Varyon places the audience into an animated environment that transforms the volume and shape of the performance space as the structure moves and morphs around the spectator. This is achieved through a system of 16 interconnected wall panels. (Individual panel dimensions: 1.5m wide x 4m high) Performers can smoothly move the panels which run on ball casters and reposition these to create a variety of different geometrical shapes. The space is further animated by a 360-degree projection that is mapped onto the surrounding screens generating an environment of light and shadow, images, patterns and colours that are accompanied by a multi-directional soundscape.

Varyon is a bold and innovative concept for a set design that moves beyond the common notion of a performance space, and that establishes a true manifestation of what can be called a Performing Space. The design joins the enveloping features of an architectural structure with the properties of a puppet that becomes anthropomorphised through the way in which it is handled and animate. Essentially allowing us to bring the performance environment itself to life.

Spectators do not travel through a succession of contrasting spatial settings by means of moving from one space to another but rather they experience a series of transformations that occur to the environment. This creates a situation in which the manifestation of architectural form and the allocation of space the audience inhabits is under ongoing renegotiation. The specific properties of this large-scale structure allow us to animate architectural space in a unique and multifaceted way that integrates it as an active player in the theatrical experience.