hedda gabler
precedent images
preliminary sketches
artist's statement
Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen is extremely complicated and layered. At first glance, Hedda can be cruel, manipulative, and condescending, but I found her fascinating. With further analysis, I became interested in what I felt could be one of the driving forces for Hedda’s behaviors: she was simply bored. While I didn’t want to remove the play from it’s period, these thoughts inspired me to think about a more abstract arrangement for this this period space, something that could express the dreary materiality in which Hedda views her surroundings
In researching period spaces, I found that rooms were often cluttered and dark. I decided that a cluttered space full of pattern and texture, while accurate to the period, would be too interesting. Hedda is bored, and I felt that her environment should reflect the monotony of her life. I became fascinated by dramatic black and white photographs of abstract spaces and situations, evocative of emotions rather than literal depictions. I asked myself, “what if this space became something mundane, claustrophobic, and overwhelming, as if she were trapped at the bottom of a well?”
In order to achieve this effect, I chose a semi-circular shape. In order to abstract the design, I chose a polished concrete finish, which also serves to reflect Hedda’s monotonous life back at her. By keeping the furnishings to the period, I kept the play in period while allowing the space to reflect Hedda’s feelings and actions. A consistent color scheme knits the world together. The color red symbolizes passion, feeling, and emotion, things Hedda is seeking in her world. The design results in a monotonous space, inhabited with lush period objects.
