Some thoughts on the future of scenography Antti Mattila, designer at Helsinki City Theatre Amsterdam, 9.5.2019

Art history as a narrative Always progress from avant-garde to mainstream But what it takes for something to come a widespread practice?

But what it takes for something to come a widespread practice? Two things are needed: the innovation and the demand. In art the demand means right context, the way people see the world that new artistic style relates to or resonates – demand is from both, the artists and the public.

To analyze the future of scenography we need to look at the way world is changing and how that change is affecting performing arts in general.

Some tendencies in contemporary performing arts: Renouncing hierarchies in creative teams Collective autorship Auto-controlling work processes Renouncing directorship and control Aiming to dialogue Accepting incompleteness Renouncing unified interpretation

”Renouncing unified interpretation” Key issue between modernism (most of the 20th century) and postmodernism In postmodern scenography ”design is a dissonant reminder that no single point of view can predominate, even within a single image” (Arnold Aronson, in essay ”Postmodern design”) Playing with the boundaries of fiction becomes mainstream

Impact of big global changes on performing arts & scenography? Environmental issues can affect both artistic practices and themes We always tend to overestimate the speed and underestimate the depth of change

We always tend to overestimate the speed and underestimate the depth of change Virtuality is everyday life Robotics?

Impact of big technological innovations to theatre is always twofold: how they are applicable to the making of performances and how they change the world surrounding us and our lives and how that change is reflected in arts

Where there is a reaction, there is also a counter-reaction Possible counter-reactions to virtuality: Theatre as a modern bonfire, about the basics of people sharing stories and presence ”Real” materials, ”real” objects on stage

Future comes slowly And the strengths of live performance and scenography are not disappearing

Thank you