MDes Interior Design Stage I Hotel Project «Machinery of Madness» -Özlem Gezgin-
Abstract For this Project, we are asked to contemplate the solitary traveler and create a “hotel” experience located in the near future. We all started with the site analysis in groups for given buildings. Then defined an individual hotel brief, chose a building and set the scene for our concept. My aim is to put my hotel experience on the base of theatre. I wanted to intersect my interior design and stage design backgrounds. Therefore I referred to play «The Madman and the Nun» which I designed a set for it. It is focusing on the distinction between madness and sanity, this distinction something artificial, it is an illusion, so I want that in hotel people can experience this created madness and illusion.
Table of contents:
o List of Illustrations o Introduction • Finding the Initial Idea
• The Site: Gasometers • Building the Concept • Designing the Journey • Designing the Experience o Conclusion o Bibliography
List of Illustrations •
• •
•
Figure 1. The bedroom elevator. Photo courtesy of YO! Home • Figure 2. The flip-up dining. Photo courtesy of YO!Home • Figure 3. Glasgow Gasometer, Flickr Hive Mind, URL: https://farm5.static.flickr.com/4121/4857294532_47a50df3ef_b. jpg (10/12/2017) • Figure 4. Provan Gas Works, Hannah Rodger, Evening Times • Figure 5. Wassily Kandinsky: Composition VIII. 1923. Oil on Canvas. 140.0 × 201.0 cm. New York, The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum • Figure 6. Billy Elliot, Stage Machinery, Victoria Palace Theatre London. • Figure 7. Hamilton, Set Design Model, Richard Rodgers Theatre • Figure 8. Theatre Durury Lane, London Figure 9. Wassily Kandinsky: Image with Arrow. 1928. Oil on Canvas. 67.0 × 80.0 cm Figure 10 / 11.Light-Space Modulator, author: László Moholy-Nagy, 1922–1930, Replik 1970. Bauhaus-Archiv Berlin / © VG Bild-Kunst 2016. • Figure 12. Photograph of the set for Act 1 of Kroll Opera’s production of Jacques Offenbach’s The Tales of Hoffman. Courtesy of the Moholo Nagy Foundation • Figure 13. László Moholy-Nagy, “Photograph (Dolls) (Puppen),” 1926, printed 1929. The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles Figure 14. László Moholy-Nagy: 19,1921. 1921. oil on canvas, 44 × 36 1/2 in., Busch-Reisinger MuseuM • Figure 15. Wassily Kandinsky, Black Grid (Schwarzer Raster), 1922. Oil on canvas, 37-13/16 × 41-3/4 in. Centre Georges Pompidou, Musée national d’art moderne, Paris. Bequest of Mrs. Nina Kandinsky in 1981. AM 81-65-44
Introduction This project was full of excitement for me. I had an opportunity to combine interior design with my own interest and background in theatre. I built my interior using theatre machinery systems and built my concept on a theatre play called “The Madman and the Nun” by Witkiewicz Stanislaw Ignacy ( Witkacy ). Play points out that distinction between madness and sanity is only a thin line, an illusion, only a creation of a lunatic machine which no one in control. Therefore I designed an experience in my hotel as a journey to this lunatic machine.
Even I started with the Witkacy, I am also inspired by Moholy’s works and lots of theatre/set design from past to today. Moreover all the sources I read carried me to next step. Discovering, experiencing, and creating were my main motivations and all kept me focused on this project.
This project is really meaningful to me because I did set design for “The Madman and the Nun” in my home country, Turkey and now I had an opportunity to create this world again ın completely different context; as an interior design experience. Director, I worked with for this play was Daniel Irrızary and he showed me what is really like be passionate about whatever we are doing, theatre, art, design… and how to free my mind. Moreover the actors and designers I worked with, all of them helped me to be a better designer and keep my excitement. Thank you all!
