Taiwan

The fourth edition of World Stage Design takes place from 1 to 9 July 2017. After Toronto (2005), Seoul (2009) and Cardiff (2013), Taipei will be the next host city. Every professional set designer can turn in his projects for this “Olympiad of Scenography”. A professional jury will then choose the 100 best entries that will be shown at the quadrennial in Taipei.

WSD 2017

ShowTex is often surprised by the creative way in which some of the designers make use of our materials. As a pioneer in stage applications of all kinds of fabrics, foils and screens, we draw much inspiration from these creations. Therefore, we encouraged our customers to register for the WSD exhibition and we also financed their registration.

This way, we hope that the international theatre community will get to see their designs and that designers from all over the world can discover how creative you can be with textile and related materials. We primarily emphasised creativity or how you can also achieve great results with a limited budget.

As many as two of our entries made it to the finals and will compete for the title of best set design of the world in Taiwan.

‘Terra’ by The Print Room Dance Company

Design: Sofie Lachaert & Luc d’Hanis

The Print Room Dance Company commissioned the Belgian duo of visual artists Sofie Lachaert and Luc d'Hanis to design a theatrical set in AluShape Cretonne for “Terra”, a choreography by Hubert Essakow. The result is an attractive, powerful and suggestive set that perfectly stands out in the magnificent theatre “The Coronet” in London.

The entire set looks very fragile as if it could collapse at any time. The setting made of AluShape Cretonne suggests a volcanic eruption such as the one at Pompei that covers everything and everyone with a thick layer of dust. Several pieces of furniture are scattered around, half-covered in rubble: chairs in various stages of decay, a wardrobe, a mirror, an old pendulum clock. The image underlines the idea of mortality and the fleeting existence of ourselves and our possessions.

Essakow’s choreography was produced in this setting. This means that the dancers are always interacting with the set and moving between, in or on the different set pieces.

The designers opted for AluShape to create natural backdrops, stage scenery and props in a fast and easy way. This unique 3D tissue is surprisingly lightweight, but can support most set pieces without any reinforcement or supporting structure.

‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ by Tallinn City Theatre

Design: Mae Kivilo, Raul Kalvo, Kadarik Tüür Architects

The Tallinn City Theatre staged a lighter-hearted and modern adaptation of Shakespeare’s legendary play. The director Jaanus Rohumaa sets the events of this play in the year 2016, which was also made clear by the setting, the costumes and the music.

The story takes place in a black box in which the meaning and function of physical objects change during the show. The designers eliminated all decorations and narrative elements in order to only show the purely functional and fundamental shapes.

Since the physical objects have completely lost their significance, it is up to the actors to take care of this aspect. In this context, the same rope construction made of Spaghetti Budget in the beginning suggests a forest that later on changes into a modern chandelier. Stacks of boxes symbolise hills or seats in an auditorium. Together with the actors who give significance to the physical environment, the audience can wander about and come up with their own interpretation of the different objects.

The international jury chose 180 designs from the 660 submissions for the WSD exhibition that takes place from 1 to 9 July in Taipei. On 5 July, we will know which entry will capture the title of best set design of the world.

Therefore, we wish the designers of “Terra” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” every success with their submission!

All info on www.wsd2017.com