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1983 » The Netherlands » Scénická a kostýmní tvorba národní expozice
| Curator: | Rudy Engelander |
Holandsko
We thought it would be a good idea for the Prague Quadrennial 1983 to show an aspect of Dutch scenography which may be of interest to other theatre people. We have not aimed at presenting a cross-section of the work done by all the designers involved in Dutch theatre, nor have we aimed at presenting the most impressive, the best, or the most lavish examples; but we think the designs we have selected for exhibition during the Prague Quadrennial contain elements which may stimulate and inspire others, or which may be of particular interest on the level of practical realization. TALLER AMSTERDAM is the name of a group which originated in Uruguay; it is now based in Amsterdam, and is made up of around twenty artists of several nationalities. TALLER have performed regularly from 1971 on, with productions that explore the relation between time and space. The group have often performed outside Holland, e. g. at the Theatre of Nations in Caracas (1978), at the Centre Pompidou in Paris (1979), and at the Festival ďAutomne, also in Paris (1982). Our intention here is in the first place to display the structure of the set of their production Transparent City. In the style of the evoked images there are some reminiscences of the German Bauhaus before 1930: the use of light, metal tubes, transparent materials, the specific use of space and the stylized movements of the players. We have tried to give the visitor to the Prague Quadrennial an impression of the way the structure functions within the piece. ONK THEATER OVERAL (ONK THEATRE EVERYWHERE), based in Amsterdam, is also characterized by a constructivist set, the so-called Onk Hotel, a very odd-looking hotel which you can see straight through. It is a piece of fantastic architecture without Windows, doors, floors or walls, populated by mysterious figures. ONK THEATER OVERAL often gives its mime-based performances in the open air. The show starts out from an absolute minimum, that is, the players and their direct, everyday, surroundings. The group was formed in 1978 at the instigation of Will Spoor, to whom mime is an autonomous art which is in no way subservient to other disciplines and which stands on an equal footing with other art forms. The group has passed through several stages of development: at present, for instance, the characters are no longer symbols or prototypes, but individual creations of the moment. Their actions do not intend to portray anything that could not have taken place there anyway. For both groups the spoken word does not serve a primary function: there is no language barrier. What they have in common, and the reason for their joint participation in the Prague Quadrennial 1983, lies in the structure of the performing space and in the movements they enact within it. Both groups belong to the highly varied tableau of the Dutch theatre.
Architects of the exibition: Taller Amsterodam / Onk Theater Overal
