Films presenting a dialogue between architecture and live art
The Performance Space Exhibition presents a wide range of approaches to theater architecture,
including found and reshaped spaces, large national projects, and temporary outdoor structures.
Projects from this last group are often located in remote or difficult-to-reach places where the
performance space is not necessarily created by the architect. “The exhibition is envisioned as a
symbolic fleet of trucks that have come together with their audiovisual cargo from literally all over the
world. Stylized into small screening rooms, the various trucks give audiences a chance to peer into the
lively world of theater, theater architecture, and scenography, which is – or should be – constantly in
motion,” explains PQ’s artistic director Markéta Fantová. Each short film presents one project through
a dialogue between artists and creators. For a closer look, visitors will have the chance to view
selected videos online from the comfort of their home. The exhibition design is by Matěj Činčera and
Jan Kloss from the OKOLO studio.
The four winning projects will be awarded during PQ 2019
The four winning performance spaces chosen by a jury of experts – Andrew Filmer, Dorita Hannah,
and Monica Raya – will be presented at 7pm on Monday 10 June in Křižík Pavilion E.
Theatre in the Wild (design: Hour25 Production) is a project for a sustainable festival that does not
disturb the character of the surrounding landscape and that makes sensitive use of the genius loci. It
was first realized on an abandoned field in the Hong Kong village of Ping Che. The decline of farming
and the impending relocation of the villagers because of development plans were reflected in the
festival’s rural setting, which contrasted with the skyscrapers of Hong Kong in the background. The
project’s central question is the impact that the location has on the artistic event and vice versa.
DOX+ multifunctional hall (design: Petr Hájek architekti) was created during the most recent
expansion of the DOX Centre for Contemporary Art in Prague. The hall’s acoustic and spatial
variability opens up new possibilities for multi-genre dramaturgy, with an emphasis on the
development of new performance forms. Both buildings are linked in terms of programming and
operations, thus creating a complex without equal in the Czech Republic. In 2018, DOX+ was
nominated for the European architecture prize, the Mies van der Rohe Award.
Levitating Theatre (design: UNISM Studio) explores artistic expression not only visually but also
through the taste buds. The project’s architect has succeeded in combining the art of the
scenographer with that of a chef by seating the audience around a dining table that simultaneously
acts as a stage. From this vantage point, the viewers watch how everything comes together in a
unique performance.
Soundforms (design: Flanagan Lawrence) is a mobile acoustic building in the shape of a sea shell,
built with the aim of bringing the qualities of a concert hall to an outdoor stage. The shell has been
installed at, among other places, the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, and today it is permanently
located at Bayfront Performance Park in San Diego, California, where it is used by the San Diego
Symphony.
