FS20, Arena, Landscape Choreography, by Group 11
On the edge of the city, one can still expect wilderness. This is especially true for the Albisgüetli. At the final station of the tram line 13, one can step out into a wilderness which is man-made, driven by functional or economic requirements. A christmas tree nursery with grid layout, stacks of neatly piled up wood, drains to avoid swampy meadows, earth walls as backstops: These elements are speaking so offensively of their use, that it seems as if they wanted to scream at anyone who had the audacity to admire the scenery for its aesthetic value. As it is difficult to stop the landscape from convincing you that its appearance is the result of pure pragmatism, we knew that we could not simply extend it in a similar fashion and doing it justice.
Beside its charming nonchalance, we also found truly beautiful and subtle moments, colourful flowers blooming between the young firs, a lone blackthorn in full blossom or gently rising hills. It was hard sometimes to believe these different aspects where so close to each other and our image of the place transformed more and more into that of a surrealist collage.
Most interesting for us was how the landscape did not offer purely picturesque moments but a richness of situations that provoke being experienced with the body. Spaces open up behind others like secret chambers and ask to be explored, behind every earth wall lurks another surprising situation. With these realizations made, the idea to make an arena for dance came about all by itself. But how does a arena for dance look like? The first clear intention was to design a landscape which inspires for gathering and movement. Thinking of a dance arena for contemporary dance, we decided to turn the whole landscape into a scenery, which dance ensembles could interact with.
As nearly everything we knew about contemporary dance came from the 2011 Wim Wenders film „Pina“, we decided that we would just check whether it could be re-enacted on the site. Having made a catalogue of existing elements, we also made a catalogue of spaces shown in the film, the difference between both would be the modifications we propose in our design.
With the relationship between body and ground as starting point of our examination, we thought about the different surfaces that we found: From meadow to woodchips, the site was offering a lot. In terms of obstacles the dancers could work on, the site was almost abundant, but sometimes not specific enough. Therefore our interventions aim to clarify and give different atmospheres to these obstacles. Moving between these newly created spaces, the dancers will be followed by the spectators which can freely group around the performance, but are occasionally offered possibilities for seating.
To test the interventions, we merged the different scenes into a choreography which would go through the landscape.
Starting from a field with blank earth enclosed by bushes one goes through an elevated alley. Small bumps appear, a big earth wall brings the horizon within close proximity. Ascending terraces offer a dramatic perspective, which is intensified by the space becoming more narrow towards the top. The big aim structure of the shooting range is extended with a wooden platform, the backstop serves as tribune to watch the dance. In the middle of the Föhreneggbach, a platform of stone is inserted. When water is flowing, it looks like a big mirror for the sky. Existing wood stacks are doubled, empty stacks make an enfilade towards a clearing which is cut into the forest.
Most of the changes can be made by earthwork and planting trees. When adding structures, we use raw materials like oak wood and limestone. The idea is to make small interventions wherever there is potential in an existing element for the wanted scenery. Which also is our Energy approach. Local Materials, as little earth shifting as possible and when we do, we use the excavation for another intervention. In our energy drawing we compare the CO2 emissions from the building process with the CO2 storage of the planted trees. Not to build is the best way of reducing emissions. Instead of building an arena, we propose taking seriously what has been built. Like reducing emissions and being careful with resources is a challenge to all of us, the already built can also be seen as a productive obstacle. Obstacles that we can dance with.
„For Pina, the elements were very important. Whether sand or soil, stones or water... Somehow, even icebergs and rocks appeared on stage. When we dance, they become... obstacles. You have to go against or through them, or climb over them…“
