American/Lithuanian director Yana Ross invited me to create set and costume design for the modern adaptation of the classical play "Wild Duck" by Henrik Ibsen. The performance premiered in Den Nasjonale Scene in Bergen, Norway, - the venue where Ibsen himself staged the play for the very first time in 1885.
Led by Yana Ross' choice, the main female character, the believer in wild duck and magic, was performed by Anne Sofie Kvalvik, a young woman with Down syndrome. Performance contemplates the conflict between humankind and nature, natural and supernatural, in-depth questions society's moral and ethical values.
My role
Art direction
Set design
Costume design
Character design
Credits
Director: Yana Ross
Venue: Den Nasjonale Scene
Sound design: Jonas Redig
Light design: Ola Bråten
Video design: Algridas Gradauskas
Script: Morten Kjerstad
About
Following the author's given original remarks director asked me to create two different spaces: the hidden attic /mysterious hunters workshop and the photo studio room, which served as the main performance space.
We've got cameras installed in the attic space and live video was broadcasted directly to the stage, becoming an integral visual element as well as a performative and dramaturgical concept.
Trailer
-In H. Ibisen's original work the attic is described as a mysterious, hidden, and mythical space. However, the director decided to shed the light on the myth and reveal the attic for the audience in a very literal manner: the public was invited to enter the theater building through the back door, follow the corridor labyrinths, pass the ''attic'' space and walk through the stage to get to their seats.
Therefore, one of the main tasks in designing the space for the attic was not only to make it ready for the camera eye but also to treat the space as an installation, where a strong disturbing atmosphere should be felt and every single object could be explored from the close distance.
Combining the performative narrative of the space (old hunter's workshop) together with the intention to create a strong and slightly perturbating atmosphere, I have decided to fill the space with fully or halfways taxidermied animals, craftsman's tools, bones, horns, feathers, and fur.
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To enhance the contrast between the two spaces I chose the minimalistic approach to the main stage design. The largest though least visible set element was the wide black infinity curve. It turned the abstract black box space into a photo studio, which was then highlighted with bright costume colors and several furniture items from different decades and styles.
The infinity curve served as a projection screen, blurring the lines between theater and film media. What was happening in the backstage turned into the attic, was boradcasted live to the stage.
The performance peaks and ends with horrific revenge - an allegoric mass shooting scene, committed by Hedvik. They all, however, come back for applause with a single twist of Hedvig's magic wand.