Australia at the PQ: Scenographic Spaces between the National and International

Conference paper at the Transformations of the Prague Quadrennial Symposium

Abstract:

This paper uses the PQ as a lens through which to discuss Australian scenographic practice and discourse in relation to international trends, and in turn uses the Australian exhibit as a lens through which to discuss the transformation of the PQ since 2007. The Prague Quadrennial provides a useful context to examine both international trends in scenography, and the national perspectives and practices of each exhibitor in the countries section. I discuss the Australian exhibits from 2007 to 2015, with a particular focus on the 2015 exhibit, curated by Anna Tregloan (for which I was assistant curator). This covers the period immediately before and after the name change of the PQ. The 2015 exhibit represents a departure from previous iterations of the Australian section, in its engagement with interdisciplinary performative and scenographic practices and non-hierarchical processes of performance-making.

I argue that the Australian exhibit can be understood as a case study for the transformation of the PQ itself since 2007, in its shift from an exhibition of artefacts associated with theatre design to an encompassing engagement with performative space across a wide range of contexts and disciplines. Furthermore, examining the relationship between Australian scenography and the PQ demonstrates the active influence the PQ has on practices of scenography.