(The Waves by Virginia Woolf)
Scenography, 2023
Professor: Barbara Brink / group project with Julie Hilliova and Victoria Sköld
Les Vagues is a scenography project based on Virginia Woolf's The Waves, one of her most experimental works, consisting of abstract and often cryptic monologues between six characters. The project was developed for Marion Stoufflet and Élise Vigneron's adaptation at Théâtre de Châtillon in France.
Since the play itself is rather abstract, we wanted the stage design to be simple but still expressive. The main concept was to use a single large piece of fabric covering the entire stage, with no actors physically present. Instead, the fabric becomes the performer, manipulated by strings from offstage, almost like a giant marionette. Each of the six characters is represented by a peak in the fabric, with their movements reflecting different emotions and relationships throughout the play. Two key moments were explored in more detail: the arrival of Percival, representing hope, and the shattering of Rhoda. The latter is expressed through a violent movement of fabric, forming a tornado-like shape before eventually collapsing onto the stage, symbolizing both Rhoda's death and the peace she had never experienced before.
A large part of the process involved experimenting with different fabrics and their mechanical properties. Through sketches and physical scale models, we explored how the material could be manipulated to create different shapes and movements. A silk and cotton blend was eventually selected for its ability to move freely while maintaining the desired forms.
The goal was to create a stage where something as simple as a piece of fabric could become a character, tell a story, and communicate emotions entirely through movement.