The Chords of Arcadia: Re-designing Wellington's Circa Theatre through the application of harmonic proportion, and architectural serialism derived from Bartok.

Arts and cultural activities contribute significantly to Wellington’s identity and should be recognised architecturally. Wellington is a creative city that welcomes and promotes participation and experimentation in the arts (2011, Wellington Council). As people and technology develop and new styles of performance emerge, theatre space has remained static. Using music and architecture to redesign the Circa Theatre will present the richness of Wellington and aim to house various performance styles. The relationship between music and architecture has always been a significant argument in the arts discipline. Many relationships to music distinguished that it can be treated mathematically (Dannenberg, 1993). Such as scale, time, and harmony. In contrast, there are also non-mathematical elements, such as tension and emotion, that come with music. However, a previous study from Erno Lendvai reflected that Bela Bartok’s composed music applied formal principles never seen or done within the music industry (Crow, 1973). Addressing that Bartok’s reliance on the principle of the golden section and the Fibonacci series is what created its musical function. Through the lens of harmonics and proportional study, can unravel how music can be visually represented through architecture. The aim is to understand the concept between the composition of music and its harmonic relationship to architecture, while exploring how it can be visually represented. The findings gained from the topic are to re-design the Circa Theatre, which will aim to acknowledge the theatre’s accomplishments through deciphering a musical piece from Arcadia and seek to house various performing styles. The current issue in the art industry is that the effects of COVID-19 and other factors have affected the arts community and have led to a reduction in sponsorships or public funding in the community (Wellington Council, 2011). This is constraining the arts community in their ability to develop and deliver to their full capability. Wellington City Council is concerned that due to Wellington’s lack of suitable performance venues, the capital is potentially losing a lot of money to Auckland (Fisher, 2010). However, the Council is aiming to maintain existing events and venues that enable people to develop their work (Wellington Council, 2011). Thus, redesigning the Circa Theatre through the lens of music allows for an architectural design that will promote more attraction to the public. Arcadia was a significant event for the Circa Theatre, winning many awards at the Chapman Tripp Wellington Theatre Awards (Circa Theatre, n.d). By deciphering a musical piece into an architectural design, we will highlight and acknowledge the work of the theatre.