Final Stage
For the last edition of Horst Arts & Music festival at Horst Castle, the experimental festival that showcases electronic music and in-situ visual arts, two informal shelters were collaboratively designed with a group of students. One is a small version in bright yellow fabric for lectures, while the other is a larger red version, intended for concerts. Final Stage can be seen as an elementary architectural gesture inspired by the ancient tradition of tent structures. Like a tent, Final Stageprovides its users with the basic need of shelter.
The stages are conceived as an inversed vault. Five pieces of wedge-shaped colored textile come together in a central point. These textile canopies are held up at their edges, forming voluptuous suspended sculptures. The static connotation of the vault is challenged by the movement and deformation of the textile under the influence of the wind.
The two stages can be characterized as both pop—in their colours and iconic appearance—and classical—in their formal references— and are realized with a minimum of resources. In each instance, the stage is defined not by markings on the ground or elevated flooring, but rather by a suspended surface in the air. The canopies, then, serve a dual purpose, acting not just as a shield from the elements but also as symbolic markers and signals.
In collaboration with Michiel Heilbig
COMMISSION
Horst Arts and Music festival
LOCATION
Horst Castle, Holsbeek (BE)