The Black Box

Portfolio

Chien,Ching-fang

Born in

Taiwa

n

EducationTaipei National University of the Arts (09/2005-06/2010)Bachelor of fine Arts majoring in Stage Design

Work ExperiencesYun-Shan Creative Studio International (2011/12 ~ 2012/9)Design Assistant / Administrative assistant

art joey visual communication (2010/8 ~ 2011/11)Design Assistant

Stage Design2012 City Story Theater <Insanity>

2012 Punctum Creative Workshop <Once again dreaming>

2012 NTNU Graduate Institute of Performing art <Misplace>

2010 W Theatre productions <The Thebans>

2009 OUR Theatre <Taipei Animals>

Lighting Design2012 NTNU Graduate Institute of Performing art < Music war in 101>

2011 NTNU Graduate Institute of Performing art <Wheel of fate>

Chien, Ching-Fang

11

《The Thebans》

2010 / Wenshan Theatre

《Insanity》

1 2012 / Treasure Hill Artist Village

17 2009 / Chiayi Performing Arts Center Experimental Theater

《Taipei Animals》

23 2009 / TNUA T305 Experimental Theater Graduation Showcase

《Tristan and Isolde》

7《MisPlace》 2012 / NTNU Graduate Institute of Performing art

STAGE DESIGNCONTENTS

31 2008 / TNUA T305 Experimental Theater

41

Variety show / Talk show

2011

Manuscript

《A Woman Alone》

35 2008 Coursework

《The Jade Guanyin》

OTHER WORKS

《Insanity》

01

2012 2F,Guest House No.52.54, Treasure Hill Artist Village (Aug.) ThERE CAFE & LIVE HOUSE (Sept.)

Dramatist / Chen Pei GuangDirector & Reorganize / Zhong, Huan-yu

02

About 《Insanity》Chen Yi-Ren was the most famous actor once. However, he can just live in a life with those glorious memories now, in a humid old room that's got a telephone without a ring.Though there is only an audience of himself still watching, he still does his best, for the best play in his life ever…

Treasure Hill Artist Village

Scenario analysis / DevelopI wanted to show the audiences an oppressive performing space in order to stress out the absurdity and helpless of the actor’s realistic performance. Therefore I created a dark room with high humidity, a telephone with extremely long cable, glinting telly and a neighbour who no one knows if she even exists. The space in venue Artist Village was an illegally-built apartment already, there is a small area outside the performing space I used to present the actor’s old time glory, fluorescent colours lining and surrounding in the area as in contrast with rather dim coloured materials in the room, hanging cloths brought out a stressful and uncomfortable room.

ThERE CAFE & LIVE HOUSE

03

The Design concept


Multicoloured clothsThe installation in the small area shows the old time glory, whereas the hanging and disorganisation of the cloths in the room represents the decayed fame.



04

05



Telephone cableThe extended telephone cable represents the character’s hallucination.

The mirror frameWhile the actor looks into the mirror, as if he is looking at himself, the audiences are looking at him as well.




The Installation art before the performance starts

06


2F,Guest House No.52.54, Treasure Hill Artist Village

Auditorium

Performance area

Audience moving lines

Installationart

B2,ThERE CAFE & LIVE HOUSE

Live house

1F

B2FB2F

B2F

ThERE CAFE store

Audience moving linesAudience moving lines

Installationart


《Misplace》2011 NTNU Graduate Institute of Performing art Dramatist / GAO, Tian-HengDirector / GAO, Tian-Heng

07

About 《Misplace》There was a pair of misplaced non-identical-twin-sisters who grew up from different families, developed complete opposite personalities. The two have became neighbours due to coincidence, yet were having issues toward each others. On the day of their birthday, they both received a package with tapes from their father who had passed away, the special present made the two girls swap their souls on the very next day and a inconceivable journey began…The two were forced to adapt to the other’s life after the soul-swap, which had them gained a clearer mind for the future while looking for the truth. After the misunderstanding between the two was solved and forgiven, the non-identical-twin-sisters‘ souls were swapped back while they were humming the melody they learnt in childhood, by which they then understood that it seemed to be their father’s idea, to give them a precious gift of life: a sister.

08

Scenario analysis / DevelopThis is a relaxing and humorous simple-literacy-musical, focusing on the two girls who looked so different yet so close to each other, while stressing the opposition of their personalities using contrast colours and settings, the route of the venue was fully utilised, which made the stage have a symmetric space of vision. The arrangement have the audiences see how reverse yet inseparable the two girls are, as if they were different side of a tape. The coexist stages with left-stage and right-stage flats have enabled the contrast characters to be showed and made the show became very interesting.

