Exhibition
Professional Designers
China
Chunhong Xiong
Cantonese Opera Madame White Snake--the love
Selected Category: Set Design
Category: Set Design
Design Statement
Which kind of stage design and setting is more suitable for the traditional opera? Simplicity makes beauty.
Like the Song poetry, always use simple words to describe the scenery, express emotion, and show one’s heart. The stage image of Madame White Snake--the love is to find a appropriate mind, to embrace the joys and sorrows of Madame White Snake’s whole life. Only a compact Chinese style book frame stands in the central of the stage, supplement by the flexible mechanical device. What direct from the heart is the simplest.
The purpose of making things beautiful is to touch emotion, and then touch the heart. The stage adopts black and white tone, builds a beautiful and delicate landscape scenery. White space and elegant aesthetic taste is matched with the beauty of Madame White Snake. Expressing emotion by the scenery, and show ambition by surrounding. This is what I think as the beauty of Madame White Snake.
The purpose of making things beautiful is to touch emotion, and then touch the heart. The stage adopts black and white tone, builds a beautiful and delicate landscape scenery. White space and elegant aesthetic taste is matched with the beauty of Madame White Snake. Expressing emotion by the scenery, and show ambition by surrounding. This is what I think as the beauty of Madame White Snake.
Gallery
<Photo Credit> Prologue: In the middle of the stage leans the frame of a Chinese painting. Madam White’s story starts here. With Madam White standing under the umbrella, the pledge of her love, words that praise their wonderful love float out, presenting vividly the legend story.
<Photo Credit> Scene1: By adjusting the machinery within the painting to a gentle angle, the painting turns into a curved corridor. With dark green lotus leaf spreading apart slowly, within the faint ink, audiences feel like being in the rainy and misty West Lake.
<Photo Credit> Scene2: By lifting and adjusting the painting machinery, it turns into the eaves of a traditional Chinese courtyard. In the meantime, by slicing the space with a traditional Chinese screen, the stage turns into the indoor scene of “unexpected panic”
<Photo Credit> Scene3：The painting machinery is placed flat on the stage. Beyond the hills and pale fogs, it’s the lost world of Mr Xu.
<Photo Credit> Scene4：Adjust the painting machinery to an oblique angle，and place a corner of stone bridge in the middle of the painting. The withered lotus far away represent the lonely and bitter heart of Madam White.
<Photo Credit> End: Buddha flowers are falling down. Madam White and Mr Xu, reunited due to umbrella, accomplished the reincarnation of their destiny with the heart-breaking love. At this moment, this story leaves us an everlasting classic legend about love.
Chunhong Xiong
Chunhong Xiong graduated from Shanghai Theatre Academy (STA) and majored in Stage Design. He is now the Senior Vice Chairman of Guangdong Stage Design Research Society and permanent stage designer of Guangzhou Dance Theatre.
He has long been committed to the stage design of drama and Chinese opera and also space design of Artistic Behavior. He collaborated with a series of professional art institutions including Guangdong Drama Troupe, Guangdong Federation of Literary and Art Circles, Guangdong Cantonese Opera Troupe, Zhejiang Yuyao Opera Education Centre, Guangzhou Library and more. His works involve drama, Cantonese opera, Yuyao opera, musical,
children’s theatre, performance art installation and so on.
His designs have been awarded with Cultural Repertoire Award from Ministry of Culture of PRC and First Prize for Stage Design from Guangdong Arts Festival. His major works have also been selected by the 3rd Stage Design Exhibition of China Institute of Stage Design and exhibition catalogue of China Institute of Stage Design (CISD).
Stage design works : drama “Duobao, Duobao”, “Life like summer flowers”, Cantonese opera “Diaolou”, “White Snake--the love”, children’s theatre “ Finding City of Flowers”, musicals “Wang Xizhi”, “ Love when young”, Yuyao opera “Yan Ziling”, installation art “Finding Ink” and “Silence and light”.
children’s theatre, performance art installation and so on.
His designs have been awarded with Cultural Repertoire Award from Ministry of Culture of PRC and First Prize for Stage Design from Guangdong Arts Festival. His major works have also been selected by the 3rd Stage Design Exhibition of China Institute of Stage Design and exhibition catalogue of China Institute of Stage Design (CISD).
Stage design works : drama “Duobao, Duobao”, “Life like summer flowers”, Cantonese opera “Diaolou”, “White Snake--the love”, children’s theatre “ Finding City of Flowers”, musicals “Wang Xizhi”, “ Love when young”, Yuyao opera “Yan Ziling”, installation art “Finding Ink” and “Silence and light”.
Email Address: xiaoxiong.design@126.com
Theatre Company Guangdong Cantonese Opera Theater
The Premiere Date of Production 2014-10-22
The Premiere Space of Production Guangdong Cantoness Opera Art Center
Author Fei Mo
Director/ Choreographer Fei Mo
Set Designer Chunhong Xiong
Lighting Designer Hua Li
Costume Designer Lijun Wang
Sound Designer Huizhi Chen
Other Creative Collaborator/s Dance Designer: WenHao Gu
