Inside the prism – reality and reflections

This February, the curtain went up on an unusual premiere at the Paris Opera. The dance production “Tree of Codes” is the result of a three-way cooperation between choreographer Wayne McGregor, artist Olafur Eliasson and musician Jamie xx. With on-stage mirrors and an ingenious lighting design, it blurs the boundaries between the auditorium and the stage; between reality and reflection. BTR talked to Olafur Eliasson about the production.

Generations of directors and choreographers have struggled with the question of how to reduce, or even eliminate, the gap between the action on stage and the audience. In their attempts to draw the audience as far as possible into the action, they have applied several different approaches, from the ‘classic’ apron stage – the Shakespearean forestage, open on three sides – to more modern concepts of inviting the audience on stage, leading them through the venue, or seating them around the action, like in a circus top.
For his piece “Tree of Codes”, which recently received its Paris premiere, choreographer Wayne McGregor devised a technologically unusual and impressive solution in cooperation with artist Olafur Eliasson. To realize it, the ...