'Opera Box' was one of my very first designs; a project which involved redesigning the existing Newtown Library in Wellington for a specific community group.
I wanted to create a space that brought communities together through song, so I decided to design for the Wellington G&S Light Opera Group.
This project is inspired by a traditional opera box found in theatres; a seating area where a small group of people can enjoy private viewings of shows and performances. I wanted to take this idea and open it up to a public audience, so that people nearby and those entering the library could be immersed into the performance and sound from above.
The design aimed to change the atmosphere of what was once merely a canopy that people walked under, to something that evoked emotion and grasped attention and wonder. I also wanted to make sure I didn't disregard the values of the library in connection to the opera, as both are outlets of sharing and storytelling.
The idea for this project was that singers from the Wellington G&S Light Opera Group would practise and perform in Opera Box; my aim for the space being for the vocals to travel across the road and above the sound of the traffic. Lighting within the space would allow for nighttime performances.
My hope for Opera Box was for people to rediscover what it means to enter a space, and how it can be done so in a way that makes it more meaningful to people, whilst also bringing communities together.
