portfolio
filanthi bougatsou
Filanthi Bougatsou filanthi_@hotmail.com www.issuu.com/filanthibougatsou (+30)6937871420 Moisiodakos 46 str., 11524, Athens
born in 1991 in Athens, where raised and lived undergraduate architecture student in National Technical University of Athens I spent the last years working on set design in theater, finding the place where i belong. Combining architectural thinking with artistic sensibility, i have a great interest to explore the field of scenography and its possibilities abroad. Enjoying arts and crafts, I am always looking for opportunities to be involved in new projects and learn different techniques. Among future aspirations, costume design, video making and furniture design are included. Currently, i work on my diploma project, investigating the possibilites of public space to function as an urban stage through the “Tempest” by William Shakespeare. This project is a continuance of my theoritical thesis, both expressing my interest in the spatial aspect of the theatrical events.
education 20092014 2009
School of Architecture, National Technical University of Athens 6 month movement via Erasmus program to Escuela Técnina Superior de Arquitectura de Granada graduation from High School of Ionios School
languages
computer skills
greek (mother lng) english (C2) spanish (B2)
microsoft office | word, power point, excel adobe | photoshop, illustrator, indesign autodesk | autocad, revit rihno maya
professional experience 2015 2016 2017
2017 2017
2017 2015-2017 2017-
set design assistant at the play Doll House Kikladon Street Theatre Lefteris Vogiatzis set design: Eva Manidaki, direction: Giorgos Skevas set design assistant at the play Waiting for Godot atrium of Benaki Museum set design: Eva Manidaki, direction: Natasha Triantafylli set design assistant at the play Communio alternative stage of Greek National Opera Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center set design: Eva Manidaki, direction: Katerina Evangelatos set design assistant at the play Hippolytus Parnassos Literary Society, Onassis Foundation set design: Eva Manidaki, direction: Demetris Kamarotos set design assistant at the play Yo-ki-hi alternative stage of Greek National Opera Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center set design: Eva Manidaki, direction: Michail Marmarinos set designer of the amateur play It´s happening inside us in collaboration with Emmanouela Mastora Argo Theatre, direction: Gerasimos Destounis Flux office participation in architectural projects by the construction of models product design, graphic design and promotion for the company Staliá Olive Oil
seminars | workshops 2012
2014 2015
2018
workshop Possible Futures: the upper strip of Bursa and the silk industry heritage at Bursa of Turkey, of urban and architectural content, with the participation of the schools: ENSAPLV(Paris), METU (Ankara), MEU(Mersin), NTUA(Athens) urban strategies travelling workshop in(herit)age II at Granada, organised by the University of Applied Arts of Vienna 4 month seminar of scenography (2|15 έως 6|15) at Mikro Polytexneio coordinated by the scenographer Giorgos Lyntzeris and resulted at the creation of the set design of the play A Midsummer Night's Dream at Olvio Theatre silkscreen workshop organised by Loupes team
participation | competitions | volunteering 2014 2015 2015 2015 2015
volunteer at open house thessaloniki 2014 volunteer at TEDx NTUA 2015 volunteer at open house athens 2015 participation at the architectural competition Young Architects FCW for the designing of Food&Wellness Club at Bologna participation at Site Effects 22 exhibition, material from the masterclass Urban Design 9 - The new “portal” of Athens of NTUA School of Architecture
index
urban scene
urban and landscape intervention at Klafthmonos square in collaboration with Alexandros Spentzaris and Marilena Tzouganaki academic project, 8th semester, July 2013
theatrical scene
set design proposal for Roberto Zucco at Half Moon Theater, London academic project, 7th semester, February 2015
architectural scene
food & wellness club in Bologna in collaboration with Nefeli Emmanouilidi competition, May 2015
theoritical scene
“theater without it” theoritical thesis, February 2017
made scenes
professional works
1.dollhouse
assistant set designer of Eva Manidaki theater of Cycladon street “Lefteris Vogiatzis” February 2015
2.hippolytus
assistant set designer of Eva Manidaki hall of Parnassos Literary Society March 2017
3.yo-ki-hi
assistant set designer of Eva Manidaki alternative stage of National Opera of Greece Stavros Niarcos Foundation November 2017
urban scene urban and landscape intervention at Klafthmonos square “architecture of open public spaces in urban and natural landscapes” masterclass, 8th semester in collaboration with Alexandros Spentzaris and Marilena Tzouganaki July 2013 The subject of this masterclass is the detailed study of issues concerning public outdoor space formation. Focusing on the artificial and natural elements defining outdoor spaces and the integration of public open spaces into urban tissue. At these project we aimed to creat spaces of different qualities at the square, in order to interact with the surrundings and to host various uses. Having the natural scenery as a reference we choosed an organic formation. Three levels organised the square and offered unique experiences and different points of views. At the road level a ¨forest¨ was created and cutting lines were used for the interchange between natural elemments and desinged places for rest and movement. There was a lower level consist of an open space and a sloping amhitheatrical space with seating spots. In that level the old wall of Athens was revealed as an open archeological exhibit. The citizents could enjoy this space feeling isolated by the noise of the city and the road. There was also the upper level offering a wide view of the city and forming a landmark.
