Pq

Considering Sustainble Design @ PQ 2011

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Historically, the Prague Quadrennial has been an international exhibition of scenography (stage design), where countries come together to display the best of their theater work and the spirit of their design methodologies. It’s a mass of gatherings. It’s discussions and performances and lectures and guerilla moments in the streets (is that a performance or a conversation? Is she injured or just creating an interesting shape? Is that a flamboyant dress or a costume?). It’s also Scenofest, the educational arm of the Quadrennial, featuring a series of workshops and organized talks.

At DAMU, the Czech Academy of Dramatic Arts, CSPA Executive Director Ian Garrett gathered with Nick Moran of the Central School of Speech & Drama and myself to discuss sustainability in design on a panel led by William Mackwood of York University (best known for hosting the Staging Sustainability conference earlier this year). While no one walked in with a paper dress or noisemaking speakers, some fascinating discourse ensued regarding the nature of performance.

Ian Garrett started off with a powerpoint overview of green practices in the arts. He’s extensively acquainted with the overall carbon impact of the average theater production: length of run, power consumption, material. In the years that he’s been building the CSPA, he’s also been gathering a mass of information on the complexity of the arts’ environmental impact. Garrett brings into the discussion issue of audience transportation (a huge factor in carbon footprint) vs. the potential impact of audiences if they had just stayed at home that night. He also discussed the work of groups like Mo’olelo Performing Arts Company and the Broadway Green Alliance.

Following him was Nick Moran, who focused on the resources on the site Julie’s Bicycle and the need within the green movement to make changes on a small (and totally unsexy) level, like type of toilet paper, while continuously pressing for systematic change in arts production culture. He discussed everything from tungsten lamps to fuel cells from the standpoint of a lighting designer who fiercely believes in sustainability.

I stepped up and discussed my obsession of the past several years—ecologically restorative art, including works from Xavier Cortada and Mierle Ukeles, and some of my own work.

Then Mackwood wrapped up presentations with examples of his current work and research at York and Out of the Box Productions, including a greening of “Opera Erotique,” which used all-LED lighting. He discussed design qualities unique to the famously energy-efficient lighting, including cut-lines on dancers, strobe capabilities, and the ability to fit an entire lighting rig in the trunk of a car. What followed was an interesting and brief discussion of LED design. Nick Moran brought up the fact that, unlike tungsten, LED color properties don’t change as they fade. “Imagine that you’re in a world where, for the first time, your lights change color as they fade out. WHAT?! What have you done? Change it!”

In the roundtable following, balance was a key issue in discussion: between medium and message, between creative and financial needs, between work and decompression.“You’ve gotta make good work, otherwise there’s no point: worthy, dull, theatre does not change anyone’s mind,” said Moran. The audience was a point of debate. Are we trying to change their minds, or just give them more sustainable spectacle? Are we trying to address the needs of their transportation, or just present eco-theater? In a field of limited resources it’s all about priorities, and needs are complex. As performances exploded all over the streets of Prague, a very grounding discourse took place at DAMU. Like every conversation about sustainability, it leads to more questions, more conversations, and a grab-bag of actionable items. Regardless, it’s refreshing to be in a room with sharp minds that are focused on this issue, and there is potential for a wider impact at the next PQ.

We’ve got a new video to support the CSPA’s PQ Convergence on Waste and Reuse, can you support us?

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[iframe http://player.vimeo.com/video/23782360?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0 500 375]

The campaign lives here:

http://www.indiegogo.com/CSPA-Prague-Convergence-Reduce-Waste-at-the-Prague-Quadrennial

We are looking for $4,000 in additional funding to supplement travel for our team, and to provide resources and tools for distributing materials and documenting this project.

We promise to give you what we get: INFORMATION! We’ll be documenting this project, and will gladly share our findings with you. Other perks include copies of the CSPA Quarterly, a publication dedicated to sustainable practices in all creative areas, CSPA membership, and special tokens from the PQ!

The 2011 Prague Quadrennial will take place in a new space – the Veletržní Palace

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Time and place – these two variables have been set for the next Prague Quadrennial (PQ), the largest international event dedicated to stage design, performance, and space. The 12th PQ will take place in the Veletržní Palace (the building of the Czech National Gallery) from June 16th to June 26th, 2011. The Veletržní Palace is only a few hundred meters away from PQ’s previous location, the Industrial Palace within the Prague Exhibition Grounds. In 2011, the functionalist building of the Veletržní Palace become the center of the PQ as it hosts the two main sections – the Section of Countries and Regions and the Student Section. Aside from the expositions, which will be spread on among several floors of the building, there will be a number of lectures and classes, as well as many other events. In addition, the artists will also visit the city center, as many shows, exhibitions, and performances will take place directly in the streets of Prague, on the piazzetta of the National Theatre, or in the building of the Theatre Academy.

