A R C H I E F1 9 9 6  
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  Robert Wilson & Paul Kaiser
A visionary of theatre (demo)
  USA 1995
Cd-rom
The American theatre maker Robert Wilson eagerly took to the CD-rom medium as an extra means of expression - alongside theatre, video and exhibitions. In ‘A Visionary of Theatre’ Wilson demonstrates from several angles the underlying concepts and genesis of a number of his productions using (spoken) text, music, sketches, films and photos. This ‘demo’ contains ‘Ka Mountain’ and ‘Einstein’, two of the five sections that will make up the finished project. The design of the knobs at the bottom of the screen or hidden in the images and the typography are quasi schematic as if to stress that you are dealing with Wilson’s ‘note books’, albeit an interactive version. By clicking on ‘go’ you can choose a project via a pop-up menu. In ‘Ka Mountain’ you start by watching a mounted black and white photograph of a dry hilly landscape pass by. Then, by choosing the ‘sketching’ option, Wilson tells you about the ideas behind ‘Ka Mountain’ using sketches which convert the screen into a school blackboard. In ‘Einstein’, the options story board, sketching, contacts and sets act as parallel axes which give insight into how ‘Einstein on the Beach’ came about, into the cooperation with Philip Glass and about the various stages which go into making a completed scene. Lessons from the master: most certainly a ‘must’ for the true Wilson fan.

Jorinde Seijdel

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