2015 » Canada » Section of Countries and Regions

Curator:	Patrick Du Wors
Designer / Architect of exhibition:	Patrick Du Wors
Institution:	Associated Designers of Canada

Canada PQ'15 - Shared [private] Space

The Canada PQ'15 exhibition concept is a quintessentially human experience: the outhouse. Ten outhouses will be installed within a baroque-period ballroom at the Clam-Gallas Palace. Each outhouse, showcasing a single production, will become a private theater for an individual viewer. The act of juxtaposing the rough outhouses within the highly finished room aims to provoke curiosity and comment with humor on the political position of the theater designers and their work in Canada.

The architecture of the outhouse is also a reflection on Canadian identity. ‘Garrison mentality’ is an idea first proposed by prominent scholar Northrop Fry and further elaborated by the author Margaret Atwood as a deep and unrelenting fear of the emptiness of the Canadian landscape. The Canadian psyche is one where walls are built – both physical and psychological - to isolate and protect the individual. The outhouse is a unique form of shelter and is, in a sense, a garrison built for a single person; at once a source of shelter and of isolation. The theater, however, as a shared space – ‘the last human venue’ – is celebrated most often for bringing people together. But by shifting the context of scenography from its traditional public setting to the supremely private confines of an outhouse, this installation seeks to explore scenography in the context of the last private human venue.

Selected Designs

A jury made up of prominent Canadian designers Astrid Janson, Teresa Przybylski and Allan Stichbury selected the work for the PQ'15 presentation. The Jury’s choice was largely based on innovation: looking forward to the future of Canadian theater and designs that really mirror the Prague Quadrennial’s vision of celebrating “the Designer in the heart of the scene”. The Jury has selected nine projects representing the breadth of scenographic work across the design disciplines of set, costume, lighting, sound and projection design. Their selection highlights the incredible range of styles and practices. The jury has also chosen to celebrate excellence and theatricality in a broad range of scales, from major festival stages to fringe-style productions, and to be inclusive of artists at all stages of their careers.

April Viczko - President, ADC, Sheila Sky - Executive Director, ADC, Phillip Silver - Past President, ADC, Planning Committee: Patrick Du Wors, David Fraser, Snezana Pesic, Karyn McCallum, Troy Hourie, Wade Staples, Nick Blais