YaleNews: Yale's School of Architecture and School of Drama are teaming up this fall to present "Stage Designs by Ming Cho Lee," a retrospective of the award-winning designer and Yale professor's work in theater, opera, and dance. The exhibit, free and open to the public, will be on view Nov. 21–Feb. 1 in the Yale School of Architecture Gallery, 180 York St., in New Haven.
7 comments:
Ming Cho Lee's work is very impressive and his name is probably the first I heard of when I was little as a famous theatrical designer. Seeing his models and work is beautiful and it would be amazing to see the exhibit. It is great that he is a part of the project, which means it will be very true to his passions and vision.
Most set design models are works of art. The detail that a lot of the designers go into in just the scale model is crazy. To have done so much and all of them turn out so well is amazing! I am just now hearing of Ming Cho Lee and, looking at his work, it is so cool! I'm really glad that the Yale School of Architecture and School of Drama are working together to put on this showcase for him. Although he is a theatre designer, so much of set designs are architecture based that it will be beneficial for both schools to view his work and study his techniques. It really is a marvel how theatre just draws people in from all sorts of places and takes over. Ming Cho Lee was an artist at first and then was captured by theatre. I wish I had a story like that. I was born into theatre, so I just stayed where I was.
Ming Cho Lee is considered to be the dean of scenic design, but myself and many other people have never heard of him before. He has designed for many stages and numerous broadway shows. Its very nice that Yale university is honoring his work to the industry professionals of tomorrow. The students at Yale and the surrounding community are going to benefit from this exhibit enormously. His designs are astonishing and state of the art, although he is older than most designers. The design that was the most impressive for me was for the play, "Don Juan" performed at the American stage.
I had never heard of Mind Cho Lee, but after reading this article and especially after scrolling through the pictures of his models, I would love to see something he has designed. I found this interview on youtube of him. He goes pretty in-depth on his ideals and thought processes as a set designer. It's really neat to take a look into the workings of such a creative mind.
Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQJnyZKw_V8
I didn't realize that Ming Cho Lee brought so many aspects of architecture into scenic design. Although the article says that he studied under Joe Mielziner, I found his work more constructive like Boris Anderson's work. I think his use of geometric shapes within his composition are really great, but it makes me wonder, what would the opposite look like? What if there is no structure to the design at all? Anyway, what is neat about his designs is the use of architecture within the designs. Everyday, we see architecture around us, so the design becomes relatable to the audience. Lee manipulates the architecture so it isn't "real," but it gives the idea of reality. I think that is what brings the audience into another world / the world of the play. I am very happy that he is getting this exhibition. I only wish I could see his models in person. There is a huge difference between internet photographs and the real deal.
Ming Cho Lee was the first famous set designer I have heard since I got interested in set design. Although I thought I have researched enough about his designs and works, reading this article, I realized so many new things about him. I did not know how he introduced new architectural vocabulary to American set design. Looking at some of his works, they are very beautiful and amazing in a way that I could see a lot of scales and details in his works. And I also agree with Lindsay that there is huge difference between just the photographs of his works and actual work. I always wanted to see productions with his designs, but I could not. I think it is really good how School of Architecture is also teaming up with in order to celebrate Ming Cho lee's works. Since it is open through February, I really hope that I get to go New York to see this exhibitions which will be closer experience of his works than searching his works through google.
This article was really fascinating and uplifting. Having been an architecture student before I left for theatrical design, I have come to appreciate a highly close attention to detail and precision. I think that set designers have an extremely difficult job in taking the audience away from a black theater and transforming the space into another world. I also think that all set designers should take architecture classes to learn more about structure and how the built environment actually works. both fields can work together and learn from each other in order to make their craft better.
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