Sisters yelled at each other through a wall.one's by pop song , and the other by vocal.

09

moving lines moving lines

moving lines

moving lines

moving lines

moving lines A B

The floor plan of the stage

The Design conceptThe coexist stages with left-stage and right-stage flats have enabled the contrast characters to be showed

A and Bdifferent side of a tapedifferent fate but the same ancestral

10

using the theater original side entrance to be the main entrance of this flats.

3D model

《The Thebans》2010 Wenshan Theatre Dramatist / SophoclesDirector & Reorganize / Yang, Jing-xiang

11

About 《The Thebans》<The Thebans>, adapted from Sophocles’s Antigone, is no longer merely a Greek tragedy. It’s transformed into a play like Taiwan’s melodrama which has a sensational and cheap plot. Nevertheless, what’s behind the scandal of the royal family is the media which we are familiar with and contact everyday. The ancient Greek tragedy is, then, correlates to our life again. Regarding the stage space, it’s handled with the form of an empty stage. While actors are entering and leaving the stage, the empty stage which simulates the ruinous square after war is transformed into different spaces. With the projective changes, it’s turned into a modern Greek tragedy. In this design, I am especially fond of the device of falling sands. Besides giving audiences the impression of the ruins after war, the falling sands in the last scene also show that a kingdom, the decline of a regime of the power, will be replaced by media.

12

This is a modern tragedy adapted from Antigone, a Greek tragedy. “Media” is the part that the director

attempts to highlight. In comparing the ancient with modern, what’s the most influential is no longer

the “religion” or “political power.” Contrarily, it’s the media with no given power which can manipulate

the truth in the palm. As the ancient tragedy might seem to be less convincing today, in the adapted

play, there are also the issue of lesbians/gays, the complicated relationships of modern people’s

instant love, etc. Because the scenes change quickly, it’s expected that there could be a stage form

which could have the tempo in the play be grasped rapidly without being interrupted by the changing

of scenes.

I think that this is likely to be a small country under the regime of a power in the Balkan Peninsula. Its

background is in the time after war. However, what’s different from ancient times is that the so-called

media has already appeared. Besides radio stations and TV, there is also the media ecology of

paparazzo. In the beginning, it’s already been decided to follow the image of the empty stage. Thus, I

conceived the concept of postwar ruins. As for the media stressed by the director, I also hope that I

could provide some helps on the stage. As a result, adding the image of media into the stage is mainly

what I intend to present.

13

Scenario analysis / Develop

The Design conceptIt was a symbol of rebuild country after war,the king wanted to

control the whole situation, he was controlled by media instead.

Even the story and scenes change unceasingly, the stage which symbolizes the cornerstone

of the country never changes. It’s just like the faith of people in reconstructing the country.

The main stage

The cornerstone of the country after war

It’s a stable image that the

king intends to give people,

that is, a well-founded and

rock-solid foundation which

is absolutely steady.

14

The stage is covered with scattered newspapers, which

implies that the dissemination of media power is boundless.

The huge projection is like the

enormous pressure of the media

which keeps on exerting pressure on

the king and audiences.

The power of media written words and imagesWriting newspapers

Images projections

The opposing positions of these two chairs symbolize that Antigone opposes the king’s power with a voiceless wrestling.

Audiences could perceive the connections between these two chairs and feel interesting.

ChairsTwo chairs with the same style yet different materials

The classical Victorian style represents the ancient feudal royal family while the acrylic material represents media. The same image shared by both symbolizes that media has gradually held the same power as the royal family.

Two chairs that symbolize the royal family

The armchair represents the power of the king under the feudal system. The other one represents Antigone, powerless to oppose the power.

15

The floor plan of the stage The model of the stage

As the sands flow through Antigone’s As the sands fell beside the throne in the end of the play, it symbolizes that the royal family has declined eventually.

16

As the sands flow through Antigone’s hands in the beginning of the play, it’s predicted that that she could not control the fate.

Falling sands

In the beginning of the play, it’s predicted that the king is about to decline. In the end of the play, it’s declared that the royal family has completely collapsed.

Falling sands symbolize the decline of the king and the collapse of the royal family.

《Taipei Animals》2008 / Chiayi Performing Arts Center Experimental Theater

Dramatist / Wang, Yu-hui

Director / Zhong, Huan-yu

17

About 《Taipei Animals》<Taipei Animals> is adapted by Professor Wang, Yu-hui from <The Zoo Story>.

