POLIMI Course < Architectural and Town in China>

PERFORMANCE OF SPACE
From Ancient Types to Modern Representations
Transcultural Dialogue between Sino-western Theatres

LEI Kangdi
Tongji University
Chongqing, China

The science of theatre building must come from studying what it is that brings
about the most vivid relationship between people and this is best served by
asymmetry, even by disorder? If so, what can be the rule of this disorder?

— Peter Brook, The Empty Space

Introduction

Looking back at the mutual influence of Eastern and Western theatres since the
20th century, a cross-cultural picture of intermingling and penetration is
becoming clearer and clearer: the temple theatre of vernacular China embraces
modernity in the baptism of Western theatre tradition and thus moves toward
realism and reproduction; while the experimental theatre of contemporary
Western pioneers moves toward non-realism and expression under the influence
of Eastern tradition represented by China. This schema contains a dialectic of
interpenetration between the two theatre types, each seeking conceptual
support for its own innovation from the spatial traditions of the other.
Particularly noteworthy is the flexibility, improvisation and audience-
centeredness of traditional Chinese performance space and its intertextuality
with gardens, which coincide with the direction of contemporary Western
theatrical innovation—when reflected in the architectural design of theatre, it can
be summarized as installation, novelty of form, freedom of space, metaphor and
openness, etc. In addition, the worldwide collective reversion to natural places
shows a gesture of architects in search of cross-cultural universality. These
efforts to go in the same direction provide valuable insights into the creation of a
new common form of human performance.

1
Interwoven Veins: A Brief History of Chinese and Western Theatre Space

Chinese...

Western...

1. Inheritance and Innovation of Traditional Theatre Types

2. Extraction of Dramatic Symbols and Urban Performance

3. A Return to the Primitive Natural Place

Key points of space design (especially for category 2)

Decentralization: Theatre loses its previous emphasis on continuity, unity and

uniformity, and breaks the homogeneity of space, becoming open, changing and
flowing.

Diverse juxtaposition: The juxtaposition of different spaces deconstructs the

centrality of the stage, further practicing the idea of "synchronicity" unfolding in
the space, and the autonomy of the audience is highlighted.

Incompleteness: A fragmented vision to embody a complex aesthetic. The

fragmented spatial form may be messy, fragmented, imperfect, and may even
appear to the general public to be odd and worthless, but it is a characteristic of
contemporary theater: the pursuit of conflict, imbalance, and fragmentation, and
the rejection of the hypocrisy and rigidity of standard homogenization.

Interactivity: questioning and deconstructing the illusory stage that used to

condense and collapse real life, so that the everyday begins to intervene into the
theatrical space, towards a flowing and familiar reality. The interactive
immersion experience breaks the confrontation between the stage and the
audience, causing the theater space to change in all aspects of location, form,
volume, and layout, giving rise to the openness and diversity of contemporary
theater architecture. Theatre architecture has become a "collective creation"

2
 POLIMI Course < Architectural and Town in China>

performed by creators, performers and spectators, creating a kind of subjective

thinking of space.

High technology/installation: The development of architectural technology

and installation art, along with the emergence of new media art, has made
theater architecture fully absorb the diversity of the information age, turning it
into a bizarre installation that embraces sound, light, electricity, and video.

Symbolization/metaphor: The installationized theater architecture has put an

end to the narrative nature of traditional theater. As space no longer serves the
plot and function, architecture is thus no longer bound by the usual forms, but
has become a series of imagery and symbolic expression, emphasizing the
overall image it constitutes to bring the audience a gut reaction and its reflection
of the iconic vision of the city. It draws the audience's attention away from what
the building is like, thus highlighting the organic intertextual relationship
between drama and space, architecture and city, and exploring an
understanding of the relationship between theater and people.

Urbanity and spatial performance: Contemporary theater is a public space,

using a confrontational and strategic spatial language, through the civilian
gesture and the spirit of resistance, trying to create a more fair and open
performance place for the general public, extending the stage to the urban
context, and breathing with the contemporary urban and social atmosphere.

