The eight students in scenography at the Ninth School met for the second time at Nanterre-Amandiers to create the school pavilion that France will present at the Prague Quadrennial in June 2019. Faithful to the chosen theme by Philippe Quesne for the two French pavilions, the Ninth School explored the theme of the "island".
The Ninth School tells the second workshop, which took place on November 23 and 24, 2019, in Nanterre-Amandiers.
Crash Park and the island
This is only our second meeting and it is important to take the time to find ourselves. We spend part of the morning discussing our works in progress, then Philippe Quesne shows us the progress of the play Crash Park on which he is working. We have the chance to observe the plateau while the technicians work on it.
The afternoon allows us to reflect on what the word "island" means to us. We multiply the sources and cross the representations: photos, texts, notes, references ...
A creative exercise on Nanterre-Amandiers' stage
The next day we walk in the set design of Crash Park. This walk turns into a creative exercise. Philippe invites us, one after the other, to tell on stage an island story, real or fictional. The storyteller can use the various materials that fill the scenography to tell his or her story and even rely on objects found on stage. Ariane for example reads a book extract unearthed by chance backstage. Lucie invites us to put our heads in the portholes of the plane to tell us her story. Later, Simon also recounts a memory while we are sitting on the island. Gradually, he folds up the bottom of his pants and moves away from us to soak his feet in the water on the stage.
Led Philippe, questions abound: how to install our audience, in the stands, on the stage behind the scenes; is the audience moving or not, sitting, standing, what frame to choose ...?
This exercise allows us to cross questions related to scenography while addressing the theme of the "island". It is also a moment to become more familiar with the group and the way each other works.
Clothilde Valette (HEAR)