Archi.ru:
- How did you come up with the idea to take part in the House for Shakespeare competition?
Oleg Shapiro:
- This project was originally made for the Archstoyanie festival. This year's theme is "Shelter," and we were invited to participate. By joint efforts of the bureau team, we came up with the idea of making a shelter in the form of a tower, and we named the object "Perpendicular". It was a general project that was developed under my leadership, but Esbergen immediately had his own specific version, which, unfortunately, went against the idea of our team. I even made an association - how our tower should be installed in an inconvenient place, on a slope, perpendicular to it, so Esbergen wanted to go "across" the general idea.
We could not accept his version for Archstoyanie, but he managed to find an excellent use for it - he sent it to the House for Shakespeare competition and won! I immediately saw that this is a good job, and a good job cannot be lost. Then we abandoned the idea of making a shelter according to the concept of Archstoyanie this year and took up the design of the bridge in Nikola-Lenivets. Esbergen was also fully engaged in it, in fact, thanks to his efforts, the bridge was realized. He came up with a lot of ingenious solutions that made it possible to implement the project despite the fact that, as always, there was not enough time, not enough money, not enough manpower. But Esbergen together with the team coped with the first stage, which means that work on the second stage of the bridge construction will soon follow.
Tell us more about your tower for "Archstoyanie"
Esbergen Sabitov:
- My idea of a tower for Archstoyanie did not get out of the context of the Shelter theme. A tower is, one might say, a connection between heaven and earth. It has two main parts: open and closed. Below, underground, I designed a closed part - a bunker. This is a refuge in the truest sense of the word. The tower itself and the upper platform are open, it is, rather, a metaphorical interpretation of "refuge" - solitude, a place for introverts, the opportunity to realize their desire and get off the ground.
At Archstoyanie we were given a situation: the tower was supposed to be located by the river, on a hill, along the axis of the bridge. For such a relief, it was necessary to choose the right constructive solution. We thought about this issue all together, a group of 8 people. As a result, we chose the simplest, budgetary option - the frame frame. But my idea was different, even from a technical point of view: together with the designer, we came up with a string, truss tower. On the same principle, for example, the Ostankino tower was assembled - the trunk and the ropes holding it. My tower was even well received, but later they decided that this was too complicated and expensive solution, although, to be honest, I still disagree with this. As in the case of the bridge - if you set a goal, you can always find the optimal solution.
But, as Oleg Arkadyevich said, the tower project lay on the table. We got busy with the bridge. And in the process on Archi.ru I saw the announcement of the "House for Shakespeare" competition. I asked the organizers about the details and terms of reference, and it turned out that this was a competition only for concepts and ideas, so any situation, object, methods of presentation and description could be chosen. That is why I decided to use for the competition my project of a tower for Archstoyanie, a little forgotten at that time.
What changes did you make to the project to transform it into a "House for Shakespeare"?
E. S.:
- The theme of the competition involved not so much the design of a house for the physical living in it of a person as an allusion, an associative array with Shakespeare and with space. This is not the house itself, as an object with a kitchen, bedroom and other functional rooms, but a world where a certain person exists. In the assignment it was said so - history through architecture. Therefore, I thought that the tower is very suitable for "Shakespeare's space", the connection between two fields - creativity and society. Since the choice of the situation turned out to be free at the competition, my "House for Shakespeare" is in its own environment, on the Nikola-Lenivets hill, as if on a theatrical stage. Although, I must say, such a tower can be built in any situation, which confirms the quote "the whole world is a theater."
The tower is associated with Shakespeare's Globe Theater. In an explanation of the project, I wrote that all the heroes of Shakespeare's plays should stand on the stairs of the tower - they are not only actors, but also perform the role of spectators, looking at the environment, the environment, recognizing their roles in it. Therefore, the difference between "House for Shakespeare" and the tower for "Archstoyanie" is more ideological than technical.
