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Opera Written on Skin
Location
Premier at the Suntory Hall, Tokyo
Role
Creative Director, Set, lighting and costume design and video directions.
Project type
Contemporary Opera Creative direction
Link
Award
Sagawa Yoshio Opera Award 2020, Written on Skin, Suntory Hall
One of the best ten Opera production in Japan, Ongaku-no-Tomo Publishers
Credit
Composition : George Benjamin
Script : Martin Crimp
Director of Music & Maestro Kazushi Ono
Creative Direction & Designs Shizuka Hairu
( Film Direction, Choreography, Stage & Set, Costum, Lighitng Design)
Opera solists
Protector Andrew Schroeder
Agnes Susanne Elmark
Boy / Angel 1 Daichi Fujiki
Marie / Angel 2 Yuka Kobayashi
John / Angel 3 John Ken Nuzzo
Camera Shooting Direction: Florent Herry
Narrative based research: Yuriko Ono
Editing & Special Effects: Christophe Clarey
Choreography and Performers in the film
Agnes: Yumiko Funaya
Boy/Angel 1: Piet Defrancq
Protector: Lucius Romeo-Fromm
Marie/ Agnes body double: Maya Wilsens
Angel 3: Louis Lefebvre
Choreography and Performers on the stage
Choreogrpahy, Stage performer: Yasuyuki Endo
Choreogrpahy, Stage performer: Fukiko Takase
Set Design and Production assistant: Shin Hagiwara
Opera background research: SHSH Architecture + Scenography
Assistant for the camera inside: Bruno Geiregat
Assistant for camera outside: Selcen Ergun, Nicolas Frament, Gabriel Sapropro
Costume Supervisor: Carmel Peritore
Assistant Props: Miku Enomoto and Sachiyo Honda
Production assistant: Maya Wilsens
Assitant at locaitons: Tamaki Haryu, Miku Enomoto, Aki Hasegawa
Locations and special thanks to
Erasmus House & Beguinage, 1070 Brussels
DOCKS BRUXSEL -SHOPPING DISTRICT
Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-Hemelvaartkerk / Church of Our Lady Damme
Hallerbos Forest
In a captivating interview about her work on "Written on Skin" at Suntory Hall, Shizuka Hariu delves into the intricate layers of interpretation and creation that shaped her scenic design.
Derived from the 13th-century French novel "Le Coeur mangé," the opera's narrative weaves a complex tale of love triangles intertwined with themes of time travel, politics, and societal hierarchy. Hariu's deep dive into Martin Crimp's libretto reveals a wealth of metaphors, which she skillfully translates into her scenic vision, drawing parallels with the poetic subtlety of Haiku.
Navigating the challenge of designing for the concert hall's architecture and the opera's narrative demands, Hariu embraces abstraction to create a fluid and immersive stage experience. Working closely with Maestro Kazushi Ono and producer Shirakawa, she crafts a dynamic blend of physical and digital elements, seamlessly intertwining medieval and contemporary aesthetics.
Through her innovative approach, Hariu seeks to evoke a sense of realism within the architectural environment while allowing space for the audience's imagination to roam freely. As she navigates the delicate balance between tangible and abstract, physical and digital, Hariu's scenography emerges as a breathtaking synthesis of past and present, inviting viewers on a mesmerising journey through time and space.
