Shiwa Shiwa
We designed the scenography for Giuseppe Verdi’s opera “Simon Boccanegra” at the Teatro di San Carl in Naples, the world’s oldest opera house (opened 1737). We set the stage with undulating swaths of fabric hung from above. This flowing material captures the atmosphere of the sea of Genoa where the story unfolds, the changing emotions of the characters, and the movement of light on the stage itself.
The cloth set is composed of special fabric with countless holes made of recycled polyester developed by ALCANTARA. This unique material has a transparency and matte texture that dynamically changes its expression depending on the lighting, and even has the effect of changing the depth of the space. The pattern of the fabric hanging was based on an algorithm called “Differential Growth,” which is common in nature. Our design intent was to pair history with the contemporary: The opera, first performed in 1857 in a theater built in 1737, has been brought back to life with the abstract beauty of modern materials and technology.
