An Klepel – The Psychology of Space

A stage is, above all, a space for thought – a place suspended between reality and projection, between body and idea. Yet every space begins with a story that open up inner and outer worlds and reveal relationships: between characters, bodies and perspectives. This is precisely where stage design comes into play. Nothing within that space exists by chance. Every object and every movement carries meaning and shapes the psychological structure of the production.

AN KLEPEL’S set design is based on a fictional play about two siblings whose life paths are observed through the lens of digital gaming worlds. Whilst the older brother retreats ever further into virtual spaces and, through online gaming, gradually adopts an incel-like mindset, the younger sibling begins to develop their own identity with the help of character editors. At the heart of the piece lies the question of how digital spaces shape body image and ideas of gender. For the younger sibling, the virtual space becomes a place of self-empowerment. The brother, by contrast, uses the same tools to align himself with a rigid ideal of masculinity. His movements slow, his posture stiffens – until, in the end, he almost resembles an NPC: programmed, immobile, isolated. The spatial staging also reflects this conflict. The audience is seated at opposite ends of the stage and asked to swap seats during the course of the play. Perspective therefore becomes not only metaphorical, but physically tangible. The thematic foundation emerged from personal conversations in which the same concern repeatedly surfaced: brothers and young men increasingly distancing themselves from feminist perspectives. The play therefore seeks not so much definitive answers as an exploration of the tensions between closeness and distance, responsibility and separation – and of the ways in which spaces shape our perception of one another.

All Artworks / photos © AN KLEPEL