Designing a Method of Scenography with Concentration on Unconsciousness Happening Stage Designing

The process of stage designing in its traditional and usual sense, takes its basic roots from the conscious mind of the designer rather than his/her unconscious mind. In the meantime, the unconscious mind has a unique power and the modern visual arts- especially after the Second World War- have tended towards by using different methods such as happenings and abstract designing. However, the traditional stage designing usually makes use of the conventional techniques and principles, so that stage designing may also be limited to designing a three-dimensional set for adopting director’s mise-en-scènes. These principles often require the designer to do his/her final design by by means of different techniques of analysis and dramaturgy which are intended by the director, rather than designer’s own feelings and his/her unconscious mind. Taking this situation into consideration, the process of stage design becomes a solid artwork which is not able to express any specific feeling. In this article, we review the unconscious mind and its abilities and then try to investigate the obstacles of using this feature in the traditional stage designing. These obstacles can make so much trouble in creating an artwork, especially in collective endeavor for having a play come to stage. The same obstacles would also be reduced if theater goes toward performance and be regarded as a separate entity from literature. In its next phase, the authors intend to find solutions for these obstacles, which are defined as the usual principles of stage designing. In this article, we propose a practical method which puts its basis on abstract stage designing. Of course, this method may not be applied for all kinds of plays; especially the classic ones and the ones with traditional methods. This method which is based on abstract designing and happening can be used in performances and the plays which are based on the author’s point of view; the plays in which the director has the duty of both writing the play and designing the set. The authors use as a case study the play The Horses in the Sky Pour Ashes by Dr. Naghmeh Samini and directed by Payam Foroutan, in the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Tehran, using the same method. Payam Foroutan had used just a few dialogues of the play and made use of some of its general atmosphere for designing the set. In producing that play, he had noticed the set designing and visual effects more effective. In the end, he read The Horses in the Sky Pour Ashes not only in light of traditional principles of theater, but also as an intertextual artwork which has roots in theater as well as other arts- especially visual arts. Payam Foroutan had used just a few dialogues of the play and made use of some of its general atmosphere for designing the set. In producing that play, he had noticed the set designing and visual effects more effective.