birgitte moos chalcraft
Set design is progression
Set design is spatial design in theatrical performances, performance art, installation art, videos, film, and computer games.
The different cultural paradigm shifts throughout history have been visualized by rebellious set designers. Hence set design has taken many interesting forms since the Greek theater, and the Wagnerian concept of a ´Gesamtkunstwerk` which specifically focused on interdisciplinarity, and since the avant-garde like the Futurists and the Bauhaus School, who tried to abolish the separation between stage and audience. Set design has moved forward to form a platform, which at the end of the last century characterized the theatre as a merger of audience and stage where the action consisted of achieving a common goal, often as a commentary on socio-political and psychological aspects in society. In recent years set design and performances have changed so dramatically, that they question how the areas have been seen for over 2500 years.
Set design is at best revolutionary for both space and consciousness. A revolutionary space can both inspire and be inspired by intercultural communication. And by experimenting, I try to find new performative expressions and explore how set design can be innovative.
I believe that modern set design consists of collective working processes across disciplines. Including consciousness, sociological reflections, cultural comments, and the transformation of thoughts, words, and deeds of spatial solutions for three-dimensional or simulated spaces, which often includes audience interactivity. Set design has the opportunity to respond to the present, move people's minds, and transcend social and cultural backgrounds.
At the time I studied Spatial Arts at the Royal Academy in Copenhagen, scenography was considered a design discipline in Denmark, while in Germany it was perceived as an art form on par with painting, installation art, etc. I regarded scenography as an artistic field of work, and therefore, as part of the development of my scenographic practice, I moved to Berlin in 1996 and studied scenography in Achim Freyer's class at the Berlin University of the Arts (UdK). There, I gained insight into Wagner's concept of gesamtkunstwerk, as well as a focus on Greek tragedies, mythology, and operas. My experience in Berlin has enriched my understanding of scenography as an interdisciplinary practice. This approach has influenced the projects I have worked on. Consequently, I have combined various art forms such as digital art, painting, installation art, sound art, and text into scenographic works to create a more holistic approach to my work.