{"id":95020,"date":"2020-11-06T22:49:00","date_gmt":"2020-11-07T03:49:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/?post_type=bu-article&#038;p=95020"},"modified":"2023-02-01T14:37:14","modified_gmt":"2023-02-01T19:37:14","slug":"a-new-look-at-set-design","status":"publish","type":"bu-article","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/magazine\/articles\/2020\/a-new-look-at-set-design\/","title":{"rendered":"A New Look at Set Design"},"content":{"rendered":"\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin magazine-block-editorial-leadin is-style-side-by-side has-media has-wider has-box has-media-focus-center-middle has-quaternary-theme\">\n\t\t<div class=\"container-lockup\">\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-leadin-media\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<img width=\"1966\" height=\"2560\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2018\/02\/Pajoufar.Afsoon-scaled.jpg\" class=\"\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2018\/02\/Pajoufar.Afsoon-scaled.jpg 1966w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2018\/02\/Pajoufar.Afsoon-488x636.jpg 488w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2018\/02\/Pajoufar.Afsoon-786x1024.jpg 786w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2018\/02\/Pajoufar.Afsoon-768x1000.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2018\/02\/Pajoufar.Afsoon-1180x1536.jpg 1180w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2018\/02\/Pajoufar.Afsoon-1573x2048.jpg 1573w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2018\/02\/Pajoufar.Afsoon-335x435.jpg 335w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1966px) 100vw, 1966px\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-outer\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-inner\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-prepress-tag\">CFA Alumni<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"head\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tA New Look at Set Design\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"deck\">Afsoon Pajoufar (\u201919) will soon be building worlds again as a New York-based set designer for theater, opera, and film<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar magazine-prepress-layout-metabar\">\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-date\">November 6, 2020<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-credits\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul data-credit-type=\"By\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/magazine\/authors\/joel-brown\/\">Joel Brown<\/a><\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-share js-bu-prepress-share-tools\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-twitter\"><span>Twitter<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-facebook\"><span>Facebook<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-action\"><\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-introparagraph magazine-block-editorial-introparagraph is-style-dropcap-boxed has-dropcap has-dropcap-color-quaternary\"><div class=\"wp-block-editorial-introparagraph-content\"><p>COVID-19 shut down&nbsp;most live theater at least through 2020, but when plays come back,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.afsoonpajoufar.com\/\">Afsoon Pajoufar (\u201919)<\/a>&nbsp;will be building worlds again. A New York\u2013based set designer for plays, operas, and film, she\u2019s designed for New Repertory Theatre, Gloucester Stage, Brooklyn Academy of Music, and many others. Trained as a painter in her native Iran, Pajoufar studied scene design at CFA, where her work on a 2017 production of&nbsp;<em>Cabaret<\/em>&nbsp;was chosen for the 2019 American Exhibit at the Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-photoessay magazine-block-editorial-photoessay alignwide wp-block-photoessay js-block-editorial-photoessay\"><div class=\"photo-row-square-s-3\">\n<div class=\"photo-s\"><div class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"619\" height=\"413\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2020\/12\/set-design.jpg\" alt=\"CFA Magazine Afsoon Pajoufar\" class=\"wp-image-76263\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2020\/12\/set-design.jpg 619w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2020\/12\/set-design-450x300.jpg 450w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2020\/12\/set-design-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 619px) 100vw, 619px\" \/><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"photo-3\"><div class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2022\/11\/Pajoufar-2-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-95022\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/11\/Pajoufar-2-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/11\/Pajoufar-2-636x424.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/11\/Pajoufar-2-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/11\/Pajoufar-2-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/11\/Pajoufar-2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/11\/Pajoufar-2-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/11\/Pajoufar-2-1500x1000.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/11\/Pajoufar-2-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/11\/Pajoufar-2-450x300.jpg 450w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/11\/Pajoufar-2-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h5>You didn\u2019t start out as a designer.<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>The overall culture in Iran is parents want their children to be doctors or other \u201csuccessful\u201d careers. I was \u201cthe bad child.\u201d I went the opposite direction\u2014I wanted to go to art school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5>You were a painter. What happened?<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>As a sophomore in college, I got this feeling that I had to go beyond the two-dimensional space of the canvas. I have a fascination with the relationship between the human body and space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5>What\u2019s your set design method?<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>Research is the first phase. But for me, the next step is model making. I find it much easier when I think with my hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5>What\u2019s the most unusual material you\u2019ve used?<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>In&nbsp;<em>s.i.n.s.o.f.u.s.<\/em>&nbsp;(at Harvard in 2018), I replaced the main rag\u2014the house curtain\u2014with orange construction netting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-bu-pullquote magazine-block-bu-pullquote is-style-modern has-image-focus-center-middle has-quaternary-theme\"><div class=\"wp-block-bu-pullquote-inner\"><blockquote><div class=\"container-lockup\"><div class=\"container-icon-outer\"><div class=\"container-icon-inner\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"container-text\"><hr\/><div class=\"quote-sizing\">\u201cI bounce around the room during rehearsals, between the actors, taking photos. I can evaluate the design in my head when I share the space with the actors.&#8221;<\/div><footer class=\"caption\"><br\/>Afsoon Pajoufar<\/footer><hr\/><\/div><\/div><\/blockquote><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h5>What skills do you use most?<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019ve found it really satisfying to explore a wide array of disciplines\u2014photography, printmaking, sculpture, graphic design. I bounce around the room during rehearsals, between the actors, taking photos. I can evaluate the design in my head when I share the space with the actors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5>You often say you design environments rather than sets.