The Lucky Penny is an art company whose goal is the support and promotion of contemporary art. In May of 2012, choreographer Blake Beckham presented the challenge of creating a contemporary dance piece in which the dancers would perform in, on, and around a two-story house completely made out of cardboard. A community of architects, engineers, Georgia Tech students, sculptors, theater technicians, and community volunteers collaborated to help design and build this ambitious set piece. I was involved from beginning to end, throughout the design process and all the way through construction.

The performance, properly named “Threshold”, challenges the idea of the home as a sacred and safe place as one travels from outside to inside. We associate houses with security and protection but these feelings are challenged with the thought of a house made completely out of cardboard.

I was involved with material research overall design of the stage, construction of test pieces, 3D renderings, and construction of the final set.

The Final set design consisted of 2 halves of a house in which the largest one could be moved about the stage during the performance.  a moveable cardboard staircase would allow the performers to get to the second floor of the house.  With an exception of the wooden furniture in the back center of the stage and the wooden bases of the 2 moveable pieces, everything was constructed via cardboard and glue.

Software Used:  3Ds Max, Photoshop