This Design was created in collaboration with Alvin Chan, Daphne Agosin-Orellana, and Natalia Votinova. Venice is a colonial power and it’s army is made up of  non-Venetians. The colonial backdrop for the story is important especially when creating the physical world for this play. Discussions of Venice as colonial power brought us to a discussion about modern American colonies and what it means for the US to be a “melting pot” but for power to still ultimately reside within the white supremacist heteropatriarchy, and as black men are systematically being murdered by the state. In our world of Othello, the rulership of Cypress has changed hands many times, just as the Philippines has been ruled by many colonial powers. The architectural element is harsh and domineering. Cypress is lush and feminine and soft, sweaty and wet. The water is ever-present and pervasive. Water is mentioned in the text. The reflective qualities of the water is enhanced through lighting and moments in which character’s confront their own reflections. 

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In Act I, our view is limited, intimate, dark, and small. In contrast, the first time we arrive in Cypress it is a bright, post-storm, washed clean day. As we move deeper into the play towards the climactic and murderous last act, our spaces get darker and more shadowed, but also more intimate and domestic. The final bedroom scene combines the masculine space with feminine softness and intimacy of Desdemona’s bedroom with a soft bed and lush plant life. The contrast between our elements remains sharp and stark throughout the play- water, flora, and concrete.