AE Articles

SCA|Steven Chilton Architects

STEVEN CHILTON projects:
Wuxi Taihu Show Theater.
Guangzhou Yue Show Theater.
Puzzle Ball Theater.
Han Show 'Red Lantern' Theater

PROJECTS

Guangzhou Yue Show Theater

Forward by Karl van Es

History, or the study of past places or events is something that as humans we are inherently drawn to. It tells us where we’ve come from and is the collective memory of our species. In architecture, we use history to tell us what materials work well in a specific climate, who used the space and why, and how our built form came to be. When done well, architecture is a symbol of a place’s past while speaking to a present, using the materials, space and society around it to inform its design.

What makes Guangzhou Yue so interesting is that its form is not traditional, but its experience and the elements within in still harken to the past. When construction is completed, the theater will become a living piece of history that speaks to a new generation of Chinese people in Guangzhou– one with a hunger for expression and individuality in a country that has historically opposed it.

Guangzhou Yue Show Theater is the second of four theatres in China that we will be taking an in-depth look at with its designer, noted British architect Steven Chilton. I hope you enjoy the interview as much as I did.

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Han Show 'Red Lantern' Theater

Forward by Karl van Es

Karl van Es is an architect and travel writer. Since 2017 he has been the founder and editor of the architecture and travel blog AVONTUURA.

In ancient China, lanterns were used quite commonly in warfare, for transmitting secret messages, signalling an intended action across a battlefield or simply lighting the night sky when laying siege on a city. In more recent times, lanterns have become more popular as a decoration for parties and festivals, and while the circumstances for its use have inarguably improved, lanterns still transmit a message to those that see it in the night sky.

At Han Show, that message is one of spectacle and wonder, and something you cannot help but feel a part of it in the moment as its bright red colours fill the night sky above.
Han Show ‘Red Lantern’ Theater is the last of four theatres in China that we will be taking an in-depth look at with its designer, noted British architect Steven Chilton. I hope you enjoy the interview as much as I did.

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Wuxi Taihu Show Theater

Puzzle Ball Theater

Forward by Karl van Es

There’s a spiritual connection we all share when we walk through a forest; the filtered light, the smell of morning dew, and the sounds of critters nearby. It grounds us by removing all the weight we carry in our lives and reconnects us with the primary elements; those pure substances of life which cannot be broken down, reminding us of who we are and what we are made of.
When I saw Wuxi for the first time, with its sleek, white columns set in a gentle landscape of trees, fog and water, I felt for a minute that I was back there. Wuxi has a transcendental quality about it that works perfectly for a theater. When we go out for a meal, to socialize with friends, and to experience the best of what life has to offer, we bring our whole subconscious self with us – the good and the bad. Wuxi breaks that all down and sets the stage for the performances ahead by bringing us back to nature and giving us a sense of the wonder to come.
Wuxi Taihu Show Theater is the first of four theatres in China that we will be taking an in-depth look at with its designer, noted British architect Steven Chilton. I hope you enjoy the interview as much as I did.

In my travels throughout Asia and China specifically, what has come to stand out more than anything is the shear magnitude of its cities and the rate in which they are changing: the small village where the feeling of a time passed by still lingers against the backdrop of a new super-structure which represents its future. Its a clash of new and old worlds living together in an uncomfortable way, while life goes on around it.
What’s most beautiful about the old world is the simplicity of it all; the beauty in its craftsmanship and to a singular way of living that is lost in the contemporary world. The puzzle ball, an ancient Chinese art form is just one example of a time and craft gone by as we seek more technological forms of pleasure in our lives. And yet, its this feeling of the past that gives wonder and beauty to the present.
Puzzle Ball Theater is the third of four theatres in China that we will be taking an in-depth look at with its designer, noted British architect Steven Chilton. I hope you enjoy the interview as much as I did.

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