The Metapolis set for Charleroi Danses was designed to evoke some of the rhythms of the Belgian city. Its structure was a woven topology of different layers and materials, creating a fluid, hybrid setting that echoed the movement on the stage. The dancers were bound into its complex spatial arrangement, which both framed and liberated their gestures.
Flamand’s choreography played with the transformations of the space, mirroring its sense of fluidity and rupture. Frequencies and rhythms, like strict codes of behaviour, were disrupted – the structure became like a breathing space, continually compressing and releasing.
Incorporated into the design were three translucent bridges, each with a 10-metre span. These were worn and slid into different configurations by the dancers – in this way, the costumes became intermediate layers, flexible structures that extended the dance into new visual patterns and spatial interpretations, blurring the boundaries between performer and scenography.
Technical Consultant
DCab
Costume Consultant
Susan Schweizer
Fabrics Consultant
Marie O’Mahony
Couturier
Thomas Zaepf
