The Master Builder 1931

Petre Otskheli made this stage set design for the play ‘The Master Builder’ in the first half of the 20th century, using watercolor and ink on paper. There’s this looming black space behind a geometric form, a ziggurat, that is a staircase to nowhere. A beam of light projects onto this little stage with a red carpet. It's a very odd stage. I'm thinking about Otskheli, who was later repressed and executed. Was he thinking about power? This piece makes me think about El Lissitzky and other constructivists making theaters. Theater design is such an optimistic gesture. It embraces ambiguity and uncertainty, allowing for multiple interpretations. These artists are in an ongoing conversation and exchange of ideas across time, inspiring one another’s creativity.