Education
MA Interior Design, Royal College of Art
BA Interior Design, Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts
Experience
Interior Design Intern, Atelier TAO+C
Robin Yichang Xu
NOW THEATRE
Now Theatre is an adaptable and flexible pop up theatre that offers an access to art and creativity for the local community in Lowestoft, UK.
By revealing and adapting the original central courtyard of the former Victorian post office building, Now Theater explored light weight structural frame and mobile mechanics that allows the space to be used in different ways. Openable roof, pop up seating and stage arrangement, mobile projection canvas etc are designed to encourage creative and low budget productions.
When the show is over, the theatre courtyard returned to become a local social hub where it hosts cafe, dinning, dancing and other social events.
I've chosen materials such as galvanized steel, scaffolds, canvases, lino etc. and black, metallic, occasionally bright colours to create a contemporary set of pallet that is also very economic, easy to source and adapted in the future.
The site is in Lowestoft, a coastal city in the most eastern part of the UK.
The chosen site, Lowestoft post office, is located in the high street, in the heart of the Lowestoft; two minutes walking from the train station.
I was drawn to those elements which exist between buildings of two different periods, which don't fit in very well within the original historic building. These elements featured the informal adaptations that happened within the building at different periods.
I did some exercises based on that part, which is reimagine these are the elements that can move based on this location, and they become flexible and adaptable pieces, which means that they could change the proportion and layout of a space that associated with them.
Now Theatre is an adaptable and flexible theatre that offers access to art and creativity for the local community.
Unlike traditional theatres, it has more flexible spatial transformation and an easier way to customize, providing easier access to contemporary culture and art.
On the other hand, it is a new social and Cultural Hub and Art House right in the heart of Lowestoft, providing a chance to revitalize the high street.
An editable frame that could host different stages –
The stage designer will communicate with the staff, explaining their needs for the scene, and the staff will fix the elements in corresponding positions, after which the stage designer can come in and design the scene for the performance based on the space provided.
My intention is to allow a large space as open as possible to allow flexibility. I want to create a frame across the entire courtyard. To achieve that, I used heavy and deep beams and let them lean on the existing buildings.
In terms of the design of the roof, I want it to be as light weight as possible. So it’s almost like a giant tent.
The facade fabric is tied to the roof through a structural rod that connects to the track on the floor and can go up and down depending on the roof is open or closed.
The screen panels can be pulled out or fixed in specific positions to form different scenceries and can be moveable during the performance to create a richer experience.
They can be replaced by other materials or objects depending on what’s required by the show.
They can also take up projections so it’s easy to form any background for a show with little budget.
The seats are mechanically controlled so they can appear or disappear to allow a thoroughly open floor.
So is the round stage in the middle can rise or lower depending on what show it is used for.
Traditional Theatre
This is a more traditional theatre, and at this time the roof is closed.
People will enter through the front of the house, after which they will be seated in the central courtyard to watch the show.
Before the show starts, the seats on the floor will be flipped up and the staff will pull out the foldable stands from the storage to provide more seating.
The staff can fix these panels into different positions to help build different scenes as required by the show.
Experimental Theatre
The shed still stays closed, but the position of the stage shifts to the central area could provide a venue with some contemporary and experimental theatre production.
Seats can be flipped up to provide seating for the audience or left unflipped to provide maximum space for the performers.
The liftable stage in the centre could give the audience a different perspective.
The storage area can be used as a temporary storage space for stage sets.
Open-air Theatre
The staff will fix the roof in a position where it will be semi-opened, the stage is in the central area and the mobile panel can also be used as a background for the performance.
Courtyard
During the day the courtyard can be used as a garden or a place for locals to gather, at this time the roof is closed. The staff will bring out moveable plant pots, folding tables and chairs from the storage to provide a space for people to relax.
A venue for small film festivals in the UK and a cheaper venue for smaller music festivals.
