The relics of the future;
An evidence of our existence before annihilation
This session retropects on my individual creative input within the set design team for CASE-2250: The Aftermath that branched out from a collective research and brainstorming process.
back
Our set design team is consisted of multi-discplinary and multicultural artists who work to contruct one collective vision of our distorted future in the form of an immersive theatre, originating from a site-specific project.
Here I remark the journey that we embarked to realize that vision, the environment which spawned this refreshing strange liveliness. As set designers, we were tasked to make this immersive theatre truly ‘immersive’, through convincing visual representation and sensory artefacts that illuminates dramaturgy; and sustain the false reality we were trying to create.
Our set design team is consisted of multi-discplinary and multicultural artists who work to contruct one collective vision of our distorted future in the form of an immersive theatre, originating from a site-specific project.
Here I remark the journey that we embarked to realize that vision, the environment which spawned this refreshing strange liveliness. As set designers, we were tasked to make this immersive theatre truly ‘immersive’, through convincing visual representation and sensory artefacts that illuminates dramaturgy; and sustain the false reality we were trying to create.
Having a crit after technical run in the Crypt Gallery;
Image taken by Ana Blumenkron
Beginning with a shared vision of the purge of humanity
- Collective research and brainstorming -
The aftermath of humanity has always been a controversial and popular topic, whether outsmarted by artificial intelligence or submit to natural force, time is slowly fragmenting sustainability of mankind. Dramaturgs of CASE-2250: The Aftermath has plotted that the nuclear leakage as a result of political hostility would eventually obliterate humankind.
The Crypt Gallery’s divided rooms allow us set designers to each ‘take a slice’ and work on them both individually and in solidarity, we each focused on one story spawned out of this tragedic consequence, while connecting the dots between these stories which will eventually offer a bigger net on this complicated chain reaction. The Crypt Gallery’s former function, as a historical religious artefact gave us a blunt reason of embedding the narrative of the appearance of the supernatural space-time continuum distorting portal, which leads our explorers (audiences) to a snippet of the future.
We have studied the map together for a long time to curate a walkthrough, where every set designs, costumes and performers deliver a consistent yet compelling and mysterious story.
The Crypt Gallery’s divided rooms allow us set designers to each ‘take a slice’ and work on them both individually and in solidarity, we each focused on one story spawned out of this tragedic consequence, while connecting the dots between these stories which will eventually offer a bigger net on this complicated chain reaction. The Crypt Gallery’s former function, as a historical religious artefact gave us a blunt reason of embedding the narrative of the appearance of the supernatural space-time continuum distorting portal, which leads our explorers (audiences) to a snippet of the future.
We have studied the map together for a long time to curate a walkthrough, where every set designs, costumes and performers deliver a consistent yet compelling and mysterious story.
Our set design group approach began with searching for visual references together. On the left is an extracted moodboard from our white card presentation: We have included artwork/installation inspired by theatrical mutation, decay, abnormal growth, futurism and dystopia.
The selected imagery has worked as a steering wheel in the beginning of visual reference process, and each of the set designers would dive deeper into a specialized part of the narrative embedded in the overall design. We worked closely with dramaturg as the set played a vital role in communicating the dramatised world to audience through the immersive environment, our set’s goal is to design, draft and create space that resembled the consequence of nature outgrowing mankind after nuclear disaster, and the set would work as a new foster home to mutated creatures of this new world; Audience can decide either to enjoy the sensation of being exposed to post-human strangeness, or look for every single evidence and trace left by humanity.
The selected imagery has worked as a steering wheel in the beginning of visual reference process, and each of the set designers would dive deeper into a specialized part of the narrative embedded in the overall design. We worked closely with dramaturg as the set played a vital role in communicating the dramatised world to audience through the immersive environment, our set’s goal is to design, draft and create space that resembled the consequence of nature outgrowing mankind after nuclear disaster, and the set would work as a new foster home to mutated creatures of this new world; Audience can decide either to enjoy the sensation of being exposed to post-human strangeness, or look for every single evidence and trace left by humanity.
Technology coming unto their maker
- Individual research -
21st Century remarked the rapid development and domestication of technological communicative devices, the significant emergence of the automation-dominant era. Mutation and evolution of the new matters in an unforeseeable are indeed exciting, but the focus of my set design lies on ‘where do the electronics go’, as they are no longer demanded in basic human needs and economy, after their eradication. In CASE-2250, neither did humanity nor technology survived, since there were nothing to feed their growth. My approach is to depict technology at its ‘death’s door’, massive cyber-waste-filled scenario where the nature reclaimed dominance.
The key feature of my beginning individual visual research is screens and the structure of a computer hub. There is a certain livelihood coming from the devices, where it almost feel like computers can breathe and there is blood running through the cable.
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Nam June Paik’s TV Garden installation series has taken most of my attention. The co-existence of greenery and screens has inspired me to communicate a new nature-technology relationship through the set design in this project.