”As for the Prague Quadrennial in 2007, there were almost 30,000 visitors and more than 5,000 professionals and students from all over the world. One of our aims for the upcoming PQ therefore was to look for a new place, which would not only correspond to the growing interest of the public, but would also be an important source of impulse for the PQ itself. The connection with the National Gallery offers new context for the Prague Quadrennial, which presents scenography as an artistic discipline between visual and performing arts,“ says Sodja Lotker, the PQ Artistic Director .

The main objective of the PQ is to draw attention to current works of scenographers and architects to the broader public. Apart from the professional aspect, the PQ’s organizers are planning to introduce a number of events meant for the general public and kids. At this moment there are 57 countries signed up to participate in the next PQ. There are a number of traditional PQ participating countries registered, such as the USA, Germany, and Norway, but also countries like India and Kazakhstan. For more detailed information, please go to www.pq.cz/en.

Preparations for the next Prague Quadrennial are already in full swing. Great attention, however, has turned to the new PQ project, the Intersection. It is a unique project combining workshops, symposia, and last but not least, the artistic event itself. The Intersection is clearly the most extensive project of its kind, connecting various fields and genres of contemporary art, related to performance and performance design – theatre itself, dance, art installations, video art, performance, body art, fashion, new media, architecture, and site-specific pieces, among others. As a result of several years of effort, there will be a performance/installation in the Prague city center, where people will be able to see performances throughout the day, or where one can see installations or video art. The importance of this project is not only marked by the participation of 8 other important institutions as Victoria and Albert Museum or Kretakör Theatre Company, but also the fact that the project was awarded the Culture Grant of the European Union, where it succeeded among 296 applications. The first part of the project – the international theoretical symposia took place in Autumn 2009 in Amsterdam and Zurich.

The quintessential element of the PQ program, however, will traditionally be connected to the Section of Countries and Regions. Individual country’s concepts will represent all current stage design directions: the stage, costume, lighting and sound design, etc. and their mutual connections. As in previous years, plenty of space will be also dedicated to the Student Section. Aside from the expositions of particular art schools from around the world, this section will also host the Scenofest – an educational project based in workshops and site-specific performances. The question, “what is a theatre now?” will be the main topic of the Architecture Section, which will mainly focus on the diversity of forms of theatre space in the 21st century. This section will not only take spectators from the theatre building to site-specific spaces and all the way to virtual space, also it will also create dialog among architecture, scenography, and contemporary performance.

The three main competitive sections of the Prague Quadrennial, where participating countries and artists may win the main prize, the Golden Triga, as well as other awards, will be accompanied by several programs meant to address the broadest international public. There will be a new project concerning costumes, a sound and light project, and the traditional PQ for Children project, which will take place directly in the streets of Prague.

The Veletržní Palace is one of the most important functionalist buildings in Prague. Built by Josef Fuchs and Oldřich Tyl, the building was completed in 1928 and was, in its time, highly praised for its size, modern concept, and unusual façade. The six floors of the building served its original purpose until 1939 when it began to be used for many different purposes. Destroyed by fire in 1974, the building was reconstructed in the early 1990s and today it serves as the home of 20th and 21st century art for the Czech National Gallery.

For more information please contact:

Ondřej Kopička

International PR

Prague Quadrennial

M: +420 608 540 360
E: press@pq.cz

Organizers of the Prague Quadrennial announce the new title and concept for 2011

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The twelfth edition of the biggest international exhibition dedicated to scenography and theatre architecture Prague Quadrennial (PQ) will take place in June 2011, however, organizers are already busy preparing it. The PQ 2011 wants to introduce a large number of performance disciplines from theatre and visual arts to even larger audience than in 2007 when almost 30.000 visitors and 5.000 active participants visited the PQ 07.

After more than 40 years of existence, the Prague Quadrennial International Exhibition of Scenography and Theatre Architecture is changing its name to the Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space, with the goal of breaking down the often imaginary differences between the performance fields. “In the next edition we want to include a wider range of disciplines and genres connected to performance design and to observe current trends in contemporary performance,” explains Sodja Lotker, Artistic Director of the PQ. This is also the reason for widening the international team of curators and commissioners for each section and project. Boris Kudlička, Slovak stage designer, was appointed the General Commissioner of the PQ.

