Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1542693
7 8 P E R S P E C T I V E J A N U A R Y / F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 6 Spaceship. Throne Room. The scripted scenes inside the spaceship didn't give us much to go on. It was written as a room where the emperor is covered in blankets before moving to the 'Imperial Throne Room' where the fate of humans is debated and decided. I kept being drawn back to the organic, both in terms of landscapes and vessel. Paintings by Hans Vandekerckhove struck a chord with Yorgos, as did the work of Matthew Barney and Bart Hess. All these artists use obscure organic shapes and other-worldly colors which we wanted to incorporate. As the Andromedans created humans, I figured that the throne room should be the spiritual center of the ship, an ancient monument created millenniums ago much like the pyramids or Stonehenge to reference ancient alien conspiracies. Yet, we had the added hurdle of Michelle's transportation, the 'Beam me up Scottie!' moment, when Michelle is transported from Earth to the ship, a facsimile of her appearing in the new location. I figured that this was a form of rebirth in which Michelle becomes her true form: an alien, the emperor. We created a yonic pool of life for Michelle to emerge from, a place where life begins and, for the human race, ends. "With the spaceship set build, the concept art formed the base for the Art Directors' work. I would often give the Art Directors 3D models to base their drawings on and they would soon hand me back adapted measurements from the real world to see if they still worked in the overall model. Similarly, I could give the sculptors 3D models of the throne room chairs to CNC, as well as create a seamless wallpaper for the alien architecture." (Jonas Bethge, Concept Artist) Ironically, we found inspiration in human anatomy, which is full of architecture. The Andromedan thrones are shaped like teeth, the structures around the pool painted and arranged like pieces of flesh and bone. The wing-like shapes that make the key forms of the throne room were achieved by CNC milling, and colossal molds were created in order to generate the many casts required, all wrapped in a uniquely designed skin- like printed paper. Holi powder was sprinkled across soil to form the natural landscape of the throne room, and then the scenic painters added veins, freckles, moles and dimples, all the little imperfections we have as humans. Translating these biological forms into the set gives the throne room a living, almost sentient quality, and by basing the environment on the human form, we explore the themes of dominance, evolution and the connection between ruler and subject. There is additionally an element of reverence, a recognition that life, in all its biological intricacy, is worthy of emulation. "During the joining together of the 30-foot-high skin patterned amorphous sails in midair there seemed to be A. ADROMEDAN SPACESHIP. ASSEMBLY OF THE MINIATURE MODEL AT BGI. SET PHOTO. B. ANDROMEDAN SPACESHIP MINIATURE MODEL HANGING ON STAGE, READY FOR SHOOTING. SET PHOTO. C. ANDROMEDAN THRONE ROOM IN DETAIL BEFORE BEING PLACED INSIDE THE SPACESHIP. SET PHOTO. James Price, Production Designer Adam A. Makin, Super vising Art Director Lili Lea Abraham, Chris Wyatt, Paul D. Kelly (Atlanta), Art Directors Murs Topham, Assistant Art Director Dan Warren (Sr), Rebecca Lewis, Draughtspersons Jonas Bethge, Antonio Niculae, Concept Artists Sophie Powell (Lead), Betty Woodhouse, Philippa Allen (Ass't), Weykman Gomes (Ass't), Justin J. Jordan (Atlanta), Graphic Designers Prue Howard, Sarah Carter (Atlanta), Set Decorators B A C