Description

Looking at things that aren't there: a career path that has never had a clear path, but looking backward, everything seems to make sense - and why is that? In his presentation at the Media Lab, Doug Fitch will discuss the varied work that he has accomplished from furniture and architecture to food and opera.
Doug Fitch has worked in media ranging from architecture and opera to puppetry and food. Educated at Harvard (visual design), L'École d'Architecture in Strasbourg, La Varenne in Paris (cuisine), and The New School (filmmaking), his work defies categories. He has directed and designed numerous edgy opera productions worldwide, and has recently established a much-acclaimed collaboration with the New York Philharmonic to present semi-staged, media-enhanced opera productions from Lincoln Center. Fitch's 2010 production of Ligeti's Grand Macabre was called "a bold artistic vision...[and] an instant Philharmonic milestone" by The New York Times. This work in concert-theater rekindled a childhood interest in puppetry that has evolved into a company called Giants are Small which recently created a production of Peter and the Wolf for the Los Angeles Philharmonic. In addition to his performance work, Fitch has created numerous installations for various contexts and venues, designed unusual architectural spaces - often for artists such as violinist Joshua Bell and conductor Alan Gilbert, and "played with food" in surprising ways, including La Baguette Enorme, a 16-meter long loaf of bread filled with everything needed to feed an entire village.