Terra Nullius: The nomad and the empty space

Abstract

Inside the markings of the compass is an empty, unclaimed space, or ‘Terra Nullius’. It is the kind of void or ‘place without co-ordinates’ that is sought for theatre in the writings and practises of Edward Gordon Craig or Peter Brook. This paper argues that performance space is not the territory for monument-builders, as these artists have become. It argues that the spirit of theatre is not sustained by fixed compass points within a building or a city, but instead flourishes in times of change or economic struggle, when industries collapse: leaving spaces without purpose. Spatial practises in theatre are broken down into discussions on scenography, performance design and theatre architecture, suggesting that performance design must precede the architecture in order to escape the decorative preoccupations of scenography. Connections to landscape, ecology, territory and colonialism are considered in this notion of ‘the scenic’, positing that the so-called ‘empty space’ is the burden of contemporary design practises in performance, and a construct as loaded as the concept of ‘terra nullius’: a term originally used by settlers to describe the continent of Australia as unclaimed land. Examples like the black box theatre, Brook's Bouffes du Nord, experimental performance spaces and many regional or national theatres are discussed as cultural or colonial monuments. As such they have become obstructions to the progression of performance practise in the 21st Century, with resident companies often held hostage by real estate and institutional programming. Contemporary responses in performance are also discussed, including Societas Raffaello Sanzio's Tragedia Endogonidia, the Prague Quadrennial Intersections project, The Performance Arcade, and the current dilemma faced by performance practitioners in Christchurch, New Zealand; where the community is considering new theatre spaces in the aftermath of the 22/2/2011 earthquake. Through these examples it is possible to propose a radicalisation of spatial practises for performance, questioning the role that theatre architecture plays within the new field/s of performance design. The paper arrives at a point where conventional ‘landed’ and pastoral practices for theatre making and building can be identified as unrealistic or antiquated within new cultural and economic landscapes.