The theme of shelter, open and closed space (tower and bunker, respectively), as I said, is still present here. Based on the connection of these parts, I created a film, which became the form of my project submission to the competition. I made it according to all the canons of the development of the plot of the play, created a staging of the project - the approach to the tower, its view from the side of the mountain becomes the plot of the plot; rising up represents a rise in rhythm, struggle, drama; descent to the ground and getting into the bunker is a tragedy, and getting out of it into the light is the denouement, finale and conclusion.
Why did you choose a film as a form for submitting a competition project?
E. S.:
- I asked the organizers how to submit the project, they told me that the form is completely free. I had a model ready, and I decided to make an animation out of it. It seemed boring to me to offer drawings and assemble an album. And I made the film more for relaxation, to distract myself from working on the bridge. In the video itself, realism turns into metaphors, distorts into drama and returns to reality again. It was an interesting experience for me to put together a whole production in a film.
Why did you find the tower design the most suitable for the theme of the competition?
E. S.:
- I studied the biography of Shakespeare and learned that his family coat of arms depicts a spear (spear in English - "spear"). And the tower, set perpendicular to the hill, is "stuck" into the ground like a spear. This struck me as an interesting parallel.
Did you designate the functions of the bunker premises?
E. S.:
- No, the bunker, rather, simply continues the idea of developing an architectural form according to the canons of theatrical performance. The levels gradually deepen underground, the space becomes cramped, a person feels more and more alone in them. That is, the whole plot can be described as follows - merging with society on earth, rising above it and the tragedy of loneliness, which forces one to draw conclusions.
Do the interior of the bunker differ? Does each of them become a separate part of the plot?
E. S.:
- Yes, the bunker is divided into three rooms. The first - the entrance - has windows, that is, it is connected with the outside world, is closest to the surface of the earth. You can go down two more levels to find yourself in a dead end. The second room is a corridor where you can sit, stop - a passage. The last space is closed, dead-end. Together they look like a kind of bioform - independent, on the one hand, and continue each other, on the other.
If the tower of the House for Shakespeare is more ideological than functional, can you say the same about the tower for Archstoyanie?
E. S.:
- No, the tower for Nikola-Lenivets has a more specific function. It can become an observation deck, since there are many vantage points on this side of the territory, which are now impossible to see. On the other side of the river there is Nikolino Ukho, but there is nothing here, which is a pity, because these places are also very picturesque. The tower can also become an additional connecting link on the axis of our bridge and the Meander valley with the Polissky stool. Moreover, the Versailles field is already developed, there are many objects on it, and the Meander is just beginning to fill.
We will watch it according to the season, but it seems to me that the theme of the tower is relevant at this place, so I would very much like to implement it.
Where will the House for Shakespeare project go next? Will an exhibition be organized following the results of the competition?
E. S.:
- Unfortunately, it is not known. Initially, this competition is free, organized on a volunteer basis, without prizes and fees. But I plan to continue to cooperate and communicate with the organizers. This is not work for the sake of a prize, but for the sake of interesting contacts.
The victory in this competition gave me an incentive to continue my own creativity, since, in addition to design, I draw and write poetry. While the construction of the bridge in Nikola-Lenivets was underway, I realized that I certainly want to write about it at different times of the year. My personal exhibition at Artplay is also planned for this fall. Here I will present the urban landscapes of the Artplay area itself and the buildings of the former factory. They are painted on unfolded cardboard boxes on a gray background and resemble sketches for theatrical scenery. I wrote poetry to them. So I will again turn to the theme of theater in architecture, which has already been worked out in the project for the "House for Shakespeare" competition.
The organizers of the "Home for Shakespeare" competition offer similar competitions for ideas associated with the "worlds" of other writers and poets. Are you planning to participate in them?
E. S.:
- Yes, I even receive invitations, for example, to participate in the competition "House for Tsvetaeva." I think that one can even imagine our bridge in Nikola-Lenivets as a link between creativity and reality. But this still needs to be thought about.
