English: The Jeita Grotto is a magnificent place located in Lebanon, where Jørn Utzon was tasked to create a theatre in the belly of the beautiful grotto. The project was never constructed. An international architectural competition was made to celebrate Jørn Uzon’s work by letting us the contestants examine, interpret, and visualize this theatre. Sadly the competition was canceled, due to the judges believed, that there were none of the contestants, who managed to meet any of the criteria.
Dansk: Jeita Grotto er et magisk sted beliggende i Libanon, hvor Jørn Utzon fik til opgave at skabe et teater i den smukke grottes indre. Projektet blev aldrig udført. Der blev lavet en international arkitektkonkurrence for at fejre Jørn Uzons arbejde ved at lade os deltagerne undersøge, fortolke og visualisere dette teater. Desværre blev konkurrencen annulleret grundet, at dommerne var overbeviste om, at der ikke var nogen af deltagerne, der formåede at opfylde kriterierne.
English: This interpretation of the Jeita Grotto Theatre, by Jørn Utzon, was created by attempting to understand, what he wanted to achieve. The project was located inside the upper cave of the Jeita Grotto, which is a stalactite cave, which has a unique atmosphere. It was important, to create the theatre, as to how Utzon wanted it realized. This project seeks to show, the final result of how Jeita Grotto Theatre might have been.
The most challenging phase was to analyze and understand the original drawings, that were created by Utzon himself. In some situations, the drawings contradicted each other, so decisions had to be made, which was based on what Utzon might have chosen.
Dansk: Denne fortolkning af Jeita Grotto Theatre af Jørn Utzon var et forsøge på at forstå, hvad han ville opnå. Projektet var placeret inde i den øverste hule i Jeita Grotto, som er en stalaktit grotte, der har en meget unik atmosfære. Det var vigtigt for mig, at skabe teatretud fra, hvordan Utzon ville have det realiseret. Dette projekt søger at vise det endelige resultat af, hvordan Jeita Grotto Theatre ville have set ud, hvis det var opført.
Den mest udfordrende fase var at analysere og forstå de originale tegninger, der er skabt af Utzon selv. I nogle situationer var tegningerne i modstrid med hinanden, så der måtte træffes beslutninger, der var baseret på, hvad jeg tænkte Utzon ville have valgt.
English: It was known, that the theatre, was lit up by lights, that were attached to the metal structure, and which was situated on the surface of the cave. In this project, it was decided to use a black painted metal, perforated metal plates and in-situ cast concrete, which were the
three materials used in this project. The metal structure was painted black, to make it hidden in the darkness. The staircase and the bridge structures were created in perforated metal panels, to maintain the atmospheric view. A concrete wall was placed inside the staircase, which was used as a stabilizing element.
The initial story of the Jeita Grotto Theatre became what influenced this project. In this proposal, the story became the motivation for this interpretation. This retelling is split into three chapters and hopefully, this storytelling will be brought to life, through the visualizations.
Dansk: Teateret skulle være oplyst af lys, der var knyttet til metalkonstruktionen, der var fastgjort til overfladen af hulen. I dette projekt blev det besluttet at struktureren skulle være sort, med perforerede metalplader og in-situ støbt beton, som var materialer der blev brugt i dette projekt. Metalstrukturen blev malet sort for at gøre det skjult i mørket. Trappen og brokonstruktionerne blev oprettet i perforerede metalplader for at opretholde den atmosfæriske udsigt. En betonvæg blev anbragt inde i trappen, som et stabiliserende element.
Utzon’s overordnerede historie om Jeita Grotto Theatre blev det, der satte retning for dette projekt. I dette forslag blev historien motivationen for denne fortolkning. Denne genfortælling er opdelt i tre kapitler, og forhåbentlig vil denne historiefortælling blive bragt til live gennem visualiseringerne og den lille kortfilm.
THE PATH TO THE DYING FIRE, English: Once you enter the stalactite cave, you are met by total darkness, except the illuminated narrow path, which is leading you towards the glowing heart of the Jeita Grotto, a ’heart of fire’. You will be drawn closer to the fire, where you will start to glims the contours of the metal structure, that are illuminated by lights, that are attached to the structure. A small perforated metal bridge will bring you into the heart. Once you are inside, you will find a place to be seated, where you can truly experience the embracement.
STIEN TIL DEN DØDENDE BRAND, Dansk: Når du bevæger dig ind i stalaktitgrotten, mødes du af total mørke bortset fra den smalle belyste sti, der fører dig mod det glødende hjerte i Jeita-grotten, et ‘hjerte af ild’. Du vil blive bevæge dig tættere på ilden, hvor du vil begynde at skimme konturerne af metalstrukturen, der er oplyst. En lille perforeret metalbro bringer dig ind i hjertet. Når du først er inde, finder du et sted at sidde, hvor du virkelig kan opleve omfavnelsen.
THE WHITE STAGE PERFORMANCE, English: The ’heart of fire’ slowly dies out, and everything turns into total darkness. A moment of silence. A number of white spotlights start to illuminate the center of the scene, casting a circular shape on the floor. The silhouette of a person is standing on the stage, which is full of white light and everything else is covered in darkness. At this moment, the performance has begun.
DEN HVIDE SCENEOPTRÆDEN, Dansk: ‘Hjertet af ild’ dør langsomt ud, og alt går i mørke. Et øjeblik i stilhed. Et antal hvide spotlights begynder at belyse scenens centrum og kaster en cirkulær form på gulvet. Silhuetten af en person står på scenen, der er fuld af hvidt lys, og alt andet er dækket af mørke. Forestillingen er hermed begyndt.
THE REVEAL AND THE EXTINGUISHED FIRE, English: The stage performance has come to an end and every white light is slowly fading into darkness. The cave starts to be illuminated entirely, which reveals the stalactite world. The ’heart of fire’ is now extinguished, leaving the burned structure in black behind. You will now truly be able to experience the magnificence of the Jeita Grotto.
AFSLØRINGEN OG DEN SLUKKET BRAND, Dansk: Sceneforestillingen er hermed slut, og hvert hvidt lys fader langsomt ind i mørket. Hulen begynder stille at lyse op og afslører den magiske stalaktitverdenen. ‘Hjertet af ild’ er nu slukket, hvilket efterlader den brændte struktur. Du vil nu virkelig kunne opleve Jeita-grottens storslåethed.
