Architectu(u)r(e)

Maybe one day we’ll build a ‘second auditorium’ in the Kaaitheater, in the building on Quai des Péniches. In any case, last season students from the master’s studio in architecture and (performing) arts at Ghent University did an exercise on the idea. A selection of their projects will be shown at the Kaaitheaterstudio’s from 4 to 31 October. The opening is at 6 pm on Thursday 4 October. Admission is free, either when there’s a performance or by appointment.

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The Masterstudio intends to bring students of architecture in contact with other forms of artistic creation, namely the performing arts, and to stimulate these students to use this experience to develop projects that call to mind the use of space in contemporary theatre and dance.

The exhibition shows five results of the Masterstudio Architecture and (Performing) Arts 2006-2007: four architectural projects and a master’s thesis.

The four projects examine the possibilities inherent in the Kaaitheater complex at the Sainctelettesquare  / Akenkaai, with as central objective the insertion of a second (smaller) theatre auditorium for approximately 200 spectators and the possible expansion of the seating capacity of the main auditorium. The qualities and shortcomings of the present spatial organisation are evaluated, and concepts are developed for improving the interaction of the different functions (the circulation areas, the cafe, the foyer, the VTi library, etc.). This is done among others with a view toward increasing the usability of these areas for artistic productions.

The master’s thesis Making Theatre: Architectural Strategies by Contemporary Performing Artists studies the use of space in contemporary theatre performances. Using case studies, the work examines the transformation of the traditional theatre spaces among contemporary theatre makers. It analyses in particular the changes of the position and of the path of the spectator and the erosion of the “centripetality” of the classical theatre performance.