A Landscape Narrating Itself Scenography in Times of the Anthropocene

Five day workshop in the mountains in Swizerland where students developed work within one qubic kilometer of landscape. Projects were on display on wagons in a barn within the qubic kilometre. With Anthropos Ex and Bio Design Lab.

If we were to take the shift of the human being’s position within the cosmos seriously which we face in the light of the so-called ecological crisis – which effects would occur for theatre, scenography and the design of space?

This block seminar, a cooperation between ADSZ, the Bio Design Lab and the theatre project ANTHROPOS EX, was dedicated to problems of scenography in the age of the Anthropocene: In a theoretical introduction, we will dealt with concepts of a human-world structure after modernity based on texts by Bruno Latour, Frank Raddatz, Anna Tsing, Frederique Ait-Touati and others. In addition, an excursion to the Entlebuch Biosphere in Switzerland took place in June 2022. There, we confronted ANTHROPOS EX research on a specific landscape as a stage and protagonist and their narratives of the place and the intertwining of humans and non-humans. If one takes this attempt seriously, all definitions, time dimensions and appointments about theatre must be radically questioned, especially the importance of the stage set: What would a scenographic approach look like through which materiality, place and landscape tell about themselves? Therefore we worked together with local and traditional forms of knowledge in Entlebuch as well as exchanged ideas with scientists and students from other universities (ETH, ZHdK). It culminated in first conceptual ideas and try-outs, grasping challenges and formulating questions as well as approaches, presented in an exhibition on site.

https://anthropos-ex.com/entlebuch-exploring-a-stage-for-trans-disciplinary-storytelling/