From the evocative yet haunting tableaux of A Fish Out of Water to the warm and rustic elegance of the home in Uncle Vanya, it would be fair to assume that theatre design had been Sophie Jump's dream forever. But she tells me as we chat in a snug lounge at the Chelsea College of Arts that it was a childhood spent nurturing broad artistic interests such as fashion, painting and sculpture that lead her down the rich, multi-disciplined path of designing sets and costumes.
‘I did an art foundation course and realised that while I enjoyed all those disciplines, I wasn't brilliant at any one of them. I realised if I went into theatre design I would be able to use all of those skills, and I just completely fell for it.’
The power of education
Going on to study set design at Central Saint Martin's (CSM) in the early nineties, Jump says her wide-ranging skillset is indebted to her time at the university, ‘It taught me how to take a text, analyse it and then how to create a design from that, and that's exactly what I do when I'm working on a site [for site-specific work]. Instead of a text, I'm reading the site.’
While at CSM, she also made crucial contacts in the industry, building a close working relationship with fellow designer, Susanne Thomas, with whom she would go on to form the boundary-defying performance group Seven Sisters. Even though funds were limited, the inspired group of young artists pushed towards their collective goal, stumbling on a passion for site-specific work. Her story reveals the special opportunities that can be presented to young designers, if they open themselves up to meeting new people in the industry.
‘I always say to students you’ve got to get out there, you might be having to carry out tasks that you think are very menial or not worth your time, but you might end up working with someone who has these great ideas that they want to carry out.’
An advocate for the university route, I ask Jump if she believes it is possible for designers to build a career from practical learning alone, ‘If you went straight into working you are likely to get into a routine, whereas studying gives you the space to really think about what your practice, what areas you’re interested in, what you enjoy about it, what you don't and how to change that.’
Looking forward
As a lecturer at both CSM and Wimbledon College of Art, Jump continues to remain involved in the academic side of design, while her role as a Linbury Prize committee member has her judging new talent. Since these roles give her significant insight into the ways in which the new generation are changing theatre, she has lots of interesting ideas about the future.
‘Young designers are excited by the idea of an immersive experience. They don't want to be passive; they want to be engaged. I think because screens have become so dominant in day to day life, most of young people's interactions are at a distance and that's translating into what's happening on the stage. They want to capture the thrill that comes from being in an unpredictable situation where you can touch it and be a part of it.’
While young designers are changing the form, Jump tells me of the outdated views that still surround the discipline, namely the belief that it is purely decorative and superficial. She is hoping that her new website, focusing on the work of British stage designer, Jocelyn Herbert, will undermine these ideas, and encourage future generations to look at design from a more multi-layered perspective.
‘I think there's a hierarchical belief in this country that words are more important than the visual. People often think that if you’re saying theatre design is great then it means it must dominate, but that's not the case, the visual adds layers. It makes the audience experience words completely differently…’
Jump's The Role of the Theatre Designer web resource is reviewed on page 57 of this issue.