Finding the Initial Idea: Machinery of Madness
“and the whole machine, that old, weak machine starts it’s lunatic motion, it has to go further and further, whether I’m still creative or not. This mind’s exhausted, but machine goes on and on. That’s why artists have to do insane things. What can you do with a senselessly accelerated motor which no one controls? Imagine a long row of machines in a huge factory without any engineer in charge.”
- From «The Madman and The Nun» by Witkacy -
To find my initial idea first I began with the reading list which our tutors gave us. I searched for an idea which captures my interest and I
Space
came up with the book “the poetics of the Space” by Gaston Bachelard. He thinks that while people form the
spaces; spaces also form the
People
feelings, thoughts, conscious etc. of
/
people. (Bachelard, 1994) Moreover,
Audience
for him, perception is not only related to “seeing” it is a layered whole; voices, sound touch, taste… His ideas on space remind me my own feelings and experiences about theatre. I have a great interest in theatre. I worked as a stage designer in my home country and amazed by how theatre affects the audience and how audience affect whatever happens on the stage. This is something double sided interaction as Bachelard thinks.
Theatre stage
Figure 1. The bedroom elevator, Yo! Home
Figure 2. The Filip-up Dining, Yo! Home
From this point, I decided to combine two design areas together and started to do research related to this relation. Therefore I met with the YO! Home concept. The idea of Yo! Homes
using stage machinery systems in the interiors. The creator of the concept says that ÂŤI started by asking what would happen if you used the mechanics of stage scenery to take an empty room and be able to change it from one thing to nextÂť (Tara Chittenden, 2015) I also started questioning it, what if I used this mechanism to design a machinery system in the whole building to create a theatrical experience
Focusing on machinery and theatre made a quote bump into my mind from a play called “The madman and the Nun” by Witkacy;
“and the whole machine, that old, weak machine starts it’s lunatic motion, it has to go further and further, whether I’m still creative or not. This mind’s exhausted, but machine goes on and on. That’s why artists have to do insane things. What can you do with a sensesly accelerated motor which no one controls? Imagine a long row of machines in a huge factory without any engineer in charge.” - «the Madman and The Nun», Walpurg on creator of his madness (Witkiewicz, S. I.; Gerould, D. C., 1989)
These words were said by Walpurg, a poet who is in a mad house as a madman. Daniel Gerould summaries the idea of madness in the play; “distinction between sanity and madness are only cogs in the lunatic machine that first drives people mad and locks them up”. (Witkiewicz, S. I.; Gerould, D. C., 1989) Therefore I decided to go with the idea machinery of madness. I wanted to create this machine and make people experience this distinction, illusion between madness and sanity. I selected Walpurg’s lines to form the foundation of my concept.
The Site: Gasometers
Choosing the site was one of the most important parts of the process. Before we chose it we did analysis different buildings in groups and present them each other. This was a very useful assignment because I discover how differently each building can be seen and analysed. Moreover,I really impressed one of the presentations and their approach on the building made me choose it; Gasometers.
Figure 3. Glasgow Gasometer, Flickr Hive Mind
In their presentation, they build a relationship with the elements and buildings. For gasometers, it was “gas” and while talking about experience the gas they point out that is something we maybe we cannot see, touch but we can feel it with every breath. This reminds me the interaction between audience and theatre which I mentioned before; Even audience does nothing physically still can affect the actor or actor can affect all the audience which they never know,
Therefore I found a relation with initial ideas. They also touched on how enormous space is and this also supports the idea of space affects people, this one can affect people even without any design in it. ıts scale and geometry are full of potential to create theatrical experience.
Figure 4. Provan Gas Works
It will work as under the stage, lift machinery and other technical equipment's will be hided inside.
