Nelly Ben Hayoun has been invited to join forces in a road trip from Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, through the Ukraine and the oil fields of Azerbaijan to the rocket launch pad of Kazakhstan’s Baikonur Cosmodrone. A Project initiated by Liam Young and Kate Davies the AA ( Architectural Association). more on the project at www.unknownfieldsdivision.com
Reports written by Nelly Ben Hayoun for Domus on this fantastic trip can be seen here. Report on Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, here. Report on Aral sea, Here. Report on Baikonur Cosmodrome, here
As part of the expedition, Nelly Ben Hayoun gave students roles and experiences to explore on site and perform.
For example:
* Aral Sea: the experience of waiting
“I don’t seem to be able… (long hesitation) to depart.” Samuel Beckett in Waiting for Godot
Godot never came, but the action of waiting for him, is keeping the characters of the play very busy. They experience space and time efficiently, they fill it up with activities, games, exercises, arguments, discussion to avoid emptiness.
In this workshop, you will look at designing situations in which we can all experience an ‘action of waiting’ , you will have to develop set and narrations as well as perform it.
“Let’s go. Yes, let’s go. (They do not move).”
–Samuel Beckett, Waiting for Godot
* Baikonur Cosmodrome: a Human smoke in front of the Soyuz rocket