Slovenian Theatre Institute
Mestni trg 17, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
T: +386 1 241 5800
E: slogi@slogi.si
S: www.slogi.si
The Space Within the Space is an exhibition about the magical beauty and diversity of theatre scenography. It is a story of planning the magical theatre world and space. It is a tale of plans, design sketches, stage drafts and models used to build sets. It tells us about their dialogue with the stage space, and the relationships between visual styles, architecture, drama texts and the final realisation onstage. The Space Within the Space leads us through the forms of stage sets, amidst the techniques, genres, styles, and shows us the development of stage design as it appeared in our theatres.
The Space Within the Space is a comprehensive multi-annual project of the Slovenian Theatre Institute (SLOGI) which presents the evolution of stage set design in Slovenija in the time frame from the 19th century to the state independence of Slovenia in 1991. It is the first all-embracing review of scenography in Slovenia that tries to present the historical, stylistic and visual constituent of theatre events at the same time. It brings a fresh insight into the visual history, as well as an insight of the theatre history in Slovenia. SLOGI started the project in 2018, with the extensive monography by Ana Kocjančič, titled The Space Within the Space: Scenography in Slovenia from 17th Century till 1991, consisting of two volumes. The first book deals with the period before the beginning of the 2nd world war, while the second part analyses the theatre waves after 1945 until the independence of Slovenia in 1991. In collaboration with National Gallery Ljubljana and with the technical assistance of the Slovene National Opera and Ballet, SLOGI has in 2019 prepared the focal event of the project: the exhibition The Space Within the Space: Scenography in Slovenia before 1991. Its concept was conceived by the monograph author Ana Kocjančič, while its overall graphic design and the exposition itself are a work of the renowned Slovenian architect and set designer Andrej Stražišar. The exhibit was open at the National Gallery in the period 25. 4. – 8. 9. 2019, it was accompanied by various guided tours, workshops, pedagogical programmes, lectures – moreover, it was accompanied by two parallel exhibitions: Maks Kavčič – pisava v prostoru by the author Ana Kocjančič (at the domain of SLOGI) and the temporary exhibition Sanja Jurca Avci – Uršula. The latter was set up in the frame of the TAM-TAM street gallery in Vegova street, Ljubljana. One part of the exhibition at the National Gallery was later presented at the UGM Studio in Maribor, as a joint venture between the Art Gallery Maribor and the Borštnikovo srečanje Festival. In 2020, SLOGI has prepared an e-exhibition The Space Within the Space: Scenography in Slovenia which is available to the broad audience at home, as well as in the international context. In this way, SLOGI concludes the project The Space Within the Space and remains open for additional research and new discoveries that concern Slovene set design, Slovene theatre history and Slovene theatre as a whole.
Author of the exhibition: Ana Kocjančič
E-layout: Mojca Jan Zoran
Author of CGP of the project: Andrej Stražišar
Digitization: Andrej Ovsec
Translation: Barbara Skubic, Primož Jesenko
Language Editing: Andraž Polončič Ruparčič, Jana Renée Wilcoxen
Associates: Ksenija Kaučič, Brina Zoran
Exhibition production: Slovenian Theatre Institute, Ljubljana, 2020