Building The Concept
o
Key Words
o
Target Emotions
o
Who will occupy?
o
the key words;
After I found my initial idea and decided my site I continued to analysis the play I wrote down the key words;
MACHINARY
MOTION
MADNESS
LIFE
ILLUSION
CLOCK
SANITY
DEATH
ISOLATION
CELL
NO CONTROL
PERCEPTION
o Emotions In his plays Witkiewicz shows images of hope and fear at the same time. Moreover he wants to shock his audience. (Christine Kiebuzinska, 1988: 110) During the exprience in my design, I also want people to feel these feelings to understand what it is like to be ÂŤthe madmanÂť in the play.
From a deeper research on Witkacy, his understanding of theatre and his influencers, I learned that his artistic connection with Kandinsky; both believes color and shape. For the geometry of my design, I referred Kandinsky’s works,
«Even from a brief overview it is evident that Witkacy’s ideas on pure form resamble those of Kandinsky’s» (Christine Kiebuzinska, 1988: 125)
Figure 5. Wassily Kandinsky: Composition VIII. 1923. Oil on Canvas. 140.0 × 201.0 cm. New York, The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
Figure 6. Billy Elliot, Stage Machinery, Victoria Palace Theatre
Figure 7. Hamilton, Set Design Model, Richard Rodgers Theatre
Figure 8. Theatre Durury Lane
To design the motion first I searched for stage machinery systems. (H2G2, 2003) I referred them to create the spatial experience in the building. Turning stages, stage lifts were the starting point.
I started to work
on geometry and add the motion in it.
They also fitted the form of my building and it gave me the opportunity combine them.
Turning the circles are references to cogs in the machine. Moreover, Walpurg’s «ticking
clock» in his head support this circular motion. Figure 9. Wassily Kandinsky: Image with Arrow. 1928. Oil on Canvas. 67.0 × 80.0 cm.
I wanted to person in the hotel lose the control like Walpurg, the madman to experience the machine which he talks about. Therefore space will lead the person ; space will move and carry the person to wherever it wants.
Losing control also brings the feeling of surprise because person will can end spaces which they do not wait for or expected, they do not know what they are expected. To surprise the audience is one of the main points in Witkacy’s aim in the theatre.
«Witkiewicz’s plays mirrors the experience of a ‘refiled world out
of control’»
ROOM Each circle is able to turn individually, they will rotate the person in the
Stop Motion//movement
SCAN ME
hotel.
o Who will occupy ?
What I wanted to do is create a theatrical, scenographic experience in the interior. Whole interior is a representation of a stage. Therefore I wanted to carry the stage with the actors. I target the actors. Actors has power and control on the stage however in this experience they will be passive and even they are part of the play, they are still «actor» in the space, they will be also audience who watch the performance of the space itself. Moreover in Witkacy’s understanding of theatre actor should learn to go with the flow on the stage;
« ‘he actor, in his own right should not exist’ he writes (Witkacy), ‘he should be same kind of part within a whole as the color red in a particular painting or the C sharp in a particular musical composition’ ‘ Forget completely about life’ he goes on urge the actor ‘and pay no attention what is happening on the stage at any given moment as it relates to what is about to happen at the next moment» (Christine Kiebuzinska, 1988: 120)
This is a huge space and I am designing it for one person for each time. In «The Madman and the Nun», Walpurg is alone and isolated in his head with his madness. He is trapped. This is pointed out that Walpurg’s genius could not fit the society’s ideal. Actually, this scale helps me to create a world which a person really alone and dominated.
«Witkiewcz’s imaginative universe include man’s loneliness in the cosmos, death, sextual insatiability, the conflict between creative genius and society» -(Christine Kiebuzinska, 1988: 112)
Designing the journey
•
«HOTEL» BRIEF
•
ARRIVAL
•
ROUTE
•
ROOM
•
FUNCTIONS IN THE «HOTEL»
o « HOTEL» Brief
«Hotel» definition: A building where you pay to have a room to sleep and where you can sometimes eat meals. (Cambridge Dictionary)
I wanted to stuck on this basic, dictionary definition of the hotel to show that Witkasy’s creations in his plays; he does not create a fantasy world, he present the
world in his on perception. Hotel provides the requirements of this definition and still be a hotel depends on this basics. However, exprience will be lived from different point of view. «Witkiezwicz’s aim to present the world of dreams and illusion, the grotesqueries of his plays appear inherently valid and logical» (Christine Kiebuzinska, 1988: 116)
o Functions of the ÂŤHotelÂť
outer circle arrival space, second circle include service areas; reception, restaurant, bar etc. and in the centre rooms. And the rooms are the main experience spaces.
