CC -
opera scenographies
in collaboration with Christophe Coppens
Each project departs from a close reading of Coppens’ artistic direction and translates it into a spatial system. Rather than fixing meaning, the work aims to create conditions: spaces that allow for simultaneity, transformation and multiple readings. Material, light, reflection and depth are deployed with precision, not as expression but as instruments to structure perception and rhythm.
Across the different productions, this results in a series of variations: from enclosed and articulated compositions to open, mutable fields; from hierarchical spatial constructs to fragmented and unstable environments.
Opera Productions
2026 — Wozzeck (in production)
2024 — Turandot
2021 — Norma
2018 — Bluebeard’s Castle / The Miraculous Mandarin
2017 — Foxie!
Turandot (2024)
For Turandot, the scenography is conceived as a contemporary spatial condition rather than a historical reconstruction.
Aligned with Coppens’ interpretation, the setting operates within a present-day context marked by power, excess and control. The space is developed as a layered interior — simultaneously domestic and monumental — in which hierarchy, distance and proximity are continuously negotiated.
Architectural elements are reduced to essential gestures, allowing light, material and spatial sequencing to articulate the evolving dynamics between characters.
Norma (2021)
For Norma, the scenographic approach aligns with the intensity and clarity of Vincenzo Bellini’s composition.
The spatial setting supports a tension between collective ideology and private life. On the one hand, a rigid and ideologically charged social structure; on the other, an intimate and conflicting inner world.
The scenography constructs a framework in which these conditions coexist, allowing the narrative to unfold through spatial relationships rather than fixed representation.
Bluebeard’s Castle / The Miraculous Mandarin (2018)
The music of these two works is among the most compelling of the early 20th century. The dark, symbolic colours of Bluebeard’s Castle, lit only here and there by glittering details, are contrasted with the expressionistic, almost violent colour palette of The Miraculous Mandarin.
Unity is achieved through a shared scenographic structure: a stage composed of nine rooms, interconnected by stairs and doors and populated by crystal figures. Mirrors and glass construct a layered spatial system, producing misleading perspectives and refracting light.
In Bluebeard’s Castle, these elements are deployed in a more literal reading — rooms, thresholds and closures. In The Miraculous Mandarin, the same structure becomes a carrier for simultaneous action: an explosive field of colour and movement unfolding across multiple spaces at once.
Foxie! (2017)
The traditional theatre frame is abandoned in favour of the expansive and neutral volume of the operatent at Tour & Taxis.
The scenography is conceived as a continuous, ‘smeared’ space — integrating functions such as office and cafeteria into a single spatial field. At its centre, an open zone allows for the introduction of mobile scenographic elements and props.
Rather than a fixed composition, the set operates as an adaptable environment, capable of hosting shifting configurations and uses.
Location
duration
client
program
set design
production
photographs
duration
client
program
set design
production
photographs
Brussels (BE) – La Monnaie / De Munt
2017 - 2018 - 2021 - 2024 - 2026
Christophe Coppens
set design
Christophe Coppens i.c.w. i.s.m.architecten
Simon van Rompay, Charlie De Keersmaecker & Chris Van Der Burcht
2017 - 2018 - 2021 - 2024 - 2026
Christophe Coppens
set design
Christophe Coppens i.c.w. i.s.m.architecten
La Monnaie / De Munt
Simon van Rompay, Charlie De Keersmaecker & Chris Van Der Burcht