Absinthe اسٹیج ڈیزائن by Vivian Lu is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2020 A' Design Award نقرئی انعام in فنونِ اداکاری، اسٹیج، طرز اور مناظر ڈیزائن Competition Category.

چاندیفنونِ اداکاری· 2020

Absinthe اسٹیج ڈیزائن

by Vivian Lu

Client: Vivian Lu Design Studio Limited

A' Design Award نقرئی انعام Winner in فنونِ اداکاری Category

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Colors

The Design

About Absinthe اسٹیج ڈیزائن

ایبسنتھ ایک اسٹیج ڈیزائن ہے جو طبیعیات، مادّے اور نفسیات کے موضوع پر مبنی ایک ڈرامے کے لیے تخلیق کیا گیا۔ یہ سیٹ ایک بیضوی اسٹیج کے گرد تعمیر کیا گیا ہے جو وقت کی نمائندگی کرتا ہے اور اسے ایک کہکشاں یا ایک مسلسل حلقے کے طور پر بھی پڑھا جا سکتا ہے۔ چھینٹوں والے رنگ سے ڈھکے گہرے عکاس پینل ایک وسیع اور پُراسرار کائنات کا تاثر دیتے ہیں۔ ایک خصوصی طور پر تیار کردہ لیزر لائٹ ساؤنڈ ویژولائزر آواز کو دیکھنے کے قابل بناتا ہے، کیونکہ لیزر شعاعیں اداکاروں کی آوازوں کی فریکوئنسی سے مسخ ہوتی ہیں۔ اسٹیج کے ہر زاویے کو جانچا گیا تاکہ فنکار محفوظ طریقے سے چل، دوڑ اور چھلانگ لگا سکیں۔

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award نقرئی انعام

Absinthe اسٹیج ڈیزائن A' Design Award نقرئی انعام کا فاتح ہے، جو دلکش، عالی شان اور متاثر کن اعلیٰ ترین درجے کے ڈیزائنز کو دیا جانے والا غیر معمولی طور پر باوقار اعتراف ہے۔ نقرئی انعام کے فاتحین نہایت درخشاں اور بے حد تخلیقی کام ہیں جو اپنے ڈیزائنرز کی نمایاں مہارت، ہنر اور بصیرت کو ظاہر کرتے ہیں۔ Absinthe اسٹیج ڈیزائن سے توقع کی جاتی ہے کہ وہ ایک شاندار، نمونہ بننے والا کام ہوگا جو قابل ذکر حد تک پیشہ ورانہ اور گہرائی سے جدید ہے۔ A' Design Award نقرئی انعام جیتنے والا یہ ڈیزائن ایک انتہائی قابل توجہ اور سراہی جانے والی ایجاد ہے جو فائدہ پہنچاتی اور فن، سائنس، ڈیزائن اور ٹیکنالوجی کی حدود کو آگے بڑھاتی ہے۔ Absinthe اسٹیج ڈیزائن وہ تخلیق ہے جس پر بے حد رشک کیا جاتا ہے، جو خواہشات کو ابھارتی، مثبت احساسات لاتی اور حیرت اور تحیر کو جنم دیتی ہے۔

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Vivian introduced the technology of laser light sound visualiser to magnify senses in the whole theatrical experiences, and allowed sound to be seen. She custom-made different laser light gadgets and experiments with different materials to find the best one to be used on stage. Every angle of the middle circular stage was carefully designed and the inclusion of technology brought a whole new blend of artistic richness in theatre. The beauty of the design is the limitless interpretation of the set according to their understanding of the play. The oval stage represents time, but can be seen as the milky way, Möbius band etc.
Dimensions & Packaging: Vivian experimented with different forms of custom-made sound laser visualiser to best utilise actors on stage
Tags: Scenography, Stage Design, merging physics and set design
Production Technology: The project required a lot of research and experimentation, especially experimenting with the laser light sound visualizer, making sure the visuals created from different sound frequencies went hand in hand with the general set design. A lot of prior research also had to be done on the subject matter or physics, black holes and relativity, to create a stage that portrayed elements of these subjects, to allow audiences to quickly connect and be immersed into the show as it was a play that discussed quite complex subjects. For the staging and material we chose dark reflective panels to create the effect of this vast yet mysterious universe, also covering it with splattered paint to symbolise the milky galaxy. This and stage received great feedback, and special mentions on review platforms highlighted and praised the stage design and effects, and how it truly immersed people into the story.
Design Challenge: On the initial design part, there are a lot of discussions on how to tactic a complex play, where many deep subjects were discussed and visually portray it all in a manner that guided the audience into the topics and be immersed into the world. Technically during production the curvature of the oval shape had to be very exact, as we wanted to visually make it look really smooth when we detach it to different shapes. The kinds of wheels were also a very big technical challenge as the different points of attaching the wheels made a huge difference on the stage's mobility.
Research: Every angle of the main stage was experimented with consideration of the feasibility on how actor’s move on set. We experimented with different inclination of the set and prior to the performance, we trained actors to walk, run and jump at different angles we have on the circular stage to avoid stage accidents. The whole stage was built with extensive technological difficulties and precision because we had to find the balance of designing it to achieve desired artistic visual but also take intensive examination that structurally it is strong enough withstand immense weight.
Inspiration: Absinthe was a project that has given Vivian a chance to explore potential visuals merging physics and scenography. It was a play that explored topics on physics, matter and psychology. She wanted to experiment with different ways to unearth a new power to enhance audiences sense in the whole theatrical experiences. Vivian wanted to find new ways to capture audience’s imagination and to see how to create different relationship with time.
Project Duration: The show was first showcased in Beijing in 2019 then toured around in Shenzhen and Shanghai in 2020.
Operation Flow: Through the sound vibrations spoken from the actors, laser lights were distorted based on the frequency of spoken sound. The visuals that came out from the actors and actress voice varies drastically due to the pitch of their specific voice.. The actors rehearsed for months with the devices to create a specific imagery to go with the set design.
Team Members: Stage Designer : Vivian Lu
Director : Johnny Tam