TORAFU ARCHITECTS

We designed the set piece for the play Freetime, directed by Toshiki Okada and performed by the "chelfitsch" company at the Super Deluxe in Roppongi, before an anticipated world tour.

The action takes place in a family restaurant. However, just as drama strives to portray reality while only offering verisimilitude at most, the set in this play can only be expected to suggest the idea of a family restaurant. Keeping in mind that an elaborate set could hamper the troupe’s signature free-flowing movements, we opted for a more abstract decor by bringing the notion of set to a whole new level.

The base plane is set at the imaginary height of 550mm above ground, and only the top parts of chairs and tables remain visible while the rest is buried beneath it. The chair and the table on which one usually sits and eats no longer retain their original function but only their shape and symbolism remain. By standing on that imaginary level, as if hovering over the floor, the actors are free to establish a new relation to the dining set removed from conventional interactions.

Besides representing the idea of a family restaurant, our objective was to offer the actors a set piece that would prompt them to expand their corporeality. The seemingly levitating actors lend their environment a gentle floating-like sensation where their characters can roam freely, bringing the surreal world of Freetime to life.