ORIENT PEARL
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Authors: Edoardo Mentegazzi, Marline Lisette Wilders
Project entry on Catalogue
Title Catalogue: TAC 9th OISTAT Theatre Architecture Competition 2015
Editor: OISTAT
Year: 2015
Pages: 91
Language: English
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This theatre is intended to import traditional Kung Fu, an important aspect of the rich Chinese culture to become an Orient Pearl into the Spree. The Orient Pearl theatre is conceptualized as a floating shell shaped structure in timber, opening itself to unveil the pearl at the heart of it: the Shaolin Kung Fu performance. The theatre consists of two elements: the audience facilities that are located on shore, and the auditorium floating on water connected together with a ramp. This ramp, forms a red carpet and marks the passage from the social reality of the audience spaces into the world of the performance, reinforcing the process of theatrical framing. An etfe cloth in Chinese red, covers the upper part of the shell, creating a closed theatre structure and offering shelter to the elipse-shaped flat floor stage and the backstage area. A metal structure provides for the fixture of stage technology; lighting and sound systems and divides the stage from the backstage area with a projection screen made out of stretched canvas. The warriors make their spectacular entrance on stage through a vertical opening in the canvas. The elipse-shaped auditorium offers free sightlines and enables the physical closeness and an intimate relationship between spectators and the monks. Benches in the auditorium for up to 250 spectators, create a feeling of togetherness and cohesion among audience members.
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