From the events occurred in <Taipei Animals>, everyone could find the life that

reflects his/her own. Especially, in the role of the tramp, I believe that everyone

has a moment in life which we are turned into the tramp. He is neither

incompetent nor unwilling to contact the society. However, he is the kind of

people who pass you by every day, yet never let you feel like having a better

understanding about him. A script which is worthy of thinking.

18

Scenario analysis / DevelopThe tramp is the key role in this play. He lives alone in a park that belongs to everyone. He knows

everyone and everyone knows himself/herself better because of him. Not everyone who knows him

knows each other. However, because of his interruption, or it should be said that it’s his help that links

up the entire story. In the beginning, I hope that I could break the regular limit of the space. General

speaking, the space is fixed. People could exist in the space as the space is larger than people.

Nevertheless, I hope that it could be reverse. Since the tramp is different from an ordinary person, I

feel that it works to have the park heels the tramp. In other words, just like a kid who pulls along the

toy that follows behind him, the park is tied to the leg or the neck of the tramp. In this way, although he

could take the park with him no matter where he goes, it also means that the tramp could go nowhere

but just exist in the park. Nevertheless, as the director considers that this is not the direction which he

intends to direct the play, I could not but give up. I hope that I could do <Taipei Animals> in such a way

someday. It must be quite interesting!

Later, it’s decided to position the tramp in the center of the stage just as if in a park of the city. In the

park, people come and go, yet everyone is but a passer-by of the park. However, the park is the home

of the tramp. Everyone who passes through the park is a visitor of the tramp. Hence, the stage

becomes the structure of a living place which the center is a park with different roles around it. Indeed,

it’s quite close to the greened traffic island in Taipei city in the area like Renai District. I think that this

could be considered the epitome of a small city, and such an area is in Taipei.

19

The Design conceptIt’s an epitome of the city, in which everyone has a place that belongs to

himself/herself. People are just like animals that stay in the corner of their own.

The visual center of the stage

Park

It’s located in the gray region of the city center which does not belong to anyone.

However, people meet here, which interweaves the stories of the city.

The city is like a satellite that surrounds the park.

The image of the iron net

The iron net is a phenomenon in

Taipei city which symbolizes the

relationships of people in the city.

Is the grille installed for guarding

against villains or fearing that

someone might escape? People

who live in the net are like animals.

20

Sauna

Councilors are used to talk about business at the sauna. The light generated by the prop lamp made of wood slats creates the image of a cage. It symbolizes that entering the sauna for councilors equals falling into the councilor’s power cage.

The scenes in different areas

Piano Bar

Red and black are taken as the key colors. The leather sofa and fur carpet tie in with the heavy-purse image of the councilor.The red property lamp, the candle on the table, the petal decoration, the floor and tabletop with glistened materials create a meretricious and vain atmosphere.

The bank teller / translator

The working environment of both is small and cramped. As a typical city man and woman, they lead a life which does not have many contacts with people.

Other changed scenes

The streetcar scene / the bank robbing scene

21

PLAN #3

《Taipei Animals》Chiayi Performing Arts Center Experimental Theater

Stage design

Drawing

Scale

Date

Chien Ching Fang

Chien Ching Fang

1:100

18 / 8 / 2008

Curtain

#1 Lag

#2 Lag

#3 Lag

#4 Lag

#5 Lag

Black drop

Network Rail

Sky Curtain

Handle

PLAN #1


Stage design

Drawing

Scale

Date

Chien Ching Fang

Chien Ching Fang

1:100

16 / 7 / 2008

Curtain

#1 Lag

#2 Lag

#3 Lag

#4 Lag

#5 Lag

Black drop

Network Rail

Sky Curtain

Handle

PLAN #2


Stage design

Drawing

Scale

Date

Chien Ching Fangz

Chien Ching Fang

1:100

7 / 8 / 2008

Curtain

#1 Lag

#2 Lag

#3 Lag

#4 Lag

#5 Lag

Black drop

Network Rail

Sky Curtain

Handle

22

Construction drawing

《Tristan and Isolde》2009 Taipei National University of the Arts T305 Experimental TheaterDramatist / Wilhelm Richard WagnerDirector / Wang, Zhu-xian

23

About 《Tristan and Isolde》<Tristan and Isolde> is adapted from the play of Wilhelm Richard Wagner. Their stories are even earilier than <Romeo and Juliet>. Besides sharing the same unpermitted love, the powerful love remedy in the story calls for deep thought. It seems that the love between both is quite pure, yet is their persistence a result of taking the love remedy or is it because of true love? Eventually, neither of them live until the remedy’s effect expires. Nevertheless, in addition to Tristan and Isolde, the true tragic role should be King Mark.

