Brief: Create a piece to promote an artist from Netflix's Abstract series. The only requirement for the design is that it must fit inside a pizza box.
For my design I chose the set designer Es Devlin. I wanted the piece to be intriguing and interactive just like her work.
In her documentary, Es Devlin talks about the 5 key ingredients of set design: time, light, scale, space and darkness and goes into great detail about her process.
This was something I wanted to reflect in my own design so I decided to make a set design 'kit' which the user could interact with whilst also learning about the set design process.
The kit contains everything the user needs to build their own set, including an instruction manual to guide them through the process.
The box containing the ingredients forms the framework for the set. It simply folds backward and then the tabs are attached to each side with velcro.
The inner tab can then be pulled out to reveal the pop-up scene within.
Each of the boxes inside the set contains an 'ingredient' which helps bring the set to life.
For space, set of 3 squares (a common feature of Devlin's work), for scale, a pair of hands (to shift the scaling of the piece), for light, a small torch (to add depth), for time a series of coloured acetates (to shift the mood of the piece) and the final box contains an instruction to turn out the lights, plunging the piece into darkness as if in a real theatre.
Each of these boxes features a quote from Es Devlin about why the ingredient is important.
All the elements are then added to the set to create the final effect - a dramatic miniature stage set inspired by Es Devlin's work.
The diagram above - contained within the instruction manual - details how some of Es Devlin's most iconic work is included in the miniature set design.
Images of the final set, taken in darkness using the supplied coloured acetates.
