Contemporary Scenography investigates scenographic concepts, practices and aesthetics in Germany from 1989 to the present. Facing the end of the political divide, the advent of the digital age and the challenges of globalization, German-based designers and scenographers have reacted in a variety of ways to these shifts in the cultural landscape. The edited volume, a compilation of 12 original chapters written in collaboration with acclaimed scenographers, stage designers and distinguished scholars, offers fresh insights and in-depth analyses of current artistic concepts, discourse and innovation in this multifaceted, dynamic field. The book covers a broad spectrum of scenography, including theatre works by Katrin Brack, Bert Neumann, Aleksandar Denic, Klaus Grünberg, Vinge/Müller and Rimini Protokoll, in addition to scenography in museums, exhibitions, social spaces and in various urban contexts. Presenting a range of perspectives, the volume explores the interdisciplinarity of contemporary scenography and its ongoing diversification, raising questions relating to cultural heritage, genre and media specificity, knowledge transfer, local versus global practices, internationalization and cultural exchange. Combined with a set of stimulating examples of scenographic design in action – presented through interviews, artists' statements and case studies – the contributors develop a theoretical framework for understanding scenography as an art practice and discourse.

Table of Contents:
List of Illustrations Foreword by Christopher Balme (LMU Munich, Germany) Scenographic Practices and Aesthetics in Contemporary German Theatre, Arts and Design – An Introduction – Birgit Wiens (LMU Munich, Germany) PART ONE Scenography in and beyond the Theatre: Aesthetics and Epistemes 1 'I am trying to add more layers to the story'. From the model to the stage: Artistic thinking and design practices in Aleksandar Denic's theatre works with Frank Castorf and others – A conversation between Aleksandar Denic (Stage Designer, Belgrade, Serbia) and Birgit Wiens 2 Notes on Bert Neumann's Stage and Costume Designs: Scenography as a Co-Player and Counterpart in Theatre Performances and Rehearsals – A conversation with Sophie Rois (actress, Berlin, Germany) 3 Scenographic materiality: Agency and Intra-Action in stage designs by Katrin Brack – Joslin McKinney (University of Leeds, UK) 4 Composing scenography: Reflexions on theories, practices and processes of Klaus Gruenberg's collaborations with Heiner Goebbels and others – Joint contribution by David Roesner (LMU Munich, Germany) and Klaus Gru¨nberg (Stage Designer, Hamburg, Germany) 5 Theatre space after the ?spatial turn': Moving dynamics of the active spectator – Thomas Irmer (Theatre Critic, Berlin, Germany) PART TWO Circulation of Scenographic Knowledge and Cultural Transfer 6 Notation: On the aesthetic potentials and epistemic functions of scenographic scores – Kirsten Maar (Free University of Berlin, Germany) 7 You cannot not not stage. Scenography – beyond theatre: Scenographic practices in museums, exhibitions and corporate design – Uwe R. Brueckner and Linda Greci (Atelier Brueckner, Stuttgart, Germany) 8 The Art of Thinking and Designing Space. Notes from the Studio – Annett Zinsmeister (Artist, Architect, Berlin, Germany) 9 Don't be afraid of the art of parCITYpation. Scenographic intervention as social design – Benjamin Foerster-Baldenius (raumlaborberlin, Berlin, Germany) PART THREE Rethinking Scenography 10 The ungovernableness of the scene – Dieter Mersch (Zurich University of the Arts, CH) 11 Scenography and actor-network-theory: Analytical approaches – Wolf-Dieter Ernst (University of Bayreuth, Germany) 12 Scenography: Research, education and training in Germany: Some observations – Thea Hoffmann-Axthelm and Robert Kraatz (Stage Designer/Scenographer, Berlin, Germany) Staging the unknown. Scenography and its future potentials: Preliminary résumé – Serge von Arx (Oslo/Frederikstad, Norway) and Birgit Wiens References Index