The Prague Quadrennial will be traditionally divided in three main sections: the Section of Countries and Regions, the Architecture Section and the Student Section. “In these days we officially call for countries from all over the world to take part in all three sections and we announce the deadline for applications – 30th June 2009,” says Pavla Petrová, the Director of the PQ and the Arts and Theatre Institute. The event is focused on professionals and general public.

The Prague Quadrennial is announced by the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic and it appoints the Arts and Theatre Institute to be the organizer. More information can be found at www.pq.cz.

The Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space is the largest event of its kind in the world – presenting contemporary work in a variety of performance design disciplines and genres – costume, stage, light, sound design, and theatre architecture for dance, opera, drama, site specific, multi-media performances, and performance art, etc. Every four years, since it’s establishing in 1967, the Prague Quadrennial has presented work from more than seventy countries, from five continents, in individual countries’ expositions in three competitive sections. The Golden Triga is awarded for the best exposition as well as gold medals.

The largest part of the PQ 2011 will be again the Section of Countries and Regions that represents works from all performance design disciplines in each country and region in the past six years. The organizers hope that the national curators will have a strong concept that will introduce unique and specific contemporary trends in a given country or region. Works can be presented in a group exhibition, a monographic exhibition of a single artist or an exposition/installation that it itself is performance space. Organizers hope to strengthen presentation in all scenographic disciplines at the PQ 2011 and relations among them. Fifty-one countries from five continents took part in this section in 2007.

Like in the previous years, vast space will be dedicated to students of art schools in the so-called Student Section. After great success of the last edition of the PQ, the project Scenofest will strengthen the educational aspect again. It is a common project of the Prague Quadrennial and the International Organization of Scenographers, Theatre Architects and Technicians (OISTAT). The program of Scenofest will consist of workshops, lectures, performances etc. The great interest from the students in the PQ 07 demonstrates the importance of the event; 2.200 students of theatre and art schools took part in it.

The Architecture Section will deal with the question “What is a theatre now?”. The section aims to strengthen a dialogue among theatre architecture, stage design and contemporary theatre. It is conceived as a gathering ground for stage designers and other theatremakers with creators of theatre space. The section will focus on all types of theatre space: constructed (built), performed (improvised) and imagined (unbuilt) in the 21st century.

Although the exhibition takes place in 2011, the deadline of the applications for the countries and regions which are interested in participating in the PQ 2011 is 30th June 2009. Each country participating in the PQ must appoint its own curator who sends the obligatory application for the individual sections and coordinates the representation of their country in the PQ. Further artistic and organizational conditions of participation in the PQ are stated in the Statute and Concept and can be found at www.pq.cz.

Other programs that will address the international public will accompany three exhibition sections of the Prague Quadrennial. Programs are designed to create a platform for creative exchange between the theatre professionals, students and public. A successful program in the streets of Prague will be repeated, as well as the program PQ for Children.

The PQ 2011 is prepared by an international team of professionals. Dorita Hannah, an architect and stage designer from New Zealand was appointed a Commissioner of the Architecture Section. A leading British sound designer Steven Brown became a curator of sound design. Simona Rybáková, Czech costume designer and the winner of the Golden Triga in 1999, is a curator of a costume project Extreme Materials. American lighting designer Cindy Limauro will lead Scenofest. A German director and theatre researcher Thea Brejzek was appointed the curator of theory. A Czech stage designer and director Tomáš Žižka is in charge of a project focused on African theatre. An interactive installation/performance called Intersection will be an important part of the PQ 2011 with many international partners. The whole event will be accompanied by a rich program composed of lectures, presentations, discussions, costume shows, meetings and theatre performances.

A Slovak stage designer Boris Kudlička is the General Commissioner for the Prague Quadrennial 2011. Kudlička works mainly for opera, ballet and film. He has collaborated with many leading scenes in Europe and the USA and important directors and conductors like Mariusz Trelinski, Roman Polanski, Keith Warner, Dale Duising, Kent Nagano or Placido Domingo. Boris Kudlička has taken part in three editions of the PQ and he won the Golden Medal for the best use of theatre technology in 2007. He also received Dosky 2003 award, Norwid Award (Polish Theatre Institute), the Award of the Minister of Culture of Poland Gloria Artis.

The core of the PQ management is Pavla Petrová – Director, Sodja Zupanc Lotker – Artistic Director, Daniela Pařízková – Deputy Director and Petr Prokop as Head Manager. 

The place and date of the PQ 2011 will be announced during 2009 because the left wing of the Industrial Palace that hosted the PQ in previous years was destroyed by fire in October 2008.

Detailed information including a concept, status and archive of past editions of the Prague Quadrennial since 1967 are available at www.pq.cz