The key feature of my beginning individual visual research is screens and the structure of a computer hub. There is a certain livelihood coming from the devices, where it almost feel like computers can breathe and there is blood running through the cable.
Nam June Paik’s TV Garden installation series has taken most of my attention. The co-existence of greenery and screens has inspired me to communicate a new nature-technology relationship through the set design in this project.At Death’s Door
- Designs, drafts & model box -
In my sketches, I outlined a decaying computer hub with solely working screen which played footages of a survivor’s video logs; The components of the electronics were intergrated with the natural element, indicating technology’s recession under the absence of their human host, and slowly the nature repurposed them as nothing but new pots that contain their growth.
I am always fascinated by scenarios where under bleak torment there is still one last strip of will grasping onto the chance of survival; In the context of this particular set design, the main character is although not a person but a dying computer hub somehow powered by a newly-evolved source of energy. The design incoporated my dramatic intepretation of despair from the eradication versus the resilience and stubborness of still life.
I am always fascinated by scenarios where under bleak torment there is still one last strip of will grasping onto the chance of survival; In the context of this particular set design, the main character is although not a person but a dying computer hub somehow powered by a newly-evolved source of energy. The design incoporated my dramatic intepretation of despair from the eradication versus the resilience and stubborness of still life.
The model box shows my imagination in physical form: decaying metallic surfaces, and the tangling power cords which became roots of a new ecology. It resembled the last breathe of human digital communication, a memoir of the last approach to try to reach out to the other part
of the world.
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My groupmate Chris had supplied me with this digital mock-up of the design in my part. Through this process, we initiate the conversation of how much space do audience get to step into around the installation. At first I wanted them to be able to walk around it 360 degree.
Making It
- Material sourcing and process -
The making of this disintegrating computer hub is full of trials and errors: I failed to gather the adaquate materials needed for an artefact in my technical drawing, the organic shapes and textures were easy to imagine but hard to actualize in the studio, with very limited time and budget. Luckily I was offered a lot of feedback and advices in terms of sourcing and managing.
Material used: 3 screens/projector stands, 1 working BUSH TV monitor, 3 dismembered abandoned TV monitor, fake and real foliages, black foam boards, paper mache, acrylic varnish, wire, LED strip, huge ton of recycled electric wires from swap shop, recycle store and laundry wire, gigantic foliages from my home
Material used: 3 screens/projector stands, 1 working BUSH TV monitor, 3 dismembered abandoned TV monitor, fake and real foliages, black foam boards, paper mache, acrylic varnish, wire, LED strip, huge ton of recycled electric wires from swap shop, recycle store and laundry wire, gigantic foliages from my home
The most difficult part was at the beginning of the making, when I tried making the exterior of computers with black foam board I was thinking how that could easily be manipulated into making crazy shapes, and adding tons of texture would cover most of the flaws. When I had a it structured in the beginning, it didn’t feel convincing as a set of immersive environment. This made me reflect on theatrical aesthetic awareness, with the time I’ve had, I could have research more on reachable platforms that can provide me material that saves the time to create something from scratch, and simply would be so much more realistic in order to achieve immersion in the performance.
The whole contruction process took rougly 2 weeks in total, and the first week it was spent mostly experimenting while continuing the sourcing of material listed above. A lot of things that were extremely convenient to get were not in my mind at first, until suggested by groupmates and technicians. I tend to think a lot less flexibly when it comes to realizing an idea to actual object, so from this experience I have learnt to communicate ideas to others in advance for consultation.
The whole contruction process took rougly 2 weeks in total, and the first week it was spent mostly experimenting while continuing the sourcing of material listed above. A lot of things that were extremely convenient to get were not in my mind at first, until suggested by groupmates and technicians. I tend to think a lot less flexibly when it comes to realizing an idea to actual object, so from this experience I have learnt to communicate ideas to others in advance for consultation.
Second week of production become much more efficient once I have the access to the right materials, so in general this process has become a big lesson on the importance of actively reach out for help, platforms and material sourcing, and to keep everything organized and documented.
Moving the set from Platform Theatre workshop to the Crypt Gallery requires security on every part of it, as well as the convenience of reassembling the pieces back together, we have also taken possibility of damages from audience interaction with the set into consideration, so I have made sure the set can be separated into three secure parts that are sturdy enough for the ride and easy enough to be transported into my designated space.
The foliages are withering every day but it also gives a new meaning and some time-based medium to the performance.
At the end, I have to block the empty space next to the hub that might be mistaken as entrances to the behind of the hub because my personal laptop which supplied the footage onto the screen is placed there, and there are loads of extension board in the back that isn’t supposed to be a part of the immersive environment. This experience has allowed me to think more actively from the perspective of the spectator of a show, and understand how to look for the area for improvement in theatre.
