Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 2023 - 41

The U.S. Exhibit design team philosophy
focused on the country's many
contrasts. The U.S. is assembled from
a multitude of fragments-of geography,
of ethnicity, of language, of poverty, and
wealth. The U.S. is not a monolith, available
to the eye from a single viewpoint.
It can only be understood through its
contrasts and interrelationships. These
differences, whether destructive or productive,
inevitably become part of the
generative work we create as theatrical
designers.
Our exhibit, a singular, house-like
structure built from salvage materials,
provides a space for comparison and excavation
of the multiplicity that makes up
the U.S. theatrical design landscape. The
home, as a signifier of place, belonging,
identity, language, and culture, is an influential
lens upon which to design.
The work of the chosen artists and
their responses to prompts about HOME
are presented on adjacent screens, creating
conversations between aesthetics
and identity. The control of the visual
and sonic landscape is in the hands of
the viewers; using a digital interface, the
spectators can engage in a real-time visual
and aural dialogue with one another
and the work of the designers.
The process of making this structure
is inherently linked to its design, derived
by sourcing material from salvage yards,
The U.S. National Exhibit. | Photo by Michal Hančovský, Prague Quadrennial 2023.
discarded sets, and remnant materials
donated from theatres across the country.
The origin of each piece used in the
assemblage is marked with its place of
origin and the name of the production
it was created for. The development of
environmentally conscious approaches
to material collection through gathering
and repurposing of objects that represent
the aesthetic abundance of the country
asks the viewer to see design as an act of
critical engagement with the world. The
project suggests that even the most mundane
of materials, when imbued with a
history of performance, can become a
rare object.
As theaters reopen, they are seeking
ways to rebuild and restructure themselves.
Companies and designers with
rich and differentiated perspectives are
moving towards the center, garnering attention
and leading the way. Now when
conscientious practices are being given
more focus, resources, and care, this rare
moment in history is shifting the ways we
approach collaboration and opening out
to a more expansive future.
Full exhibition catalogs are available online, providing more complete access to production stills as
well as selected cues for sound, media, and lighting designs. The complete catalog can be found
at http://pq23.usitt.org/catalogue.
The National Exhibit designers wanted to use
recycled or repurposed scenic drops for the structure.
Dozens were donated and cut into more than 13,000
1 " x22 " strips attached to the sides and roof of the
National Exhibit at the PQ.| Photo by Jim Lile.
Curatorial Team:
Kevin Rigdon, Artistic Director, Alley Theatre &
University of Houston
Tatiana Vintu, Head Curator, Virginia Tech University
Patrick
Rizzotti, Associate Artistic Director, live
entertainment designer
Ian Garrett, Digital Curator, York University
Josafath Reynoso, Curator, scenic designer
Soledad Sanchez Valdez, Curator, visual artist &
designer
Christina Watanabe, Curator, lighting designer
Alejandro Fajardo, Curator, lighting designer
Susan Tsu, Curator, Carnegie Mellon University
Rafael Jaen, Curator, University of Massachusetts
at Boston
Loyce L. Arthur, Curator, University of Iowa
Jim Streeter, Curator, Princeton University
R. Scott Blackshire, Curator, McNay Art Museum
From USITT:
Tatiana Wilds, Associate Curator, Digital Media
Commission
Rob Eastman-Mullins, Associate Curator, Scenic
Commission
Adam Mendelson, Associate Curator, Lighting
Commission
Joe Pino, Associate Curator, Sound Commission
Sabrina Notarfrancisco, Associate Curator, Costume
Commission
Loren Schreiber, Associate Curator, Sound Commission
Greg
Cook, Associate Curator, Technical Commission
FALL
2023 | THEATRE DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY | 41

http://pq23.usitt.org/catalogue

Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 2023