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Floating Theater
by Léon Spikker & Andrew Gooden
Summary
The south bank of Rotterdam has been traditionally neglected in cultural and educational development due to it's focus on industry. The Floating Theatre can function as a catalyst to bridge the gap between the cultural north and industrial south of the Nieuwe Maas.
The Floating Theatre is a revolutionary concept, freeing both actors and spectators from the confines of the traditional, four-walled auditorium. It is an organic structure, able to shrink or expand in response to changing economic, social and climatic conditions. The Innovation Dock facilitates this, serving as an on-site production facility which provides stage components, building components and props. The cranes connect this area to the theatre space, by moving heavy stage construction, and may also act as a performance object or "fly tower".
Internally, the project consists of a matrix of floating platforms. The height of each of these platforms can be individually controlled, through the use of air compressors. In this way, one platform may assume a range of functions. It could be a part of the seating area at one moment and be a part of the stage the next, eroding the sharp division between performer and spectator. The result is a truly flexible performance space, which offers directors almost unlimited design freedom.
Connections
Reizende Drijvende Markt, Islands, The Digital Gardener
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