Dissecting the Grand Theatre
2021
#Illustration, #InfoDesign/Dataviz
Commissioned by The New York Times for Kids China & Shanghai Grand Theatre︎︎︎
#Illustration, #InfoDesign/Dataviz
Commissioned by The New York Times for Kids China & Shanghai Grand Theatre︎︎︎
I was commissioned by The New York Times for Kids China (《栩栩多多》) to design and draw an architectural illustration for a special promotional supplement co-produced with Shanghai Grand Theatre (SGT). As one of Shanghai’s most iconic cultural institutions, the Grand Theatre is an architectural landmark as well as a hub of artistic communication.
The purpose of this section, named The Show Must Go On, is to engage readers and entice a wider audience by providing an inside look into the daily operation of SGT. And my part of the work is to dissect and visualize its internal spatial structure while putting emphasis on the major functional areas around the Grand Theatre.
The purpose of this section, named The Show Must Go On, is to engage readers and entice a wider audience by providing an inside look into the daily operation of SGT. And my part of the work is to dissect and visualize its internal spatial structure while putting emphasis on the major functional areas around the Grand Theatre.
The challenge is to show such complex spatial structures in a 2D illustration and make them understandable to an ordinary audience.
Sketch
The architecture was designed and constructed in the late 1990s and had undergone a major restoration in 2013, so it’s not easy to find a very up-to-date drawing for direct reference. I carefully examined the original floor plans before I was luckily invited to conduct fieldwork at the Grand Theatre to immerse myself in its unique atmosphere and communities, which were absent in the technical drawings.
Based on my expertise in analytical architectural drawings, I opted for an axonometric layout and created a 3D model of the Grand Theatre as a reference, ensuring the precision of the illustration. In the meantime, the space surrounding the main stage was intentionally exaggerated to accentuate its crucial function within the theatre. Then I focused on adding a variety of hand-drawing textures and details, telling vivid stories about different spaces.
Work-in-progress
Considering the audience of the publication, the illustration should not only accurately reflect the location of highlighted spaces and the complex relationship between them, but also need to be intuitive and imaginative enough to entertain children.
Details
The final work was highly regarded by the Grand Theatre and led to further cooperation︎︎︎. ︎