plan of the square
section A-A’
section B-B’
sketches
photos of the model
theatrical scene Set design for Roberto Zucco at Half Moon Theater, London “evolution of scenography as the result of transformation in theater” masterclass 7th semester February 2015 In this project a play and a theater was choosed for the creation of a scenograpic proposal. Roberto Zucco is a play refering to the uncertainty and doubt over the behavior of human beings, suggesting to ask ourselves about our nature. And it shocks us by expressing that the violent tendencies that characterize the hero exist in all of us. The idea was that the scene consists of two action areas, one “box”, an abstract space where Zucco was along with the spectarors, and the surroundings that represent a certain reality of a parisian disreputable neighborhood at the 80´s with representational scenery and clothing. The box looked randomly placed in that place and time. It was structured by a framework with a transparent fabric on it, which could reveal or hide the surroundings with the proper lighting. In the box there was only a telephone hanging from the ceiling and a bench, identical to a second one outside from it. These items were the link between the two realities. Only the characters with a significant role for Zucco and his story entered the box. The rest of the characters stayed always outside of it, even when they had a dialogue with him, and they were wearing identical masks, representing the the distant society. Half moon theater was choosen as it offered an ideal environment for the representation of a neighborhood, with the facades of the buildings surrounding the space. The box was placed parallel to the grid of the floor, and in such way that the audience entering wouldn´t have a clear image of the surrounding environment, which would reveal afrerwards.
_the box_
_the prison_
with the proper lighting the space where Zucco and the spectators are in appears as a minimal modern space, an empty, colorless, cold space witch does not respresent neither a spesific place nor specific time
the lighting change and the light fabric that forms the box disappeas the framework of the box is revealed and creates a cell in witch Zucco, together with the spectators, is prisoned
Half Moon Theater, London plan of the installation of the box in the theater
masks
murderes
transparency
station
little cigago
communication
Zucco
prostitudes pimps
society people
double reality in and out
metro
scene 6_the metro _Zucco talks with the old man, who remains a shadow behind the fabric _ostensible dialogue, implied as a monologue with another self
scene 9_dalida _the girl, the inspector and the police officer _the girl just wants to find Zucco, because she owns him she only reveals his name, declaring that she knows him
scene 15_Zucco at the sun _Zucco is on the roof of the prison _voices heard, the masks gleam _the ceiling of the box disappears, letting the blinding “sunlight � in
scene 11_the deal _when the box disappears the reality from which Zucco wants to escape reveals _prostitutes, pimps, people that commentate
scene 12_the station _Zucco with the chic lady, after the murder of her son _he wants to leave and she want to take her with him _the fear is strong and intense
photos of the model
architectural scene food and wellness club at Bologna competition of Young Architects Competiotions in collaboration with Nefeli Emmanouilidi May 2015 This competition was refered to the design of a wellness club at the site of a former factory located outside Bologna, where the urban fabric meets the countryside. The warehouse was built in the 70s to be a storehouse for trading activities, and due to its poor aesthetic quality, it was allowed both rebuilding it from scratch or preserving it. It was required to develop a proposal in tune with the surroundings and natural materials, so that this project to become a reference with a specific identity. The proposal was based on the form of the old wharehouse and consisted of two volumes that eventuate from the will of having one enclosed and one unenclosed space and taking advantage of the different qualities that both give. The use of the different materials allowed the play with the tensity of the light and the views. The enclosed volume was made of reinforced concrete and the unenclosed was made of metal, glass and wood. In the first one was placed the acqua zone as an united and an isolated space. In the second one were placed all the other uses. Starting from the ground floor, the visitor could find the reception, the shop, the coffee shop, the lockers and the suite day-spa. On the lower level he could experience the day spa in a low light condition. On the upper floor were placed the offices, the gym and the meditation space. The two volumes were divided by a slot of water which could be crossed at two different spots above the level of the water. There was also another visual connection in the acqua zone where the visitor could swim and reach the slot.
