PERFORMANCE DECK
Catskills, NY

with foreground design agency
Client: Mount Tremper Arts

Commissioned by the arts center as a feasibility study for a new outdoor performance venue, this proposal reimagines the performance landscape as an extension of the site’s dramatic terrain. Inspired by the outdoor dance deck designed by Lawrence Halprin for dancer and choreographer Anna Halprin, the design began with an analysis of the mountain’s steep cliffs, terraced plateaus, and creek valley, examining how movement is shaped by a landscape spanning from the valley floor (733’) to the historic bluestone quarry (1,811’). This territorial investigation was paired with a detailed site analysis and movement studies of dancers who had performed at the arts center, revealing relationships between choreography, body, and landform. The resulting proposal embeds the performance deck within the site’s existing topography, allowing the landscape itself to choreograph movement and encouraging performers and audiences to engage the terrain in new and unexpected ways.

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Allensworth Historic & Community Cemetery

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Climate Resilience Environmental Education Center (CREEC)