Hlavní stránka Info portálu ZČU

The dance production, which takes the audience through a unique artistic space, was prepared by the creative team of choreographer Richard Ševčík and light designer and video maker Lukáš Kellner, head of the Multilab studio at Sutnarka (Faculty of Design and Art Ladislav Sutnar University of West Bohemia in Pilsen). The experimental project Mind Canvas Square combines dance, light and digital technologies in an unexpected scenic composition. During the performance, the audience will move from the theatrical black box to a sculptural model room, enhancing the overall experience and deepening the connection with the story. We spoke with Lukáš Kellner about the upcoming production.

Part of the performance called Square was presented to the public as part of the Blik Blik festival on 21 March. Can you give us a little introduction, what can we look forward to?

Fans of the Pilsen ballet have actually seen our performance, or rather one part of it called Square, several times already. We presented the first sketch two years ago at a ballet gala in the Josef Kajetán Tyl Theatre in Pilsen. Then at the Ballet Inspiration show in 2023 on the small stage of the New Theatre, and we also performed Square about two more times in Trnava. Anyway, this final part of the whole show is about the mind of man, which is kind of a connecting line through the whole Mind Canvas Square performance. At the end there is a connection between the working world of a person and, let's say, artistic relaxation.

That sounds interesting and also a bit abstract. But I imagine that the scene or the colours and emotions probably play one of the main roles here. Is that right?

Each of the three parts is a vehicle for a mind-set or a mood, an emotion, a concept, the human mind. The first entry is actually Richard Ševčík's original choreographies, which work with some inner struggle, identity, with difficult moments in a person's life. We all know that. The second part of Canvas is inspired by our icon Ladislav Sutnar and his work with the Venus motif. Even when things are not going well, one can find a way out, clear one's mind a little, relax and gain some perspective. And the third part, which we have already talked about, is the transformation from the not entirely positive and demanding world of work and the way to relative positivity.

So you're looking for a modus vivendi?

You could say that.

So the whole performance will take place here in Multilab, right?

We've been working on the show for about two and a half years. And actually, from the beginning, the concept was that we would perform the show partially as a site-specific show here for the Ladislav Sutnar Faculty of Design and Art building. Not just for Multilab, which is a classic black box theater, but the other part takes us into the sculpture model room. That means bringing the situation into a different space, which doesn't normally happen in theatres, it can be something unusual for the audience.

The transition to another environment supports the connection with the story of Ladislav Sutnar and his Venus. We come out of the black box and into the artist's studio that the building offers us. So, as part of the performance, the public also gets to know our building.

At the Ladislav Sutnar Faculty of Design and Art of UWB, it will be possible to see the performance only twice, on Saturday, April 5 and Sunday, April 6 at 4:00 pm. Tickets for the premiere and the reprise can be purchased on the Plzeňská vstupenka portal.