AN INTERVIEW WITH BORIS KUDLIČKA, THE GENERAL COMMISSIONER OF THE PRAGUE QUADRENNIAL
How important is the role of the scenographer in theatre today? Is he more important than in the past or in traditional theatre spaces? Why and how?
The scenographer’s role today is much more universal. When working with auteur theatre, which gives birth to new and progressive approaches, the scenographer is also dramaturg and co-director, and works intensively with the director throughout the entire process of the performance’s creating. Within today’s interpretative and highly independent method of director-based theatre, scenography has become looser. It is now an open-ended structure, a kind of construction of ideas, while at the same time providing a large amount of freedom for interpretation and metaphor. It leaves – and for me personally, this is the most important thing – the final form unfinished. I believe that theatre communicates much better with audiences this way.
AN INTERVIEW WITH DORITA HANNAH, COMMISSIONER OF THE ARCHITECTURE SECTION
How important is the role of an architect in contemporary theatre?
There tends to be a tension between the professions of architecture and theatre, where each is wary of the other and their understanding of skills particular to each creative practice. For example theatre-makers maintain that architects don’t always understand or serve the dynamics of performance and architects believe that performers are not interested in the role architecture can play. This tension can be extremely productive, so long as there is dialogue and conflict is accepted as a creative element, just as it is critical to dramatic action.
AN INTERVIEW WITH JESSICA BOWLES, ARTISTIC LEADER OF SCENOFEST
Why is Scenofest part of the Prague Quadrennial?
Scenofest was created in 2003 as a way of bringing over a thousand of students from across the world together with the most exciting artists and innovators in performance. Each year the programme has evolved but always at the heart of Scenofest is the student experience, never more so than this year when we are using both projects themselves and social media to share and discuss the work that they see and take part in.
AN INTERVIEW WITH STEVEN BROWN, CURATOR OF THE SECTION LIGHT AND SOUND
* You are in the curatorship of the section Light & Sound of Prague's Quadriennale this year. Who do you the most looking forward to from the program of that section? Is there for example anybody you approached to participate in this program and he/she could not do from whatever reason?
I'm looking forward to absolutely everything! We have three truly inspirational and ground breaking sound artists coming to Prague to talk about their ideas and practice, Robin Rimbaud (AKA Scanner), Hans Peter Kuhn and Tod Machover. All have huge international reputations and I'm really happy they all agreed and have managed to find spaces in their busy diaries to come to and join us all in Prague. Robin, Hans and Tod have had a huge influence on my own thinking and sound practice and I'm sure that many others will be similarly influenced after meeting them and hearing what they have to say.
AN INTERVIEW WITH SODJA LOTKER, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF THE PQ
This year’s Prague Quadrennial, the massive theatre exhibition held in the Czech capital every four years since 1967, will witness several changes. This year, the exhibition will take place at the VeletržníPalace, and more than ever before it will seek out audiences at other locations around town. Most of all, the organizers hope to attract visitors to the National Theatre’s piazzetta, which will be the site of one the PQ program’s main pillars, “Intersection: Intimacy and Spectacle”. PQ 2011’s artistic director Sodja Lotker explains this section’s origins, its form, and its objective.
Whole articleAN INTERVIEW WITH SIMONA RYBÁKOVÁ, CURATOR OF THE EXTREME COSTUME SECTION
Visitors to the Prague Quadrennial will find several PQ projects at the Veletržní Palace, including “Extreme Costume”. This section will consist of an exhibition of costumes, video recordings and photographs, as well as a series of presentations and discussions. Both the exhibition and the presentations are curated by leading Czech costume designer Simona Rybáková. In an interview, she shares the project’s main objectives.
Whole articleAN INTERVIEW WITH OREN SAGIV, ARCHITECT OF THE INTERSECTION PROJECT ON THE PIAZZETTA OF THE NATIONAL
Intersection is a special project of this year’s Prague Quadrennial. It will take place on the National Theatre’s Piazzetta, located between the theatre’s historic and modern buildings. The Piazzetta will be occupied by a jumble of variously sized white and black cube-like objects, in which viewers will find installations and performances by thirty renowned artists from all over the world. The entire installation has been designed by Israeli architect Oren Sagiv.
Whole articleAN INTERVIEW WITH DANIELA PAŘÍZKOVÁ, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE PQ
Daniela Pařízková is involved in the preparations of what is already her third edition of the Prague Quadrennial (PQ). In 2003, she was in charge of organizing the accompanying program, and four years ago she was the main coordinator of PQ. This year, she will participate in the preparation of the extensive festival of scenography in the capacity of executive director. In the following interview, Daniela Pařízková speaks about the history and tradition of PQ, its position in the theatre world, and its goals.
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