Design Concept Keywords

Openness, change, mobility, crossing borders

Popularity, equality, citizenship, urbanity, everyday life

Experimental spirit, theatricality, immersion

Deconstruction, rebellion, questioning, challenge, subversion, change…

3
The flexibility, improvisation, and audience-centeredness of traditional Chinese
performance space and its intertextuality with gardens, converge with the
direction of contemporary Western theatre innovation

2. Extraction of Dramatic Symbols and Urban Performance

1.Hamburg Elbe Philharmonic Hall Herzog and De Meuron Architects:

Location: Hamburg, Germany

Year: 2016

The performance space is no longer organized by spaces clearly differentiated

one from the other, but a compact space where all the functions are merged
creating a sort of unique space where everything blends. As seen in the pictures
all the seats are going through the central performance space and at the same
time, this central space is characterized by its fluidity.

And not only this but the central ceiling space is conformed by its continuity
going all the way up and down connecting both spaces and somehow making a
sort of decentralization where all the spaces are visually connected.

4
 POLIMI Course < Architectural and Town in China>

Schematically speaking as seen in the diagram space is characterized by its

fluidity and lines are no longer connected by 90-degree angles they are using
the whole spectrum of them.

5
The high technology installation in the performance space it´s already confirmed
in the article called “Why Herzog & de Meuron's Hamburg Elbphilharmonie Is
Worth Its $900 Million Price Tag” in where they expressed the numberless
internal installations to make the whole project work, therefore, making
available for any type of function.

Its unique form is no longer blended with the city, it is a completely different
element even in the skyline of the city, its uniqueness makes one think of
symbolization or metaphor where architecture is thus no longer bound by the
usual forms but has become a series of imagery and symbolic expression that
ends up changing the whole urban context and not only changing it but including
on its facilities spaces for urban life activities.

2. Jay Pritzker Pavilion / Gehry Partners

Location: Chicago

Year: 2004

6
 POLIMI Course < Architectural and Town in China>

The

space

Discussion

As dramatic art itself continues to be broken through and deconstructed, the

original form of theatre space has also ushered in a torrent of change.
Contemporary theatre space and its architectural practice is a multifaceted
cross-cultural action, shedding its roots in ancient typologies, questioning a
single homogenized spatial form, while drawing from broader cultural traditions,
paying homage to nature as well as the original memory shared by humanity. In
its exploration, it teaches us that theatrical performance can take place
anywhere, at any time; it can be formal or spontaneous. What is most intriguing
and enjoyable about contemporary theatre architecture is thus how the
architects and drama creators in it subtly and rationally explore, challenge, and
subvert the various possibilities of the theatre space. Contemporary theatres
constantly remind us that in performance architecture, we can use any material
and create any framework; it is the space that shapes theatre, it is a culture, it
is an endless imagination. Theatre needs to be eternally revolutionary, openly
inclusive, constantly exploring into the unknown, thus theatre architecture will
always be in the midst of change and creation.

7
Subheading (if necessary)

Full Text of Research, no less than 800 words, verdana 10.

Please set all notes (if necessary) at the end of page.

彼得·布鲁克曾指出，剧院建筑的科学必须来自于这样的研究，即什么东西最能活生生地表现人与人的
关系；如果这最好是通过不对称，甚至是无序来实现，那么这种无序的规则是什么？

前言

回望 20 世纪以降东西方剧场空间的相互影响，一幅交融渗透的跨文化图景正日渐清晰地显现：乡土中
国的庙会戏台在西方剧院传统的洗礼中拥抱现代从而走向写实、再现；而当代西方先锋的实验性剧场在
以中国为代表的东方传统的影响下走向非写实、表现。这一图式包含着两种剧场类型相互渗透的辩证法
每一方都从对方的空间传统中寻求自身革新的观念支持。尤其值得注意的是中国传统演出空间灵活即兴
以观众为中心及其与园林的互文性和当代西方舞台革新的方向不谋而合，反映在剧场建筑设计中可以归
纳为装置化、形式的新奇、空间的自由、暗示与开放等；此外，世界范围内面向自然场所的集体复归展
现出建筑师一种寻找跨文化普适性的姿态，这些殊途同归的努力为创造一种新的人类的共同表演形式提
供了宝贵的洞见。