The new building was to created by taking as references the forms of the warehouse. The principal idea was based on the following sections: _deconstruction of the principal warehouse with the maintenance of its proportions and the torsion of the axis _detachment of the two volumes by a slot of water _retention of the inclined roof for the creation of different forms
plan of the building, ground floor
section A
section B
outdoor view
indoor view
theoritical scene “theater without it� theoritical thesis February 2017 The term site specific theater is not limited to the placing of an event in a particular area but refers to the way that each happening is been inspired, formed and realized, in the result of which both space and action participate. This study discusses the case of theatrical performances presented in non-theatrical spaces, posing concerns about the way that a performance manages to interact with a space that is not made to host theater and the role that has such a place in the result. Examining the case of two theatrical performances that took place at the Benaki Museum - Sophocles' Antigone and Waiting for Godot of Samuel Beckett –directed by Natasha Triantafylli, is an attempt to understand the spatiality obtained by activating an existing space through a play. Keeping in mind the conclusions of the above analysis, is attempted a decoding of the procedure that is followed. First is approached the meeting of the director with the area and the decisions to be taken and then the encounter between the spectator and the formed performance in the space, which is affected by the physical presence of the last and his mental participation in the event.
Antigone of Sophocles, June 2013 The concept of this performance was the viewing of the museum as an analogy of a "modern palace", as it is connected with memory and carries the history. The patio of the museum corresponded to the courtyard of the palace and almost all the scenes were played there. However, some scenes outside the palace were also taking place there and that created a condensation of space matching with the time gaps in the script. Apart from the patio, which was the main stage, the action extended to the interior. The glass of the facade of the museum served as a showcase allowing to see inside. What was taking place inside the palace, was an image without sound, creating a parallel action that revealed the dilemmas and the progression for what was going to happen. As the play unfolded, the action was spreading to a higher level. The direction of the action exploited the different levels of the building for a conceivable and realistic ascent. The gradual "elevation" of action was a connection of space with time. The spectator's gaze had to move between the different levels in the scenes of parallel actions, which may implied that they did not happen at the same time and/or at the same place. When the audience entered the atrium couldn’t recognize signs of the ancient drama. Only later and gradually the museum was recognized as a palace giving the impression that the action belongs to the space. The only new elements added to the space are two square lighting frames, one on the edge of the atrium and the other, high on the facade, symbolizing the tombs. Some other light elements are placed to highlight parts of the building, like the water drainage of the patio that is illuminated internally, creating a vertical light path. The use of light is transformed into a means that defines space, based on the existing geometry.
Waiting for Godot, July 2013 The consept of this performance was the imply of a different world, interpreting Beckett's "non-place" that swings between reality and fantasy, life and death. The basic scenography element was a sculptural root hanging from above, conceivably complited. Underneath is a "wound" on the ground, created by scattered blocks and a mass of sand, so that the tree seemed to be eradicated from the earth. The square patio surrounding by the high building gived an impression of depth that was used to imply a place under the earth. The action remained there, concentrated, without spreading. The fact that space did not participate narratively had the effect of losing time. Wanted to insinuate the road, the vertical axis was kept by the use of the stoa and the entrance of the museum. The introversion and the semi- privacy of the patio served for the creation of the heros’ world, which could not be completely cut off by the "real" one. The connection between the two worlds was reinforced by the sounds of the city, the sky upwards, the view of the entrance and the road outside. The existence of a hunging root over a damaged ground was crucial to the impression derived. A shift from reality revealed what would follow. On the other hand, the fact that the scenography was created by materials similar to the building's helped to a unified image. The imaginary place emerged through the given space. The blocks represented the human progress and the present, while the sand stood for what was hidden, coming out on the surface and symbolizing the past. There was expressed the dipole between imprisonment and freedom. Seemed like a magnetic field was created under the root and the protagonists were attracted to it without being able to move away, even though they could move freely in space. The vast extention of the patio strengthens this impression. Likewise the door opened many times, revealing the exit, but they never left.