Arrival, circle is a whole. Carries the person to reception desk.
3 sections turns together but can move vertically independently. Service places. Machine bring these spaces occasionally to eat and drink
3 sections turns together but can move vertically independently. Rooms, person go through rooms. Each creates different perception on experience.
For our hotel we are asked to design “arrival”, “a route” and “room” therefore I wrote my scenario through them and planned the journey. Journey start from outer circle to inside like going to the centre of the Walpurg’s mind, Arrival at outer circle, route continue to second circle and then person comes to inner circle,
Stop Motion//Journey Through the Hotel
SCAN ME
their room.
•
ARRIVAL
At the entrance, person sees a huge wall, in a place in this scale they cannot see the where the way goes.
Then outer circle starts to move, round and in the same time wall starts
•
ROUTE
to go down. When wall completely disappear, second circle starts to move and intersect with the outer one. A table goes up from the floor of second circle, person leaves their cellphone, wallet etc. personal staff there then table goes down. Second circle illuminated to give sign to person to step in.
•
ROOM
Then center circle moves and goes up, room is illuminated and person continue and enter to room. While person enters the room ticking sound starts.
Designing The Exprience
•
Ticking Clock
•
Moholy’s Light – Space Modulator
«My real world is in this clock which is constantly ticking in my head» - «The Madman and the Nun» (Witkiewicz, S. I.; Gerould, D. C., 1989)
Ticking clock represent the madness in Walpurg’s head. Therefore I referenced it to design the room’s plan. Madness getting bigger time goes by and in this machine even time is not perceivable
that’s makes, the idea of time is also only an illusion.
Experiences in the rooms are levels of the madness of Walpurg, the madman. Rooms will be getting more and more uncomfortable, Shapes will be getting larger, heights will be getting shorter and materials will be more reflective. everything will be getting more nonsense.
There will be doors on the partitions but they can only open when two room is intersected. The machine will decide the time of passing to another room. each room will change the way of experience. This refers the distinction between madness and sanity. Truth can be seen differently related to where to look at them. Hotel keep them on the edge of ÂŤmadnessÂť and show them this line is very thin. (Hayford, 1994)
In the rooms there will be some items; They can write, draw, design. They can express themselves, record the experience. However while they get closer to the end, even these actions will be hard because of very unconfortable light and shadow effects, and they will exprience losin the freedom of expressing themselves too.
Figure 10. Light-Space Modulator, author: László Moholy-Nagy, 1922–1930, Replik 1970. Bauhaus-Archiv Berlin / © VG BildKunst 2016.
Idea of illusion and motion make me meet with the works of Moholy. He was using the transparent and reflective materials to create light and shadow illusions. (Brucker, 2017) His light and space modulator prop is a master piece.
«This machine creates a myriad of dissolving shadows
passing over walls and ceiling This device was not used in Kroll but Moholy used metal frames, semi transparent
panels and put to date lights to shape the space and suggest a variety of ideas » (Jennifer A. Low, 2016: 107)
Figure 11. Light-Space Modulator, author: László Moholy-Nagy, 1922–1930, Replik 1970. BauhausArchiv Berlin / © VG Bild-Kunst 2016.
Figure 12. Photograph of the set for Act 1 of Kroll Opera’s production of Jacques Offenbach’s The Tales of Hoffman. Courtesy of the Moholo Nagy Foundation.
Moholy’s use of material, motion, light, shadow, space in his modulator and stage
design works really impressed and inspired me. I analyzed his design principles. Then I combined them with my ideas and initials of Witkacy to turn them into a spatial
experience in my hotel.
