Japanese set design for the opera Madame Butterfly

PROJECT MEMORIAL

The excercise consisted in representing and communicating the essence of the opera with a scenographic design for the stage. We were supposed to develop a powerful space that is visually attractive to the audience and does beautifully transmit the content of the opera.

With previous research and a thorough analysis of the plot, the japanease architecture and the characters, we  developed this project, always trying to convey the perfect mood and location of the actions. We also considered the importance of movement by the performers and the perceived atmosphere by the audience.

The topics of interest to conceptualize this set design were: the contrast between japanese culture and amerian culture, the contratiction betwenn love and frustation, gheisa: masculinity and femininity, japanese woman trained in okya, music and dance.

We wanted to explore the nature and the contrast between the outside part and the inside by using openings. Those openings were also used to contrast solid spaces and voids. The idea was to use beige tones and wood tones; rounded shapes to bring the japanese aesthetics; and straw, linen translucid material/paper to induce a warm atmosphere when brought to light. 

The rounded stair in the middle of the scene is suppoused to be the major element of the opera, once it will be used as an object for the performance and also because it brings out the japanese style. We were deeply influenced by Tadao Ando architecture, Haruki Murakami literature and Yayoi Kusama.

Dimensions: 9.00 m (wide) x 6.00 m (deep) x 7.00m (high)

Scale: 1:25 (=> 36 x 24 x 28 cm)