FIELD
scenography for Flemish Opera Ballet
choreography: Kirsten Wicklund
scenograpgy: Ivania Carpio
dramaturgy: Tom Swaak
cassistance choreography: Peter Smida
lighting design: James Proudfoot
wardrobe: Irina Shapshnikova
music: Sympfonisch Orkest Opera Vlaanderen, Lin Mu
composition: Béla Bartók, Dmitri Shostakovich, Jean Delouvroy
For the contemporary dance piece FIELD, tulle moves beyond its traditional role in ballet to become an architectural element. Six suspended brushed steel frames, each with a distinct portal cutout, form a shifting structure above a mirrored foundation. The tulle, stretched within these frames, transitions between opacity and translucency under changing light, altering the perception of space.
Designed as an open-ended environment, the scenography invites interpretation; a temple, a portal, an observatory, or something more abstract like a metaphysical field. The modularity of the suspended frames allows for continuous transformation, reconfigured live by stage technicians using the historic hand-operated fly bars Antwerp and Ghent opera houses.
Choreographed by Kirsten Wicklund, who pushes classical ballet language into new dimensions through innovative pointe work. Performed to a live rendition of Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 8 and an ambient soundscape by Jean Delouvroy. Premiered in Antwerp on December 11 and Ghent on December 17, 2024