<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s not only about the actors, it\u2019s about the relationship between the actors and the audience. In the production of&nbsp;<em>Cabaret<\/em>, I considered the whole space, designed the audience space as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5>What\u2019s a mistake you\u2019ve learned from?<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>They say take all opportunities that come to you after graduation. That is the worst suggestion. I learned I don\u2019t need to say yes to everything. Sometimes you can read the signs that this won\u2019t be the right production, that I won\u2019t be the right collaborator for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5>How has COVID-19 affected your work?<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>Four or five productions I had lined up for April, May, and June were canceled or postponed. It\u2019s&nbsp;had a negative effect on so many people\u2019s careers in theater, but especially for the new people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5>But you sound upbeat.<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019m in touch with my collaborators. We talk about the shape of theater after the pandemic. We are finding ways to keep making things. Maybe we have to use digital platforms that will challenge the idea of theater: is it theater or not? We keep pushing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5>Tell us your dream for when we come back.<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>I want to explore more operas. The music brings an abstract quality into my design. And operas receive big budgets, so of course I\u2019d love to explore unlimited options as part of my design.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<section class=\"wp-block-editorial-collection-billboard magazine-block-editorial-collection-billboard\">\n\n\t\t<h3 class=\"collection-billboard-intro-title\">This Series<\/h3>\n\t\t<article class=\"collection-billboard-article\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"collection-billboard-media\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"collection-navigation-image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"1024\" height=\"396\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2022\/11\/videogame-virtuoso-banner-1024x396.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/11\/videogame-virtuoso-banner-1024x396.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/11\/videogame-virtuoso-banner-636x246.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/11\/videogame-virtuoso-banner-768x297.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/11\/videogame-virtuoso-banner.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"collection-billboard-media-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/magazine\/articles\/2020\/video-game-virtuoso\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"collection-billboard-media-title-link\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t>Video Game Virtuoso<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<div class=\"collection-billboard-content\">\n\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"collection-billboard-small-title\">Also in<\/h4>\n\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"collection-billboard-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/magazine\/collections\/rising-star-2\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"collection-billboard-title-link\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>Rising Star<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"collection-billboard-list\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"collection-billboard-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<article class=\"collection-billboard-list-item-article\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"collection-billboard-list-item-article-date\">June 15, 2026<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"collection-billboard-list-item-article-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/magazine\/articles\/2026\/entrepreneurial-spirit-sarah-coleman\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"collection-card-article-title-link\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Entrepreneurial Spirit<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"collection-billboard-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<article class=\"collection-billboard-list-item-article\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"collection-billboard-list-item-article-date\">June 18, 2025<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"collection-billboard-list-item-article-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/magazine\/articles\/2025\/plays-the-thing\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"collection-card-article-title-link\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Play\u2019s the Thing<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"collection-billboard-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<article class=\"collection-billboard-list-item-article\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"collection-billboard-list-item-article-date\">May 29, 2024<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"collection-billboard-list-item-article-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/magazine\/articles\/2024\/roz-bevan-a-directing-hit\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"collection-card-article-title-link\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>A Directing Hit<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/magazine\/collections\/rising-star-2\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"collection-billboard-link\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>Series home<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t<\/article>\n\n\t<\/section>\n\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You didn\u2019t start out as a designer. The overall culture in Iran is parents want their children to be doctors or other \u201csuccessful\u201d careers. I was \u201cthe bad child.\u201d I went the opposite direction\u2014I wanted to go to art school. You were a painter. What happened? As a sophomore in college, I got this feeling [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14125,"featured_media":64336,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"bu_prepress_billboard":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term_manual":""},"tags":[],"bu-publication":[191],"magazine-article-category":[372,378],"magazine-topic":[392],"news-article-category":[],"news-topic":[],"bu_edition":[384],"media_type":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/95020"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/bu-article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14125"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=95020"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/95020\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":95024,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/95020\/revisions\/95024"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/64336"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=95020"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=95020"},{"taxonomy":"bu-publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-publication?post=95020"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-article-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/magazine-article-category?post=95020"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/magazine-topic?post=95020"},{"taxonomy":"news-article-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-article-category?post=95020"},{"taxonomy":"news-topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-topic?post=95020"},{"taxonomy":"bu_edition","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu_edition?post=95020"},{"taxonomy":"media_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media_type?post=95020"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}