Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 2011 - 36

photo by s tsu

using projected imagery and video." Hahn continues, "We recognized that
the contradiction was interesting and speaks to a broader American ambivalence about or struggle with technology...the role it plays in our lives, what
we love about it as well as what needs technology does not address."
Tindall says he was personally conflicted about how to best present
the sound designs in the exhibit. "The prevailing trend for the presentation of sound design and music in an exhibit format seems to be some
type of kiosk that can provide visual context for the sound design on a
screen with headphones to allow individuals to listen to the sound design
components. While I completely understand and agree with the necessity
of this sonic isolation in order to be able to experience and appreciate a
sound designer's work, it creates a physical and social isolation for the listener that I have always found unsatisfying. Theatre is such a collaborative
and immersive art form that hiding in a box by myself (whether social or
physical) in order to experience design ideas always seems unsatisfying
and contrary to the spirit of the work."

A combination of light sources-incandescent pendants, fluorescents, new
color-changing luminaires, and old ellipsoidals with step lenses-reflected
the high- and low-tech quality of the exhibit.
His goal for the presentation of the sound in From the Edge, Tindall
says, "was to try to find a way to present the sound designer's work in a
public collaboration with the visual elements of the exhibit more closely
resembling the experience of watching a performance; but then to also
provide detailed interactive, isolated access to the sound designs so that
someone who was interested could dig deeper into the sound design without all of the distractions."
What ultimately emerged in the exhibit design was "a structure that
created a partially isolated interior space in which we could combine physical artifacts and projected visual content with open-air aural content and
contextual interviews that immersed the exhibit-goers in the design environment of a production. But we also made sure to provide several kiosk-type
stations where individual exhibit attendees could interactively browse more
specific information (aurally, visually, and contextually) about something
that they found interesting. For the most part, I think that the exhibit was
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successful at providing both an immersive and isolative experience."
The lighting design of the exhibit itself reflected what Hahn called a
mash-up of equipment. The lighting of the exhibit was meant to reflect the
idea that the entire installation was in and around a re-purposed found
space. Hahn described this mix of equipment as "incandescent pendants
hanging from the ceiling, tricked-out off-the-shelf fluorescents, and then
really new fixtures donated by Sea Changer (the Nemo). ETC and PRG also
donated equipment. The lighting was meant to be true to the character of
the space and the idea of high tech side-by-side with some crusty old gear.
We found some ancient 8x10 ellipsoidals with step lenses. We used them
to make the point that for all our sophistication there is still this old stuff
lying around, and for one reason or another we don't get rid of it. Maybe
we'll find a use for it still."
The cuing of the exhibit reflected this contrast between the low- and
high-tech as well. Hahn described his approach: "I tried to establish a
rhythm that went from an industrial look to a more sophisticated theatrical look. The sound and video designers and I established a loop of twenty-minute sequences that focused
first on physical objects and audio from a particular
production. The fluorescents took the lead to open up
the space. In the second part of each sequence, projected still imagery or themed interview clips with artists played on the walls and the incandescent pendants
helped the space be more contained. Finally, for the
fully articulated video segments from a single production, only the Nemos were used to really give video the
focus. In all, there were about five hours of content, so
the space was constantly changing." There were some
significant power limitations, which meant that Hahn
had only thirty-six dimmers to work with. "It was a
small space, but given the way the work was laid out
and the video content and the dynamic use of space, it
would have been helpful to have more control."
Don Tindall found it interesting to see the different ways visitors chose to experience From the Edge.
"Some would come in and make a beeline for the kiosks and pay no attention to the outer environment; some would come
in and take a digital picture of every model and physical artifact and then
leave; others would stand in the exhibit and watch and listen to the immersive AV content playing on the walls. Of course, most people did a
little of all three. We noticed that many people would return to the exhibit
over and over again to experience productions that they hadn't seen yet. I
think that one of the aspects of which I am most proud is that it seemed to
encourage people who entered to choose how they wanted to experience
the content. At the same time, all of the different forms of content that I've
described felt very connected and related to each other."
Artistic director Susan Tsu was delighted that From the Edge was
"packed most of the time." There was a lot going on in the exhibit: videos of
performances, taped interviews and live gallery talks by individual designers and directors, as well as political and social satire seen through performances by Paul Zaloom and Pat Olesko. The USITT-USA offering for the
2011 PQ was complex and existed on multiple levels. "It was gratifying," she
concluded, "to see that so many people took a genuine interest in an American performance landscape rarely presented in such a way at the PQ." v
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 2011
