GRIF is a Copenhagen based
scenographer duo.
The mission of GRIF is to expand artistic approaches, methods and forms of collaboration in the field of scenography.
GRIF investigates known and yet-to-be-known ways in which a scenographer enters a dialogue and develops artistic material in performing arts, both in the relationship between scenographer-to-scenographer as well as scenographer-to-theater.
GRIF is formed by
Scenographer and costume designer
Ditte Marie Walter Tygesen
&
Scenographer and architect
Mikkel Sebastian Rostrup
Both scenographers graduated from the Danish School of Performing Arts in 2020.
Both Ditte and Mikkel individually received the Wilhelm Hansen Foundation‘s honorary scholarship 2021.
GRIF is followed by the Internationel Center for Knowledge in the Arts‘ program Enhanced Practice in the period August 2021 – August 2022 with assigned mentor Miriam Frandsen (Dramaturge, curator, and project leader at TOASTERcph)
STATEMENT
GRIF is a mission:
To break away from and challenge the expected way of working as a set designer.
GRIF is critical of the current normative way of working as a set designer at the institutional theaters in Denmark.
In the meeting with the Danish theater field, GRIF experiences a lack of reflection on expectations for the set designer’s work.
GRIF investigates alternative approaches, methods and forms of collaboration in the field of scenography.
GRIF attacks and expands known ways in which a scenographer enters a dialogue and develops material in performing arts, both in the relationship between scenographer-to-scenographer, as well as scenographer-to-theater.
GRIF experiences that Danish theater is locked in expectations by the work of the set designer. The institutionalized theater focuses on efficiency and feasibility, which does not require openness to explore new scenographic working methods. Thus, there is no time, profit and confidence to recognize that newly educated scenographers can contribute new knowledge and new working methods that can revolutionize the theater. Lack of time breeds distrust of the set designer’s contribution and leaves no room for common doubt and intuition in the process.
GRIF sees opportunities for new forms of work in: The way the scenographer submits their material to the theater, the scenographer’s employment date and participation, collaborating two scenographers on a single performance, expanding the collaboration between scenographer and builder, propmaker, painter or tailor.
GRIF believes that the artistic struggle lies in the study of new working methods. The product of this research is not the result of the performance, but the development of new methods and knowledge sharing.
Side by side with their artistic practice
GRIF will reflect, document and discuss.
GRIF’s goal is to make the collected knowledge available and share it with the Danish Scenographic Association.
COMING UP
SKYLD
a new written danish drama
by playwriter Julie Maj (DK)
Director Hans Henriksen (NO)
at Aalborg Teater.
Aalborg, Denmark.
November 2022
AUTOCALLYPSE
a new written opera
by composer and operasinger
Mathias Monrad Møller (DK)
performer Chris Herzog and Alexander Bauer (Ongoing Project. Leipzig, GER)
and director Romy Weyrauch
(Theater Subversion. Dresden, GER)
at Hellerau Festspielhaus.
Dresden, Germany.
Summer 2023
TR!P
a devised performance
by director Emil Rostrup (DK)
at Teater GROB.
Copenhagen, Denmark.
October 2023
Ditte Marie Tygesen
+45 60 15 75 85
Mikkel Sebastian Rostrup
+45 30 61 70 23
Studio
Sankt Peders Stræde 45.
1453 Copenhagen, Denmark