Moving the set from Platform Theatre workshop to the Crypt Gallery requires security on every part of it, as well as the convenience of reassembling the pieces back together, we have also taken possibility of damages from audience interaction with the set into consideration, so I have made sure the set can be separated into three secure parts that are sturdy enough for the ride and easy enough to be transported into my designated space.
The foliages are withering every day but it also gives a new meaning and some time-based medium to the performance.
At the end, I have to block the empty space next to the hub that might be mistaken as entrances to the behind of the hub because my personal laptop which supplied the footage onto the screen is placed there, and there are loads of extension board in the back that isn’t supposed to be a part of the immersive environment. This experience has allowed me to think more actively from the perspective of the spectator of a show, and understand how to look for the area for improvement in theatre.
Special thanks to the other set designers, Akane, Esme, Chris, Sara, and the designers for costume, sound, light and dramaturgy; also to PDP technicians Micheal, Mark and teaching assistant Inigo, project manager Salvatore and tutors Kate and Alison.
Survivor Log
- Storyboarding the film -
My storyboard illustrate key events in the survivor’s last days in the Crypt.
The audience would see this film on the one working screen of the computer hub, and watch how the survivor deteriorate into insanity, until he became infested by hopelessness, and eventually claimed over evergrowing parasitic organism.
The audience would see this film on the one working screen of the computer hub, and watch how the survivor deteriorate into insanity, until he became infested by hopelessness, and eventually claimed over evergrowing parasitic organism.
The Anti-Radiation Era
- Graphic designs for dramaturgy -
References:
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To show a hint of livelihood, part of the crypt was transformed into a trashed bunker overtaken by other creatures and mutated substances. Akane and I have designed these labels and printed them out on vinyl stickers as a part of the design of the props, where audience are allowed to pick up and read the hidden details. We have applied a very blunt visual style, considered that in a time of such tragedy there should be no time for fancy graphic designs, just functional yet incorporate a bit of capitalism (colourful palette, attractive imagery, branding) in it.
In the Crypt Gallery
- Final outcome -
- Final outcome -
From Site-specific to CASE-2250: The Aftermath, it has been a wonderful journey overall, I would totally want to participate in similar experience again. I have always been interested in being a maker of an immersive theatre myself, and it is so much more complexed than I knew, but also as achievable as I imagined. The mode of working, as individual creative practitioner and as a part of a collective, both require strong faith and consistency in our creative visions. My groupmate’s collaborative ethics played a vital role in assuring my ethos and motivation throughout this project, and to me the takeaway is they have provided a model for me to act like in future collaborative projects, depending on the needs of the partners. I’m determined to become both more emotionally and physically supportive towards my collaborators, to achieve a collective vision.
Through this cross-year project, I had the chance to meet people from a year below, and this is a great experience to meet unfamiliar people with similar mindset.
The hectic process of sourcing material was a nightmare at the beginning, I was both mentally and physically exhausted from not being able to afford the routes, price and time of many options, and the peer pressure also made me felt left behind at the beginning. I am still in the process of trying to cope with this kind of mentality, and the continue collaborative and individual creative practice is helping me in becoming more aware of the roles we shared in an artistic environment. The new knowledge of how to plan ahead and manage time wisely will definitely be helpful in my future projects, and being more organized will let me focus on developing a collaborative mindset, instead of a competitive one.
I also think the project in general is very successful where the specialization and distribution of work, led by student, was done really nicely. Everyone had a position they are strong and comfortable in, but also un underlying challenging one. For instance, I am complacent in the graphic design, but the heavy spacial design for the set was definitely a big challenge this time, and I have given all I have gotten.
This project gave me insights on my future game designing practice, in terms of narratives, dramaturgy and possiblity of playable experience. The collaboration also prepared me into what this industry would required - being a team player, knowing everyone’s strength and how to make up for each others’ flaws. I am very excited for the future.
Through this cross-year project, I had the chance to meet people from a year below, and this is a great experience to meet unfamiliar people with similar mindset.
The hectic process of sourcing material was a nightmare at the beginning, I was both mentally and physically exhausted from not being able to afford the routes, price and time of many options, and the peer pressure also made me felt left behind at the beginning. I am still in the process of trying to cope with this kind of mentality, and the continue collaborative and individual creative practice is helping me in becoming more aware of the roles we shared in an artistic environment. The new knowledge of how to plan ahead and manage time wisely will definitely be helpful in my future projects, and being more organized will let me focus on developing a collaborative mindset, instead of a competitive one.
I also think the project in general is very successful where the specialization and distribution of work, led by student, was done really nicely. Everyone had a position they are strong and comfortable in, but also un underlying challenging one. For instance, I am complacent in the graphic design, but the heavy spacial design for the set was definitely a big challenge this time, and I have given all I have gotten.
This project gave me insights on my future game designing practice, in terms of narratives, dramaturgy and possiblity of playable experience. The collaboration also prepared me into what this industry would required - being a team player, knowing everyone’s strength and how to make up for each others’ flaws. I am very excited for the future.