24

The director adapted and simplified the huge complicated opera into the rhythm like the poem. It’s accompanied with an orchestra live. Although the touching vocal is lacking, the music of the opera is kept. Under the mysterious projection, the poison-like love remedy seems to turn into a lovely magic although both the leading actor and actress died because of love in the end.

The core of this play is the magic of the love remedy. After the leading characters took the remedy, the illusion and interior monologue must be expressed through projection. To allow the projection to have enough space for creating illusional feelings, the environment suitable for projection is developed into an extensive arc wall.

Both the beginning and ending of the story took place at the seaside. The most important plot also occurs in the sea. Thus, I take the image of the ocean as the main vision and develop the conception which floats the stage on the ocean. The entire stage is both the sky and the sea.

Besides the music which plays an important part in the play, the orchestra pit is also a very important part of the stage. In the orchestra pit, there are a director, an orchestra of four, and an upright piano. This small orchestra integrates with the castle in the scene into a separate corner.

stage with projection effects

25


The curve floor

The stage edge with the wave-like cutting, the rear end that extends to the curtain, and the arc wall make the whole stage as if floating on the sea.

The painted color scene and the water light create a magic atmosphere.

Extended limitlessly and boundlessly, it’s both the sky and the sea.

The arc wall

The arc wall is extended to the screen, which creates the broad feelings of extensive sky and ocean.

26

The Design concept

The outskirtThe driftwoodThe love like that of Tristan and Isolde floats on the sea and, finally, grounded and died at the beach.

The sandy beachLike the traces on the sandy beach, the love created by love remedy might be forgotten as the wave

The castle

The Rome columnsThe symbols of ruins or the space of the castle. The broken column in the center symbolizes King Mark. A king as he is, he could not win love.

The orchestra pitThe orchestra pit is the heart of the musical and also the origin of the magic power of the love remedy. It’s located in the position of the castle.

A romantic and magic atmosphere of love remedy is created with projection.

27

The orchestra pit

《Tristan and Isolde》TNUA T305 Experimental Theater

Stage design

Drawing

Scale

Date

Note:

cover by muslin

Chien Ching Fang

Chien Ching Fang

as shown in Figure

25 / 5 / 2009

Working model and 3D model

PLAN《Tristan and Isolde》

TNUA T305 Experimental Theater

Stage design

Drawing

Scale

Date

Chien Ching Fang

Chien Ching Fang

1:100

25 / 5 / 2009

The arc wall

The stair 1The stair 2

The orchestra pit

The Rome columns

28

The Rome columns


Stage design

Drawing

Scale

Date

Note:

Styrofoam carving

Chien Ching Fang

Chien Ching Fang

as shown in Figure

25 / 5 / 2009

29

Implementation of methods and processes

The arc wall In the factory / painting

The driftwood / disinfestation、polish、painting

The Rome columns / carve、cover yarn、painting

The stair 1


Stage design

Drawing

Scale

Date

Chien Ching Fang

Chien Ching Fang

as shown in Figure

25 / 5 / 2009

The stair 2


Stage design

Drawing

Scale

Date

Chien Ching Fang

Chien Ching Fang

as shown in Figure

25 / 5 / 2009

30

Stairs / Carpentry、painting

The arc wall / build up in the theater

Locate

《A Woman Alone 》2008 Taipei National University of the Arts T305 Experimental TheaterDramatist / Dario FoDirector / Yang, Jing-xiang

31

About 《A Woman Alone》 <A Woman Alone> reveals the complicated psychology of a woman under great pressure. In facing the unfairness imposed by the society on her, her helplessness, anger, and resistance are shown. I am very fond of this play as the language is lively, the performance is exaggerated, and it’s also full of acrid satires and black humor. I set the scene in the lower-middle class of the society in Taiwan nowadays. As it’s a realistic stage, besides striving for making the properties reasonable, I also require to have the play meet the evil humor of Dario Fo. Therefore, on the stage, in addition to reality, there are also lots of unreasonable things. I hope that this could let the audiences who detect them have a knowing smile.

32

Dario Fo likes to voice for the nobody with satiric black humor. Such kind of evil humor could

really go straight to my heart. In the play, there is only a woman. She lives in an era when

women are depreciated and have no power. She tells her neighbors about her whole life while

chatting. Although the time in the play lasts less than one day, it seems that the changes of

her mental state throughout the life could clearly be perceived. She improves from accepting

the fate in a conservative way to seeking bravely and then feels disappointed about fate again

after being optimistic and broad- Z minded. Although it’s presented in a laughing way, the

emotion behind is very sad.

