Mise-en-scène

Mise-en-scène

Amsterdam RAI railway station functions as a passageway for a constantly shifting mix of people — commuters, office workers, and visitors attending conferences and fairs. Their movement through the station becomes part of the theatrical world of Polly’s Picture Show.

Mise-en-scène takes the station and the behavior of travelers as its subject, transforming the space into a theatrical set. Travelers unknowingly become performers within the work: rushing up the stairs to catch a train, waiting on a platform, or observing others moving through the space. At Amsterdam RAI Station, the traveler becomes actor and spectator at once.

Photographic prints were integrated into the architecture of the station, incorporating existing walls, staircases, signage, and light boxes. Subtle tones of pink, blue, yellow, and photographed shadows blend with the actual shadows and movements within the station, allowing the station itself to function as a constantly shifting stage set.

Credits
Co-created with — Anna de Jong under the collective name Polly’s Picture Show
Production — m2uur
Commissioned by — Alliantie Amstelspoor, BAM, Bureau Spoorbouwmeester
Permanent artwork in public space — Amsterdam RAI railway station
2015