Harvard University Graduate School of Design, Gund Hall Gallery
October 5-29, 1998

Contacts:Brooke Hodge, GSD (617-496-8812)
Geoffrey Wexler, Byrd Hoffman Foundation (212-620-0220)

Introduction

The name Robert Wilson is commonly associated with the world of avant-garde theater and opera. But at the core of Wilson's work is the process of drawing. It is through drawing that Wilson first conceives of the images that are later amplified into elaborate set designs, costumes, and blocking. And it is through Wilson's drawings that we can experience his creative process at first hand.

This exhibition seeks to present Wilson's drawing as an artwork in its own right, related but not overshadowed by the theater work to which it corresponds. The presentation will include not only the drawings themselves but a multimedia creation in CD-ROM form that allows the viewer to move between the drawing process, the design of theater space, and the actual theater works as performed. Augmenting these elements will be set models, stage properties, costumes, backdrops, and a small selection of photographs. The drawings themselves will appear in a variety of forms, most notably in bound journals created by the artist, and leaves from the journals displayed on the walls of the gallery.

The materials in the exhibition will relate to five early works of Robert Wilson, from the period 1969-1976. These are The Life and Times of Sigmund Freud (1969), KA MOUNTAIN AND GUARDenia TERRACE (1972), The Life and Times of Joseph Stalin (1973), A Letter for Queen Victoria (1974), and Einstein on The Beach (1976). The five works will be presented in five discreet areas of the gallery space.

Exhibition Materials

Notebooks.

The core materials will be a series of 17 notebook/journals created by Robert Wilson between 1972 and 1976. The average size of the books is 11" x 14". Over half the books contain loose pages, many of which were removed for a Paris exhibition in the mid-1970s. A selection of loose pages will be displayed on the walls of the gallery, and the bound books themselves will appear in display cases. Most of the notebooks have never before been exhibited in North America.

The notebooks include not only drawings and sketches but extensive notes, ephemeral items, and photographs. The drawings are usually in pen or pencil, but a large quantity of them are also watercolor or colored marker.

Of special interest in one of the notebooks are some of the earliest ideas for Einstein on the Beach, with sketches of scenes that were never used in the final production.

Large-Scale Drawings.

In conjunction with each production, Wilson creates a series of large-scale drawings that are displayed in museums and galleries. These vary in size and shape. Most are currently framed. In the exhibition these drawings will be used sparingly, as the primary focus will be the notebook/journals.

Furniture/Sculpture Objects.

The stage properties for Wilson productions are sculptural objects in their own right. Although very few such properties are still extant for the early works, a number of them are available and will be presented in the exhibition. These include: Queen Victoria Chairs (2 @ 68-1/2" x 47-1/2" x 47-1/2" each), Stalin Chairs (2 @ 33" x 61" x 61" each), Einstein Chair (89" x 9-7/8" x 9-7/8"), Freud Hanging Chair (35-1/2" x 9-1/2" x 9-1/2"), and Deafman Glance Flying Bench (28" x 18" x 14-1/2").

Costume.

The exhibition will include the "ByrdWoman" dress, used originally in Deafman Glance and later in Stalin and Overture the Fourth Act of Deafman Glance as well as the film of Deafman Glance made in 1980. When displayed the costume measures approx. 69" x 21".

Set Model.

Fortunately the original set model for Einstein on the Beach is still extant. This includes maquettes for most of the stage properties, plus painted backdrops for all of the scenes. The model measures 25" x 18" x 14".

Backdrop.

A large backdrop for A Letter for Queen Victoria will be displayed near the entry to the gallery space. If the drop is too large for the space, then a large-scale photographic blowup will be substituted.

Photographs.

A series of photographs of the early workshops at Robert WilsonÕs Spring Street loft will be presented. The images were recently discovered in the Wilson Archive have never before been exhibited or published. Booth from KA MOUNTAIN. The week-long play KA MOUNTAIN AND GUARDenia TERRACE took place on a mountain side near Shiraz, Iran, in 1972. One of the central features of the work was a series of small booths in which tableaux or performance pieces were presented. In the exhibition, a photographic enlargement showing one of the booths will accompany the drawings for KA MOUNTAIN.

Text.

The sketchbooks will be accompanied by annotated texts and/or photographs to explain to the viewer what he or she is looking at. There will also be extensive wall text for each section of the exhibition, corresponding to the five works presented, that will explain the work itself, the development of ideas conveyed through the sketches, and the use of each property in the work. In addition, a general text will be presented at the beginning of the exhibition to introduce the viewer to Robert Wilson and his theater works.