Jury Members
John Blundall
puppeteer, designer, director
Glasgow, Scotland
André Laliberté
director, Théâtre du l'Oeil
Montreat, P.Q., Canada
Vandy Wood
theatrical designer
& college instructor
Orlando, FL, U.S.A.
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Production Title: "Arash"
Premiere Date: August, 2008
Tehran, Iran
(Click Thumbnail to enlarge)
Designer's Statement
"All the stones that I used found from nature without any carving on them. I just use them and sometimes add some pieces to them. Why stones? Arash is one of the oldest heroic and mythological Iranian stories around thousands years ago. We searched for the old images for designing the characters but there weren’t any. I had to use of the ancient elements and design by myself. It was unsatisfied for me. My designing wasn’t complete for the story. I had to do perfect because Iranian people love Arash and every illustration of him may be refused by them.
I think stones are the oldest materials in the world with strange atmosphere and long history. And they are all over the world, in the mountain, rivers, street, home, garden, decorative materials, statues… They are so hard but sometimes so soft, also so familiar with human beings from ancient until modern periods. We use them for good purpose (house, decorative …) and sadness (funeral ceremony). They can play good and bad situations, and then they are best choice for this story in my idea. I didn’t show any clear illustration of this story but our audiences saw an ancient image of the story. After the show 95% of public accepted the characters and stage as a part of Iran."
Jury's Comment
"Despite the fact this piece has no design drawings, it shows consistency, energy and atmosphere as reflected in the designer’s simple and direct statement. The overall impact is very interesting in terms of visual aesthetic - simple, sensitive, and direct. The idea of using a rock as raw material seems fully justified and gives a universal quality to a tale which appears to be based on archetypal values."