Backstage Confessions
BLUE/ORANGE
One of the big talking points in the foyer at the moment is the intriguing sculpture created by
uber-talented Set & Costume Designer Tobhiyah Stone Feller.
A former student of the College of Fine Arts UNSW, Tobhiyah graduated from NIDA in 2005
and has worked as an independent theatre designer ever since. She is also a director of
Stukel Stone (www.stukelstone.com), an innovative company that combines architecture and
performance design to create spaces and experiences driven by imagination.
The sculpture has prompted many lengthy debates about exactly what it is. As youʼll see from
the genesis below, there is no one meaning. It is acting (as we hoped it would) as a
Rorschach Test of sorts. It is something that is subjective and elusive, ever-present and yet
foreign: reminiscent of mental illness, its diagnosis and treatment.
Below, Tobhiyah has shared her process from initial research through to the finished
product. But the photos really donʼt do her design justice. It must be seen to be fully
appreciated.
Production Details
Blue/Orange By Joe Penhall
From 23 October 2014
Director: Anna Crawford
Set & Costume Designer Tobhiyah Stone Feller Lighting Designer Christopher Page Cast Ian Meadows, Dorian Nkono and Sean Taylor
Designing Blue/Orange
(Unless credited otherwise, all photos supplied by Tobhiyah Stone Feller)
Early Research:
The sketches below track the journey form initial ideas to the final idea we settled on: an abstract
shape which would hang over the doctors and patient, an ʻelephant in the roomʼ that was ambiguous
in meaning and could be lit to recede or be dominant, to look benign or threatening, evoke very
different emotional reactions depending on the way it was lit.
Orange and capsule influences:
Focusing this idea into one ʻsphereʼ:
Birdʼs eye view of the sphere: in relation to the back wall of the theatre, looking at the lip of the sphere
and discovering that creating more of an ʻeyeballʼ socket would allow us to insert LED lights into the
sphere itself.
The amazing work of visual artist James Turrell, particularly “Skyspace”
(www.arcspace.com/exhibitions/unsorted/gathered-sky-by-james-turrell) was a significant inspiration:
Another inspiration was the extraordinary artist, Anish Kapoor: (www.anishkapoor.com):
We loved the depth he created, and wanted to create a similar feel in the sphere, using light and a
bigger shell fitted behind it to give the illusion of a ʻbottomlessʼ sphere.
We settled on the general shape and began to play around with light:
White Card Presentation: exploring height, angle and light:
From here, formal plans were drawn up, with particular attention paid to sight lines to ensure that the
majority of the audience would see a ʻfloating objectʼ.
Using ARCHICAD, 29 camera angles were set up around the digital Ensemble auditorium so we
could examine the sculpture from all view points ahead of time.