June 16–26, 2011
Prague, Czech Republic
The Prague Quadrennial, the world’s largest performance design event held once every four years in Prague, includes an extensive series of discussions, presentations, talks, etc., covering these major disciplines: sound, lighting, costume design, and scenography.
Some of the top performance designers working with opera, drama, performance, concerts, and film, including Mark Friedberg (USA, creator of spaces for the films of Ang Lee and Jim Jarmusch,), Małgorzata Szczęśniak (PL, scenographer regularly collaborating with Krzysztof Warlikowski), Es Devlin (UK, award winning designer working at the Metropolitan Opera, and for Lady Gaga and the Pet Shop Boys), Miroslaw Balka (PL, visual artist), will discuss the role and impact of the scenographer in contemporary performing arts.
Scenography and Expanding Scenography Talks will raise some of the core questions connected to technological, social, and political aspects of the contemporary staging of space—thanks to discussions with, for instance, Alan Read (UK, author of Theatre, Intimacy & Engagement: The Last Human Venue), Chris Baugh (UK, winner of a New York Drama Critics Tony Award for The Borstal Boy), Romeo Castellucci (IT, founder of the Socìetas Raffaello Sanzio), Kirsten Dehlholm (DK, artistic director of Hotel Pro Forma), and Guy Coolen (BE, artistic director of the Muziektheater Transparant).
The Architecture Section will re-think the potential of theatre architecture and will question: “Why is a Theatre?” with Arata Isozaki (JP, architect, ); “What is a Theatre?” with Marvin Carlson (US, author of Theories of the Theatre); “Where is a Theatre?” with Richard Sennet (US, Centennial Professor of Sociology at the London School of Economics); “When is a Theatre?” with Charles Renfro (US, architect from the Diller Scofidio + Renfro architecture firm).
Light and Sound Talks are questioning new artistic strategies of creating spatial sound environments in performance – discussions with Tod Machover (US, innovator in the application of technology in music), Scanner (conceptual artist collaborating with Radiohead and Douglas Gordon), Hans Peter Kuhn (DE, sound artist collaborating with Luc Bondy and Robert Wilson). The talks also look at lighting design strategies of creation of spatial relations within performance, confronting ideas with Felice Ross (IL, lighting designer collaborating with the Israel Opera and Krzysztof Warlikowski), Olaf Winter (DE, Technical Director of the Playhouse and Opera Frankfurt,), Francisco Aleu Riera (SP, well known for his work for La Fura dels Baus). Costume Talks will explore costume design with, among others, Caroline Evans (UK, Professor of Fashion History and Theory at the University of the Arts London) and Pat Oleszko (US, artist working with the Museum of Modern Art).
What is the Prague Quadrennial?
The 12th edition of the Prague Quadrennial will present a record number of 62 participating countries to the traditional competitive world exhibition of performance design and architecture. Coming to Prague will offer much more: visitors will discover a unique outdoor performing exhibition, Intersection: Intimacy & Spectacle, presenting thirty internationally acclaimed artists, including Anna Viebrock, Ilya and Emilia Kabakov, Nathaniel Mellors, and Josef Nadj. Additionally, a large number of projects will take place in public spaces throughout the city—a unique occasion to discover Prague through the eyes of the world’s contemporary artists. Visitors will also be able to explore various disciplines essential to the performing arts thanks to projects focused on lighting and sound design, architecture, and costumes. Over 40,000 visitors from all over the world are expected to attend, making Prague the center of the performance world for those very special 11 days, from June 16–26, 2011.
The Prague Quadrennial is organized and funded by the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic and realized by Arts and Theatre Institute.
With the support of the Culture Program of the European Union.