The play is just like its title. On the stage, there’s only a woman. In a performing space with

only a woman, in order to have everything exist reasonably and at hand, I set the space at the

rooftop home of an old apartment in the lower middle class which has only a bedroom and a

living room. As the door is opened, there is the kitchen, also the main space for the woman to

do housework. Since the woman has long been prisoned at home by her husband, she could

not go shopping. The house is piled with the cardboard cases from on-line shopping and

worn-out miscellaneous articles. Although the woman is the only player, in the space, the

living traces of her husband, brother-in-law, and children must be disclosed. As a result, in the

space, there are children’s toys and the award won by her husband through his interest in

pigeon racing. Some of the objects appear one by one along with the proceeding of the play,

which makes the space more and more disordered along with the mental state of the player.

33


In a space which seems to be ordinary and realistic, it conceals the hint that the woman is under great pressure.

The pressure of the

woman

2. Cardboard cases The pressure accumulated

in the woman unconsciously.

1. The high wall The pressure imposed on the woman by her husband.

In the room of the lower middle class, the high wall and the

water stain extended from a height result in a visual pressure.

2

1

34

The Design concept

All these three exits are threats. The woman is at

her own home, yet facing all sorts of trials.

3

4

5

The exits of the woman

There are three exits on the

stage, yet every exit brings

only larger pressure.

5.The door of the living room Inside the door are the family members that the woman must take care of. It’s the pressure

of responsibility.

4.The ventilator Outside the ventilator is a peeper living in another building. It’s the pressure of the attention

from the outside world.

3.The door Only the woman’s husband has the key of the entrance. It’s the pressure of traditional

morals.

《The Jade Guanyin》STAGE DESIGN COURSEWORK

Dramatist / Yao Yi-wei

35

Life is not about what you desire, but involuntary.The script is from Song dynasty of China, when there was a novel based on folklores: a love story between a human and a ghost. It was then adapted by the script writer Yao Yi-Wei, who kept the basic outline and recreated new story lines and characters. Though the background is in Song dynasty, the characters’ emotions and minds showed the unwillingness and helpless of modern life realistically. The main character Xiu Xiu was a fearless and carefree woman, who has however compromised to life after her disappointment to the world. Within tens of years of time, after struggling to meet the secular standards of the world, Xiu Xiu changed as pure jade turning into turbid stone. Even Cui Ning, who she planned to elope with, has chosen the old image of Xiu Xiu over the real her.

36

About 《The Jade Guanyin》

Scenario analysis / DevelopIn this script, the stage is to show the characters’ evolvement of their minds and the changes of the environment in order to express a gradual depression of the atmosphere. From the glamourous back room with burning huge candles and pure jade structures, to a simple and crude jade manufactory running show business that could barely support the whole family, then back to the back room without the prosperity.

37

Visual Concept

WellExtends vertically, as if going up endlessly yet chained by the surrounding walls.

The well symbols chains and prisoning, the exit that see through the sky is only a unreachable dream. In the middle of the stage is a patio surrounded by paths, the jade Guanyin goddess is placed on the altar in between, as bringing salvation to whom trapped in the well that long for freedom.

Pond and the patioPractical or Ideal, Reality or Virtuality.

Water in the pond can reflects the real thing, the virtuality created by the reality.Standing on the paths on the outside shows the reflection of the characters, therefore the path is the reality, and the virtuality is behind the line. 38

S1 S2

S3-1 S3-2

Color sketch / Model

39

Stage AreasThe stage is divided into three areas

1. The trapezoid patio in the centre- indoor and the main performing area. Changes while the scene changes. 2. The square shape slope surrounding the patio- paths and outdoor. For non-realistic performance.3. The pond at downstage- symbolising the virtuality.

Scene changesThe scene changes using season and colour changes.

Season1. Beautiful spring- the characters were young, who considered everything to be fresh and fine. 2. Lively summer- The couple working hard to build their home for the coming family members. 3. Deadly autumn- Unspeakable eternal helplessness of life.

Colour1. Scarlet and Emerald- as wealthy families enjoy painted furnitures to show off their bustle and happiness. 2. Grass green and Khaki- though poor but warm. 3. Dusty grey- everything is covered with dust and depression that even the plants rather die.

S1

S2

S3-1

S3-2

40

Variety show / Talk show

Manuscript

2011.6~2011.10

41

Guests district

Host district Guests district

Variety show

Talk show

Stage

Stage

42

43

Band

Guests district

Variety show

44

Guests district

Variety show

Talk show

Talk show

簡靖芳 C

hien,Ch

i ng-fang

The Black Box

Documents

Transcript of The Black Box