The Research Project From Working Space to Theatre Space is a winning post-doc project within the Rubicon programme. This programme, financed by NWO (Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research), allows talented researchers who have recently completed their doctorates to gain experience at a foreign top institute. This is an important step up in a scientific career.

 

The project considers in what ways the conversion of abandoned industrial sites into permanent theater spaces can re-signify the various values and meanings connected to these sites. It does so by investigating how the conversion process affects the perception of industrial heritage sites and conversely, how industrial heritage sites impact the theatre experience. Empirical data on the relationship between this particular form of theatre architecture (found space at industrial sites) and theatre experience are gathered by means of audience and reception research. Additionally, the project investigates how insights into this relationship could best be implemented by the architectural field to develop successful design strategies by means of ‘research by design’.

 

The project takes place in Turin (Italy), a post-industrial city whose urban transformation process continues.

 

keywords: theatre architecture, theatre experience, industrial heritage sites, adaptive reuse, found spaces