Antigone vs Godot A common point of the two performances is that the stage was not strictly defined. This contributed to the overall participation of the space in the action. However, the action itself, in the sense of the area that ultimately occupies, developed differently. The placements of the performances were reverse. Furthermore at Antigone the action was placed in various parts of the atrium and the museum, while at Waiting for Godot it was static. Thus there was the spread of action at the first and its concentration at the second. Another similarity was the role of the spectators. The common, united actors-spectators area breaks down the limits and helps to strengthen the sense of participation on the part of the audience. The modification of the established entrance, movement and attitude in the museum, rejudiced a change in its function. In this way spectators participated in the event. A basic difference between the two performances was the existence of a setting at the one, while at the other the space was almost untouched. So there was a more intense mutation of space at Waiting for Godot, while at Antigone the event seemed to emerge from it. Absractly speaking, at Antigone the spatial sense was like a funnel that rises upwards, starts "small" from the atrium and grows up to the sky while at Waiting for Godot the opposite funnel was operating, which continues even further down into the earth. That's why at Antigone the action unfolded on the horizontal axis in front of the audience and on the vertical as it slowly rised upward, while at Waiting for Godot it used a vertical axis and it remained very grounded, swinging back and forth. The two representations handled the space differently, always exploiting its properties. Eventually, the site acquired a narrative role in Antigone as it participates in the evolution of history, whereas in Waiting for Godot had a symbolic role when it becomed a non-place. In these two different activations of the site were spoted the two different directing options for a site-specific performances, yet the space was actively involved in the directing of projects at both projects.
director’s decisions The 1st decision is whether the site will be tackled as a whole or exploited. Firstly refers to the spot where the action will be placed but it also concerns the notion of the site as a whole or not, no matter where the action is. When it is decided to give a whole meaning to the site there is an intense feeling that the site obtains a "role". The 2nd decision concerns the management of the site’s elements. The ones which are actively involved are the selected elements, and those that do not participate are the redundant elements. The first are those which can be described as scenery. They can be a background for the play, form the stage or lightened to signify something. The rest of the elements are the redundant ones, hidden in many cases. The literally hide may negate the primary choice of the site, so another way is focusing on the selected items. The fact that they absorb more importance helps to "hide" those who are not involved. Another treatment of the redundants is to see them as a complement of the image. The 3rd decision concerns the management of the properties of space and the choice of their transfer to action. These are the architectural properties, like the materials, the formes, the geometry, additionally with the atmosphere and the current use. Last but not least, the loadings of the space which are related to their history, the social context and the symbolization. The 4th decision concerns the intervention in the environment that the director approaching. In the case that no additional objects are added, it is clear that the connection between the site and the action is more inferential. Choosing to put extra scenery, this could either be added to the existing background in order to complete the desired image, or it can opposed in the site, seeking to change its reality and to "enchant" their environment.
audience’s participation The participation of the audience concerns both the influence of its physical presence or its mental involvement, processes that affect the final result of the performance. The physical presence of the audience can be perceived as bodies in space, which creats dynamic spatial relationships. A more active way of participation occures when the audience has freedom to move and sit randomly in the space, allowing more intervention in the evolution of the event. As far as the mental involvement is concerned, the first impression decisively influences the way that spectator sees the show. If there are signs of the event that can be read in advance, he starts with suspicion. When there are not predictability is abolished and the space is gradually transformed. The process that is taking place therefore contains a time parameter. During the event, he receives multiple impressions, since the space manages to transform itself and causes distractions. As a result, at the end of the show, the audience has experienced a different space. The audience also engages in the production of various associations, as correlations between what is "normal" and what represented during the performance. There is present swing between reality and imagination, that helps the spectator to realize that he is not just a transmitter of meanings, but he is the one who produces them.
