The resulting collaboration represents a fascinating intersection of spatial design and avant-garde movement, bringing architectural sensibilities directly onto the theatrical stage. For Cunningham, this partnership is just the latest chapter in a remarkable career spanning over six decades. During that time, the choreographer has become just as famous for his unique, innovative, and often unexpected collaborations as he is for his groundbreaking, revolutionary approach to modern dance. Long before teaming up with Tagliabue, Cunningham forged legendary creative alliances with visionary fine artists such as Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns. In more recent years, he has continued to push traditional boundaries by collaborating with contemporary rock bands like Radiohead and Sigur Rós, proving that his appetite for cross-pollination across artistic genres remains as insatiable as ever.
Reflecting on his lifelong dedication to working outside traditional comfort zones, Cunningham explains his philosophy with characteristic clarity. "I’m interested in artists that explore new ways of working, certainly in music, but in design also," he notes.
This distinguished pairing of Cunningham and Tagliabue did not happen entirely by accident; it came at the thoughtful suggestion of Trevor Carlson, the executive director of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company in New York City. The catalyst for the collaboration was a special upcoming performance at the prestigious Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) designed to celebrate Cunningham’s monumental 90th birthday on April 16. In planning this milestone event, the dance company made a deliberate decision to shake up traditional staging by bringing the live musicians out of their usual hiding place and directly into the performance space alongside the dancers.
"It seemed clear that if we were taking the musicians out of the orchestra pit and putting them on stage, it would be best to work with an architect," Carlson says, explaining the conceptual leap that led him toward the world of spatial design. His search for the right creative partner ultimately led him across the Atlantic. "I was introduced to Benedetta in Barcelona. What struck me about her architecture is the dialogue her buildings have with the community around them," Carlson adds, referencing acclaimed architectural projects crafted by her studio, such as the vibrant and undulating Santa Caterina market completed in Barcelona in 2005.
Drawing a parallel between urban planning, community interaction, and the fluid dynamics of a modern dance performance, Carlson views the architectural intervention as a natural extension of space utilization. "It’s no different working on a stage with a group of dancers and musicians—you’re simply agreeing to occupy the same space at the same time," he observes.
Despite her immense global reputation as a master architect, Tagliabue had actually only designed for the stage once before in her illustrious career—for an opera production at Barcelona’s historic Liceu theatre. Stepping back into the theatrical realm presented an entirely distinct set of professional challenges and creative unknowns. "I had no real experience doing this," she recalls candidly. "Like Merce, though, I enjoy taking risks."
Yet, while the collaboration unites two creative spirits who thrive on the unknown, their underlying methodologies present an intriguing contrast. Cunningham has famously built an entire legendary career on leaving major artistic decisions up to chance, frequently incorporating chance operations—such as the literal toss of a coin—into his choreographic routines and performance structures. Tagliabue, by contrast, has approached the stage design with a deeply rigorous, structural architectural mindset.
The initial design concept for the BAM birthday production was inspired heavily by the geometries and unique reflective qualities of crystal. This luminous, faceted inspiration has since been developed and refined through a series of complex, angular physical models created within Tagliabue’s studio. The inherent dynamism of these models—a signature trademark of the Miralles Tagliabue design philosophy—will undoubtedly be intensified on stage through the continuous, real-time physical interaction of the live musicians and the company’s dancers moving around and through the structure.
Logistically, pulling off such an ambitious cross-disciplinary collaboration has required a tremendous amount of mutual trust. Because of busy international schedules and geographic distance between New York and Barcelona, physical meetings between the collaborators in the months leading up to the premiere performance have been notably limited. For a traditional theatrical production, such minimal rehearsal time and sparse direct communication between the set designer and the choreographer might spell disaster. However, for this pairing, it feels entirely appropriate.
"Working this way, there has to be some form of good faith," Cunningham admits, highlighting the core philosophy that sustains his creative process. "That moment when we all can see it come together usually isn’t until the dress rehearsal. On occasion, there hasn’t even been a dress rehearsal."
For a man who has spent a lifetime embracing surprises, all bets are certainly on this architectural and choreographic experiment turning out to be a very special birthday surprise for both the artist and his devoted audiences.
Merce Cunningham at 90 will be performed at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in Brooklyn, New York, running from April 16 through April 19, 2009.
