How does a stage come to life through the bodies that move on it, and how do those bodies, in turn, change the stage?
In this talk, architect and stage designer Nikola Knežević reflects on his work in contemporary dance and performance context, drawing on nearly a decade of collaboration with choreographer Florentina Holzinger. Together, they have created performances such as A Divine Comedy (2021), Ophelia’s Got Talent (2022), Sancta (2024), and A Year Without Summer (2025), developing stage environments that demand intense physical engagement and constant adaptation.
Thursday 19th February 2026 at 6:30 pm
Location: TU Berlin, Studiengang Bühnenbild_Szenischer Raum
Ackerstrasse 76, 13355 Berlin-Wedding
Room: Studio 484 (courtyard 3, 4th floor, left)
Nikola will offer an inside look at how these stages are made, shaped by a wide network of collaborators: dancers, stunt performers, aerial artists, engineers, dramaturges, sound designers, and the theatre spaces themselves. Materials, technical limits, and even weather conditions all play an active role in the creative process. At the core of his practice is a continuous exchange between bodies and objects. Performers train to interact with demanding structures, while those structures are redesigned again and again to support risk, endurance, and resilience. Stage design becomes a living process, one that evolves through use, feedback and movement.
The lecture is being held in cooperation with SZENOGRAFIE-BUND.
Admission is free. Drinks are available on a donation basis.
Nikola Knežević studied architecture at the Faculty of Architecture in Belgrade (M.Arch) and art at the Sandberg Institute (Gerrit Rietveld Academy) in Amsterdam (MFA). Originally from Serbia. He currently lives in Berlin, where he works at the intersection between architecture and embodied practices, closely and regularly collaborating with choreographers and performance artists.
Fotocredits:
- A Divine Comedy – Foto: Katja Illner
- A Year Without Summer – Foto: Mayra Wallraff
- SANCTA – Foto: Nicole Marianna Wytyczak
- SANCTA – Foto: Mayra Wallraff
- Nikola Knezevic – Foto: Aneta Chocholak
- Ophelia’s Got Talent – Foto: Nicole Marianna Wytyczak