dancing through space

santiago calatrava's lithe, elegant buildings always look to me like solid forms paused mid-twirl, so the decision to commission him to create sets for the new york city ballet's new programme is inspired.




from the wall street journal:

'Mr. Calatrava, known for designing the sweeping, futuristic shapes of the Milwaukee Art Museum and the forthcoming PATH terminal in lower Manhattan, created artworks that will be onstage during five new ballets. The work includes sculptural forms, such as a series of gold discs floating above the stage, and sketches—to be used as backdrops—inspired by desert landscapes.

'For Mr. Calatrava, the connection between dance and architecture lies in the beauty of natural shapes. "I have a real devotion to the human body," he said in reference to his work. "The most pure expression of the body is given by dance."'

last year, i went to see sutra, where the shaolin monks leapt over, hid inside, and perched perilously atop antony gormley's simple architectural shapes, assembling, dismantling and reassembling fleeting buildings from the pieces. imagination meets imagination, and solidity meets motion: it's electricity.



one more reason to wish i was in new york...