I used layering and depth to make stronger the light & shadow effect. I also used reflective and tranceperent materials to support illusional effect. All these different materials gave me the opportunity to create variations and between the rooms and expriences.
•
To design the partitions’ forms I am inspried by Kandinsky and moholy again.
Figure 13. MoholyNagy, 1926
Figure 14. MoholyNagy, 1921
Figure 15. Wassily Kandinsky, 1922
There will be no natural
light during the occupancy in the hotel. However in the end, while person expecting the worst machine take them to the top of the building and let the sunshine in like Walpurg’s going back to life in the play. Witkacy surprises his audience in his plays and give them hope in the end and that’s why I want it to be part of the experience.
•
Top of the building is closed but there is a hidden sky light
ConclusÄąon: Interior Design as Scenography?
«I have sought to understand the city as a dynamic rather than static event, one that is constructed, built and staged.» (Bürkle, 2009: 182)
Since the beginning of my education in design, I’ve seen the spaces as a potential stage because of my interest in theatre. Therefore I worked as a stage designer too to combine these two areas together. I am always impressed how different and strong experiences can be created through designing for the theatre. During the first stage in my master degree, I had the opportunity to bring stage and interior design together.
When I did further research on stage design itself I realize that «scenography» is used more commonly in these days. «Scenography» word has been historically called «theatrical architecture» (Amusement Logic, 2017) and now scenography is not only related to theatre, it is used as a conceptual tool for the architecture and interior design projects, It is a spatial culture. This makes me think space itself can be a performer. Beyond using scenography as a tool, interiors can create stenographic experiences. While idea of scenography is expending to architecture and interior design, interior design can also expend to scenography. Creating spaces which people can be actors and audiences at the same time is an exciting idea.
Therefore, for the third stage of my master degree, again, I want to go through this area. How we can we see interior design as scenography. I am aiming to explore intersect theatre and interiors.
Bibliography • Amusement Logic, Website, URL: https://amusementlogic.com/news/relationships-between-scenographyand-architecture-imagined-spaces-and-universes . (11/12/2017) • •
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Bachelard, G., 1994, Poetics of Space, Boston, Mass. : Beacon Press
Brucker, J., 2017, Moholy-Nagy Artist Overview and Analysis, The Art Story, website, URL: http://www.theartstory.org/artist-moholynagy-laszlo.htm (10/12/2017) Bürkle S. (2009) Architecture as Scenography, the Building Site as Stage. In: Staiger U., Steiner H., Webber A. (eds) Memory Culture and the Contemporary City. Palgrave Macmillan, London, 181-190 • Cambridge Dictionary, website, URL: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/hotel . (10/12/2017)
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Chittenden, T., 2015, ‘when ıs a bedroom not a bedroom?’., In: WileyBlackwell, S., eds. Journal of Interior Design 40(4), 1–15 •
Gerould, D., 1973, wıtkacy: theater outsıde the theater, eds. The Polish Review, Vol. 18, No. 1/2, Stanislaw Ignacy Witkiewicz (1973), 14-16 • H2G2, 2003, Website, Theatre Stage Machinery, URL: https://h2g2.com/edited_entry/A1304821. (09/12/2017)
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Hayford, J., 1994, The Madman and the Nun, Chicago Reader, website, URL: https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/themadman-and-the-nun/Content?oid=885101 . (07/12/2017)
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Kiebuzinska, C., 1988, Revolutionaries in the Theatre: Mayerhold, Brecht and Witkiewicz, London : UMI Research Press
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Low, J.A., 2016, Dramatic spaces: scenography and spectatorial perceptions, Routledge: Taylor & Francis Group
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Witkiewicz, S. I.; Gerould, D. C., 1989, The madman and the nun
& The crazy locomotive: three plays, including The water hen, New York, N.Y. : Applause Theatre Book Publishers