Author: Jessica Sheridan Assoc. AIA LEED AP

Event: SURRENDER — Wendy Osserman Dance Company
Location: The Duke on 42nd Street, 06.06-09.07
Choreography: Wendy Osserman in collaboration with the dancers
Dancers: Charis Haines; Cori Kresge; Victoria Lundell; Wendy Osserman; Emily Quant; Aya Shibahara; Justin Ternullo
Composer: Rosi Hertlein
Musicians: Rosi Hertlein; Warren Smith
Lighting Design: Kathy Kaufmnan
Set Design: Illya Azaroff, Assoc. AIA — the design collective studio
Costumes: Cori Kresge; Aya Shibahara

The set for SURRENDER evokes Klimt and Ernst.

Illya Azaroff

Both architecture and dance can explore the relation between performer and environment. “Dance is a testing ground for architectural ideas,” says Illya Azaroff, Assoc. AIA, Director of Design of the design collective studio and set designer for SURRENDER, recently performed by the Wendy Osserman Dance Company. The performance was inspired by the work of Gustav Klimt and Max Ernst, and in response to the paintings and the dancers’ movement, Azaroff created a set that both highlights and camouflages the performers. Along with the integrated lighting, costumes, and music, the boundaries among different media rhythmically shift throughout.

The minimal set is a collage comprised of three elements: a suspended ladder-like component stage right; a white, slashing sculpture stage left; and a swooping curtain moving from the ceiling stage right to the floor stage left. Each element shifts in meaning and use throughout the performance. For example, in “The Fall” the set seems to take cue from the dancer’s actions — when she flows, her movement blends with the curtain; when she agitatedly gestures, the sculpture seems to argue with her. In “Seasnakes” the colors of the costumes blend in with patterns projected onto the curtain. Dancers alternate fading in with and separating from the background as they carry cumbersome objects on their backs. When they strip from their burdens, the sculpture acts as a shelter protecting them as they expose their inner selves. And in the final piece, “Owning It,” the ladder is the central object. The scattered, rectangular lighting on the floor appears as if rungs had fallen from above.

In conversation with Azaroff, he discussed the collaborative process with Osserman, focusing on how the discourse about Klimt and Ernst paintings enhanced the design process. While Osserman concentrated on composition, Azaroff was captivated by space. As they both began to incorporate human scale into the performance, the set and dances were developed separately but equally. Ultimately, the music, costumes, and light created the overlap needed to fuse all of the elements together.

The many layers recall Surrealism and Symbolism in general, but it is the performer/environment relationship that highlights the direct connection to Klimt and Ernst. Sometimes blending and other times acting in opposition to each other, the set and dancers inhabit the stage defining and redefining their relation to each other. The design collective’s website states that the driving force behind the firm’s work is to assemble collaborative teams to create “landscapes of the imagination.” SURRENDER exemplifies this in every way.

Recently, there has been much discussion about the future of Governors Island. As the date approaches for one of the five finalist teams to be selected to develop the island, the Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation (GIPEC) has been soliciting opinions from the public. After visiting the island, viewing the current exhibition at the Center for Architecture (See On View At the Center for Architecture), attending a panel discussion at the Center with various governing officials involved in the decision process (See the AIANY online calendar), and interviewing Leslie Koch, President of GIPEC (See Conversation published 05.30.07), I have decided which of the five entries I prefer.

What I like about the West 8/Rogers Marvel Architects/Diller Scofidio + Renfro/Quennell Rothschild and Partners/SMWM entry is that it explores a range of ideas to satisfy visitors of all ages without relying on historic precedent. The proposal provides 3,000 free bicycles and lounge chairs to be used throughout the island. The north end of the island will retain its existing historic identity, largely untouched, and the south end will develop naturally as a marsh. Demolition debris will be used to create a “vertical landscape.” Eventually, the south and north ends of the island will be separated by a 40-foot-wide channel along the original boundary of the island (the southern end was created from subway construction infill).

Sustainability is taken into account in a variety of ways, from wind turbines to hydroelectric and solar energy generators. Time passage is incorporated into the tree layout; in principle, the essence of the scheme will be preserved even if 40% of the trees remain after 20 years. The vertical landscape is organized to reflect veins in an insect wing strategically placed to frame views of the water and Statue of Liberty.

One of the most successful aspects of the proposal, in my opinion, is that it respects Governors Island as it is and does not try to over-develop too quickly. The first phase hardly changes the island’s existing conditions, only adding a few amenities to entice visitors. Phase 2 integrates the simpler design aspects of the proposal, and the third phase is reserved only if enthusiasm and funds are available. With this strategy, the population can ease into the more radical ideas put forth, and GIPEC can gauge whether or not it is reasonable to develop further.

Although “a team not a scheme” will be selected, and the design and development will change as reality sets in, I think this scheme reflects an intelligent, feasible strategy worth exploring further. To view all five teams’ submissions, read firm bios, scroll through public feedback, and give your own opinions, check out The Park at the Center of the World website.

The Architectural League of NY has announced that New New York: Fast Forward, the recent exhibition on new development in NYC, has been reborn as a website and portfolio-sized traveling show. On the website, videos of 30 architects featured in the exhibition discussing topics ranging from the current state of NYC urban development to Jane Jacobs vs. Robert Moses are available. Interviews include: Sara Caples, AIA; Stephen Cassell, AIA; David Childs, FAIA; Bruce Fowle, FAIA, LEED AP; Hugh Hardy, FAIA; Gordon Kipping, AIA; Richard Meier, FAIA; Gregg Pasquarelli; Ronnette Riley, FAIA; Frederic Schwartz, FAIA; Michael Sorkin; Robert A.M. Stern, FAIA; and Billie Tsien, AIA.

The travel version of the exhibition, available by appointment at the League office, includes DVDs of all interviews, a portable DVD player, and notebooks exploring nearly 600 new projects. Offices and schools may request an on-site presentation. For more information, or to make an appointment, e-mail exhibition curator Gregory Wessner.