SHSH

My Set design for the Dekalog contains ten stories.

I thought about this gigantic collective housing in Poland at the end of the 20th Century. It has a huge impact on this film, both psychologically and spatially, to emphasise the narrative as it is one character in this film. I was challenged to understand which part of the location and concrete space is essential in this film and adapt it into the set design for the theatre. Then, I simplified this considerable building block to the minimum structure, almost polishing off all the decoration. It becomes BRUT architecture on the stage. Therefore, this structure will perform within ten stories to change the components block, such as A block of two-storey apartments with balcony, B block of two-storey floors, C block of staircases with a lift, and D block of two-storey decks.

My design perspective for the set design of Dekalog is that by composing different positions in each story, this set design can perform and shift the audience's perspective as they are living in one of the huge apartments.

Then props can also make varied spatial interpretations; I designed many of my own furniture for each story simultaneously with certain simple pieces of furniture we rent from the theatre furniture company. In this way, the set design and the props are both sustainable environmentally and in terms of material resources.

The texture is a matter for this design; I examined which kind of concrete suits this BRUT architecture scale and then worked with several concrete finishings. One has a rough texture with darker colours, another has a smooth surface and slightly lighter, then we have almost black concrete to reduce the volume of thin columns of decks. The metals also have various finishes: a shiny handle for the door and polished mat finishing for the post boxes. The window has been taken out to make a more performative set; in contrast, glass blocks behind the staircases have aureola film for story one to spur to create a sacred light in this story. Then, in story five, the glass block is revealed as more factual architecture. This staircase volume has the highest possible in this theatre to achieve a Western European language of great height.

The whole architectural set is standing in front of the screen backdrop and on the floor with the finishing of some street dust paint, which ultimately projects changing lighting and projection images to bring stories alive.

This set design stands between the concrete space and brings this set design somewhere more abstract, giving two directors the freedom to create their adaptation from the film to the theatre.

Creative Team
Original by: Krzysztof KIESLOWSKI / Krzysztof PIESIEWICZ
Translated by: KUYAMA Koichi
Scripted by: SUGAI Ei
Directed by: OGAWA Eriko / KAMIMURA Satoshi
Set Design: Shizuka Hariu
Lighitng Design:Daisuke Matsumoto
Projection Design:Satoshi Kuriyama
Sound Design:Kaitaro Abe
Sound Engineer: Atsushi Kato
Costume : Ayako Maeda
Hair&Makeup: Naoki Kamada
Asisstant directors: Tazuko Nishi & Yuko Nishi
Stage Directors: Hideaki Saito, Hiroshi Shimizu, Takahiko Hamano

CAST

Dekalog 1
NOZOE Seiji
TAKAHASHI Keiko
CHO Yonho
MORIKAWA Yuki
SUZUKI Katsuhiro
ASANO Reiko
KAMEDA Yoshiaki
ISHII Shun (All performances)
KINOSHITA Nowa
MIYASHITA Rana
SEKI Daiki
KATAOKA Soya

Dekalog 2
MAEDA Aki
MASUOKA Toru
SAKAMOTO Keisuke
KONDO Jun
MATSUDA Kaori
KAMEDA Yoshiaki

Dekalog 3
CHIBA Tetsuya
KOJIMA Hijiri
NOZOE Seiji
ASANO Reiko
SUZUKI Katsuhiro
CHO Yonho
MORIKAWA Yuki
KAMEDA Yoshiaki
SEKI Daiki
KATAOKA Soya
KINOSHITA Nowa
MIYASHITA Rana

Dekalog 4
KONDO Yoshimasa
Natsuko
MASUOKA Toru
MATSUDA Kaori
SAKAMOTO Keisuke
KONDO Jun
KAMEDA Yoshiaki

Dekalog 7
YOSHIDA Mizuki
Shohei
TSUDA Masumi
OTAKI Hiroshi
TANAKA Hosaki
HORIMOTO Soichiro
SASANO Miyuki
IKAI Misa
YASUDA Seri
MITSUI Azuki
KAMEDA Yoshiaki

Dekalog 8
TAKADA Shoko
OKAMOTO Rei
OTAKI Hiroshi
TANAKA Hosaki
Shohei
HORIMOTO Soichiro
SASANO Miyuki
IKAI Misa
KAMEDA Yoshiaki

Dekalog 9
DATE Satoru
Marissa
MIYAZAKI Shuto
KASAI Hinata
SUZUKI Shoichiro
MATSUMOTO Ryo
ISHIMODA Shiro
KAMEDA Yoshiaki

Dekalog 10
TATEYAMA Hayata
ISHIMODA Shiro
SUZUKI Shoichiro
MATSUMOTO Ryo
DATE Satoru
MIYAZAKI Shuto
KASAI Hinata
Marissa
KAMEDA Yoshiaki