交织的脉络：中西方剧场空间历史

中国…

西方…

传统剧场类型的继承与创新

台湾大学第一活动中心方案|王大闳（大屋顶+戏棚）

乌镇互联网国际会展中心|王澍（水院呼应江南水上戏台）

南头古城报德广场及大家乐舞台|都市实践（广场/露天剧场/舞台）

8
 POLIMI Course < Architectural and Town in China>

2011 深圳香港双年展：社会剧场|标准营造（阶梯剧场）

戏剧符号的提取与城市展演

香港戏曲中心（帷幕/灯笼/月门）

汉堡易北爱乐音乐厅|Herzog & de Meuron（海浪/水晶/风帆）

Jay Pritzker Pavilion |Gehry Partners（雕塑化的城市舞台）

台北表演艺术中心|OMA（新奇的几何体堆叠展现实验精神与戏剧性）

上海保利大剧院|安藤忠雄（万花筒/棱镜）

向原初自然场所的复归

山谷音乐厅|OPEN（巨石+洞穴）

竹林剧场|DnA（穹顶）

石窝剧场|三文建筑 / 何崴工作室（露天剧场与矿山：人工与天然的张力）

空间设计关键点

去中心化：剧场丧失了以往强调的连续性、整体性和统一性，打破了空间的均质性，变得开放、变化、
流动。

多元并置：不同空间的并置解构了舞台的中心性，进一步实践了“共时性”在空间中展开的设想，观众
的自主性被凸显出来。

非完整性：以碎片性的视觉来体现复杂的美感，碎片化的空间形式可能是凌乱的、残缺的、不完美的，
甚至有可能在大众眼中看来光怪陆离、毫无价值，但它却是当代剧场之特性：追求冲突、失衡、碎片化
摒弃标准同质化的虚伪、僵硬和死板。

交互性：质疑并解构以往浓缩折叠现实生活的虚幻舞台，使得日常性开始介入戏剧空间，走向了一种流
动、熟悉的立体实景。交互性的沉浸体验打破了舞台与观众席之间的对峙，使剧场空间在地点、形态、
体量、布局各方面都发生变化，催生了当代剧场建筑的开放性和多样化。剧场建筑成为一处由创作者、
表演者、观演者共演的“集体创作”，创造一种空间的主体性思维。

9
高技术/装置化：建筑技术和装置艺术的发展，伴随新媒体艺术的出现，使得剧场建筑充分吸纳信息时
代的多元庞杂，变成了一个个包容着声、光、电、影像的千奇百怪的装置。

象征性/符号化：剧场建筑的装置化终结了传统剧场的叙事性，空间不再为情节和功能服务，建筑因而
不再为惯常的形式所缚，成为意象的串连和符号的表达，强调所构成的的整体景观带给观众的直觉反应
及其反映的城市的标志性愿景，将观众的注意力从这座建筑“到底是什么样”上引开，从而突出戏剧与
空间、建筑和城市的有机互文关系，探求一种剧场与人的关系的理解。

城市性与空间展演：当代剧场是一个公共空间，运用一种对抗性的、策略性的空间语言，通过平民姿态
和抵抗精神，力图为普通民众创造一个更公平公开的观剧场所，将舞台延伸至城市背景，与当代城市和
社会氛围同呼吸。

设计思想关键词

开放、变化、流动、跨越边界

大众化、平等、公民性、城市性、日常生活

实验精神、戏剧性、沉浸式

解构、反叛、质疑、挑战、颠覆、变革…

中国传统演出空间灵活即兴、以观众为中心及其与园林的互文性，与当代西方舞台革新的方向相结合

讨论

当戏剧本身不断被突破、解构，原有的剧场空间形式也迎来了一场变革洪流。当代剧场空间及其建筑实
践是一场多元的跨文化行动，它脱胎自古老的空间类型，对单一同质化的空间形式提出质疑，同时又从
更广泛的文化传统中汲取养分，并向自然礼赞和人类共同的原初记忆致敬。它在探索中告诉我们：戏剧
表演可以在任何地方、任何时间进行，它可以是正式的，可以是自发的。因而当代剧场建筑最令人玩味
并乐此不疲的，便是置身其中的建筑师和创作者，如何巧妙地、理性地对剧场类型的各种可能性作出探
索、挑战与颠覆。当代剧场不断提示我们，在剧场建筑里，我们可以利用任何素材，也可以创造任何架
构；是空间塑造了戏剧，它是一种文化，是无穷的想象。戏剧需要永恒的革命，不断地探索，不断地向
未知领域开拓，那么剧场建筑便将永远处于变化与创造之中。

10
 POLIMI Course < Architectural and Town in China>

Figure 1. Insert Title of image, and/or brief description.

References

Generate the references by using this web (http://www.citationmachine.net/), chicago

style.

11