Tectonic & scenographic: To examine the scenographic use and elements in architecture

Abstract

Designing a theatre in relation to Tectonic and Scenographic characteristics. If the tectonic architecture clearly shows how the different elements of a building fulfill the function of carrying load or in themselves constitute a load, then what is the non-tectonic architecture and what does it do? Is it to be called scenographic because it places itself above nature’s laws of mass and weight – does it pretend to invalidate the laws of gravity? Is there a dividing line between what we call scenographic architecture and what we would call scenography in architecture? The starting point of this thesis is based on my personal experience as a photographer on one hand and opera singer on the other. As a photographer and filmmaker, you are constantly looking for new backdrops and set designs, as a stage artist on the other hand, you actively approach a set scenography that should enhance both the script and the characters to capture the audience and tell a story. Using this as a starting point, I want to investigate in what sense scenographic properties and expressions can be used in relation to the built environment, and does the use of this make us actors and extras in the landscape of architecture? I have on several occasions used Gunnebo House and Gardens (Mölndal, Sweden) as a backdrop and set design for photo shoots. The property has been partially reconstructed and buildings have been posthumously erected although never realized during the 18th century. The basis for the reconstructions is a collection of over 200 drawings that the architect Carl Wilhelm Carlberg (1746-1814) left in his legacy. In the drawing collection one can find everything from landscape and facades, to chiseled details of interiors, furniture and tiled stoves. This thesis project claimes the Gunnebo estate as its site of investigation. It was designed by Carl Wilhelm Carlberg in the mid 18th century and is located just outside Gothenburg. The former landowner, John Hall, was at the time one of the most prosperous merchants in Sweden and the family had a major palace in the city centre of Gothenburg, wich contained a private park with a theatre, ballroom and a naturalia museum. However the summer estate Gunnebo was completed without a theatre, even though this was in fashion during the era. My aim with the thesis is to propose a theatre building at the site. It was never designed, there is no documentation or drawings of such a building, but the estate is clearly made to host a spectacle with prominent guests such as kings and nobility. With its gardens and walking paths, the main building and park is a popular excursion destination during the summer months. Theatre, classical concerts, weddings and plays are held inside the house and in parts of the garden. I believe this further strengthens my project. Through site analysis in various techniques and literature studies, I want to propose a building that relates to the discussion of scenographic architecture and that submits to a neoclassical structured estate designed for spectacles. The MSS (matter, space, structure) studio has been a tool and an opportunity to investigate the site and to anchor a future design in the formation of theory that concerns the subject of tectonics and scenography in architecture.