Interesting collaborations

Santiago Calatrava has been given the opportunity by the New York City Ballet to create five stage designs for a series of world premiere productions in the company's spring season. Entitled "Architecture of Dance," the season will begin on April 29 and include ballets by Benjamin Millepied, Melissa Barak, Maruo Bigonzetti, and Peter Martins. It will be the first time that Calatrava has designed for the ballet, but not the first time that the New York City Ballet has commissioned an architect to design its sets. In fact Phillip Johnson collaborated with the company in 1981.

Calatrava, painter and sculptor himself had his designs exhibited at MoMA and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the past and has designed buildings for the Atlanta's symphony and Palma de Mallorca's Opera in Spain.

Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron have teamed up with fashion designer Miuccia Prada to create costumes and scenic designs for Verdi's "Atilla," which maestro Riccardo Muti is bringing to the stage on February 23. The acclaimed Swiss architects, previously designed sets for the Berlin State Opera's 2006 production of "Tristan und Isolde."

Architect to know : Santiago Calatrava.

Santiago Calatrava, is a Spanish internationally recognized and award-winning architect, engineer, and artist.

He has received numerous recognitions:

In 1990 he received the "Médaille d´Argent de la Recherche et de la Technique", in Paris.

In 1993, the Museum of Modern Art in New York held a major exhibition of his work called “Structure and Expression."
In 1998 he was elected to become a member of "Les Arts et Lettres," in Paris.

In 2004, he received the Gold Medal from the American Institute of Architects (AIA).

In 2005, Calatrava was awarded the Eugene McDermott Award by the Council for the Arts of MIT. The Award is among the most esteemed arts awards in the US.

Calatrava’s style creates an impressive link between structural engineering and architecture. He continues and maintains a tradition of Spanish modernist engineering (c.f Félix Candela and Antonio Gaudí).

Nonetheless, his style is very personal and derives from numerous studies he makes of the human body and the natural world such as dinosaure bones structure for example.

Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències, Valencia, SPAIN.

Turning Torso in Malmö, SWEDEN.

Oriente Station, Lisbon, PORTUGAL.

More about Calatrava:www.calatrava.com