SOOOOOO since graduating from the Royal College of Art last year House of Jonn’s Jordan has been involved in a rather unique project known as ‘Fidelio in the Gulag’. which we briefly blogged about in a previous post. After a long long long long long year of hard work and many unknowns the project has finally come to fruition and I could not be more happy!

The project has been director Michael Hunt’s vision and has been realised by the SCDLP architects office who myself and Thomas Greenall have worked alongside to achieve this. Our role was to facilitate the performance of this site specific opera through the creation and installation of set design interventions that worked within context.

In July, 2010, Perm State Tchaikovsky Opera and Ballet Theatre will present a unique production of Beethoven’s only opera “Fidelio” on the territory of the former GULAG camp for political prisoners “Perm 36″, which is now a museum of the history of political repressions.

The production is conceived by the creators as a site-specific piece and not as traditional onstage performance. The epic number of cast members, inspired by the universal idea of love and freedom of Beethoven’s great opera, will bring the whole experience of the camp alive to the audience.

I’m really happy to have had this opportunity to share this project with you, I’ll make sure to post some additional images of the set in particular in the next posts.
Also we are currently in the process of making a short film of the project so I’ll get some clips up soon.

photos by Alex Gushin Salt

A quick update of what we’ve been up to recently – from Russia to the French Riviera via a Shoreditch basement, lots of good things underway.

Fidelio at Perm 36:

Jordan has been working with SCDLP Architects on the set design of a new production of Beethoven’s one and only opera, Fidelio, being performed in July this year by Perm State Opera and Ballet Theatre of Russia. To be staged in the grounds of Perm 36, an operational gulag until 1988, the project is part set design, part site-specific installation – a series of stages and architectural events spread through the gulag’s grounds. A couple of pics:

La Belle Époque:

A certain Riviera palace is ear-marked for the Starchitect treatment. To set the scene, design consultant Jane Withers commissioned House of Jonn and Thomas Greenall to produce a context study of its aesthetic, cultural and historical significance. Fingers crossed for a proper site visit..

Club That Shall Remain Nameless:

Can’t reveal any details yet sadly but excited to also be doing a little work on a new club opening in Shoreditch this summer. Nothing but a derelict ex-industrial shell at the moment but come July or August home to 900 creatures of the night…

So — all a bit hectic just now but great to be busy. Please just give us a shout if anything takes your interest.

xoxo