Echo Stage: Reconnecting Roots

Where does this story begin for you, how did you get involved with Mumush?

Mumush is a project being done by childhood friends so being part of it somehow is natural for me. We have been going to this place long before the name of the festival was ever conceived so I think that the happening in itself is the culmination of two important parts of my life: the place where I grew up and a community as old as I can remember.

What are the most important aspects of this project for you personally?

It’s the fact that I could add something here that will build the perception of the place in many ways.

Let’s talk design. Where does it come from, what did you have in mind exactly?

My proposal was to intersect the answers for three different contextual sets: that of the broader physical and cultural context, the aesthetic identity of Mumush and the fact that it had to be built by the community itself.

The roofs of the surrounding regions and the logic in their construction served as the main inspiration for the stage. Induced by this decision was the use of local materials that we could source from local, mainly sustainable sources. The hard part was to implement this idea in a way that enriches the identity of the place and is constructible by a handful of community members. It was a rewarding process as the different wooden elements and the wooden shingles are all materials that can be used in multiple ways and it gives you a kind of flexibility that is needed to build with a group of so many backgrounds.

Tell me a little about the process. What did it all mean to you? What did you learn?

The most important part of the process is that it generates many incremental pieces of involvement for people that hover around the project in some way. These people build memories and connections that are in the end manifested in a physical product thus strengthening the narrative that is being built around the stage.

What do you get out of this whole thing?

A process where I had the chance to reconnect with my roots on a professional level. I have been living in Budapest for the last 14 years learning the craft that I could use now back home. This is my closest project physically to my birthplace. That has to mean something.

The Eco Stage residency is supported by the European Festivals Fund for Emerging Artists (EFFEA), an initiative of the European Festivals Association (EFA), cofunded by the European Union

Interview with Szabó Péter Róbert

article by benji