William Kentridge: "The Nose" Opera Curtain

Episode #125: Set designer Sabine Theunissen and scenic artist John Pitts share how the opera curtain for William Kentridge's production of "The Nose" (2010) was enlarged, by hand, from a humble collage. Filmed on location at Kentridge's studio in Johannesburg, South Africa, and at The Metropolitan Opera's workshop in The Bronx, New York.

Having witnessed first-hand one of the twentieth century's most contentious struggles—the dissolution of apartheid—William Kentridge brings the ambiguity and subtlety of personal experience to public subjects most often framed in narrowly defined terms. Using film, drawing, sculpture, animation, and performance, he transmutes sobering political events into powerful poetic allegories. Aware of myriad ways in which we construct the world by looking, Kentridge often uses optical illusions to extend his drawings-in-time into three dimensions.

Learn more about William Kentridge at: http://www.art21.org/artists/william-kentridge

The film "William Kentridge: Anything Is Possible" premieres October 21, 2010 at 10:00 p.m. ET on PBS (check local listings). For more information, visit: http://www.art21.org/anythingispossible

VIDEO | Producer: Wesley Miller & Nick Ravich. Interview: Eve Moros Ortega & Susan Sollins. Camera: Robert Elfstrom & Joel Shapiro. Sound: Tom Bergin & Ray Day. Editor: Mary Ann Toman. Artwork Courtesy: William Kentridge. Special Thanks: The Metropolitan Opera, New York; John Pitts & Sabine Theunissen. © 2010 Art21, Inc.

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• art
• artist
• visual
• contemporary
• william kentridge
• sabine theunissen
• metropolitan opera
• met opera
• opera
• shostakovich
• gogol
• curtain
• collage
• drawing
• south africa

[bebenut123]

Why don't they just print the all thing?

[streetkicker21]

This is really awesome!