conclutions The characterization of an event as specific site does not merely describe the fact that it is placed in a non-theatrical setting but how the performance is inspired, set and played. It is a conscious way in which the spatiality of the performance is created considering the parameters set by the space apart from those set by the text and the directorial vision on the latter. The logic of this choice can be transferred to every creation of a performance, whether in a non-theatrical or a theatrical site. Surely in the first case there is a larger range of interactions between space and action , but it does not cease to exist in the second. We often watch theater performances that fail to co-operate with their environment, no matter where, and this is not a random event. It is the director, or even the other artists who have failed to respond to this relationship either because they have not been deeply concerned about the spatial parameter of the event, or because they don´t know the means to approach it. The director, in order to cope with the challenges of a site and manage to create a performance that communicates with its environment, appropriately fits in the space and interacts with it, he must become "vulnerable" in the space. He needs to have the will to read the signs of the site and unlock its abilities in order to use them in the creation of his directorial code. This is an open and “site specific” characterizes this directorial choice. However, the final word for validation of this choice is the audience´s. An event can’t occure without the audience. The latter, through its presence and perception, manages to activate the event. Non-theatrical sites become a common place for communication between the director and the spectators, a common vocabulary for the transmission of meanings from one person to another. From another point of view, “site specific” is also a validation that spaces can function and be perceived differently. The import of an action in a specific site and the achievement of the interaction between them helps new meanings to emerge. It is the starting point for a spatial reconstitution that is constantly evolving. As long as the space has the potential to host new events through which it will be experienced differently, the debate remains open about what this space is and what it can become.
photos of the performance of “Antingone”
photos of the performance of “Waiting for Godot”
made scene 1 Dollhouse by Henric Ibsen assistant set designer theater of Cycladon street “Lefteris Vogiatzis” direction by George Skevas set design by Eva Manidaki February 2015 Something exceptional about that theater is the fact that the scenes are build in it, not just placed in potision. That is something that Lefteris Vogiatzis used to do, he wanted the theater to be transformed. So that was also the way followed at Dollhouse. There was a house build in the theatre, with fabric wallpaper, a wooden floor and an etrance door. A mailbox and a stove. Just like an actual scandinavian house with the exception of a weird “dollhouse” right in the middle. Seemed more like a furniture of the house, with the same materials but strange proportions, is there to remind the things that are tried to be hidden.
plan of the scene at Cycladon theatre
The dollhouse part of the
house
her space
in the house
a child´s stool property the lady’s room her
the girl’s playroom
the doll’s house
photos of the model
first visual of the space
photos of the scenes
made scene 2 Hippolytus by Euripides assistant set designer hall of Parnassos Literary Society direction by Demetris Kamarotos set design by Eva Manidaki March 2017 This performance was a resital of the tradedy of Ippolytus by one actress with a special live instumentation by Demetris Kamarotos. The actress was reading the play with a partially play of the roles mostly with her voice. The performance took place at the hall of Parnassos Literary Society as a site specific event. The audience had a diffrent point of view due to the rotation of the seats to the back of the hall, where a imaginary stage was set. Only a few objects were place in the room to imply the event. The actress was moving in the room, between the spectators and overwhelmed slowly the place. Demetris Kamarotos was seated at the actual stage, in the back of the audience, olny participating with his music.
OR I G I NAL plan of the hall of Parnassos Literary Society, usual arrangement
OBJECTS
A pedestal with an armchair, like an exhibit in a museum. With a label of “do not touch” declairs the absence. A sacred spot, a throne.
The painting “Mount Etna from the Greek Theatre, Taormina, Sicily” of John MacWhirter, 1890. Another exhibit as a memory of a place far away.
T R ANS F O R MA T IO N plan of the hall of Parnassos Literary Society, arrangement for the play
The narrator’s spot. Seems like she is guarding the space and the exhibits, quite in her corner, from where the story telling begins , to be spread in the room.
An installation in the windows where two speakers are placed, with a special curtain that let the sound through. That way the music spreads in the room, witch seems to patricipates.
A stand where a box in a form of a reliquary is put. The box has a speaker in it, from witch a speech of Theseus is heard, represasting his memory.
photos of the scenes
made scene 3 Yo-ki-hi of Komparu Zenchiku assistant set designer alternative stage of National Opera of Greece at Stavros Niarcos Foundation direction by Michail Marmarinos set design by Eva Manidaki November 2017 The consept of this set desing was an adaptation of the stage of Noh Theater, as was the play itself. The intention was to maintan the geometry, the routes and the atmosphere of the traditional japaneese stage, and to transfom it in a way that derives from the space itself. Using the wooden paneling of the hall as a background, there was a stage created by the lowering of the perimeter elevator platforms, where there was put just a span of water as a reminder of the rivers that Noh Theater is played on. There was a ramp leading to the stage, comming from the back where normally the scenes are stored, and at there was the point where the representation of the pine tree was put. A minimal framework represented the palace of the princess, and together with the small seats for the chorus, these were the only elements put on the stage . There were also tree small pines along the ramp, as is used at Noh Theater.
plan of the stage
visual of the tree representation
photos of the model
section of the stage
photos of the scenes