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Locus Amoenus
Locus Amoenus
As Professor Shemek explained during lecture, locus amoenus is a literary topos that means an idealized setting that, for our purposes, serves as a space for worldbuilding. This intrigued me because while The Decameron uses pastoral, naturous gardens to achieve this, locus amoenus is not defined by one setting or another. It seems to be more about the worldbuilding that occurs in the space, rather than the space itself. What I find exciting about this is this means we can find a setting for worldbuilding wherever we choose. I would personally argue that this can be achieved anywhere.
Worldbuilding at UCI
Worldbuilding at UCI
Libraries
Libraries
Study Room at the Langson Library
UCI libraries have study rooms available for reservation that provide an isolated space for whatever purpose. It is a very studious atmosphere like the rest of the library, so it still encourages productivity. The difference here is you get a whole room to yourself that allows you to explore worlds from different mediums, either by yourself or even with a few other people.
In the Science Library there are desks and chairs that are all placed together, but they are sectioned off from each other either with walls or space. This layout creates a space that is filled with the various worlds and energies of everyone surrounding you, but you still get a separated area to zoom into your own world. In this way, many different worlds occupy the same space, but each person remains in their own world. One person could be absorbed in their Minecraft playing while another might be focused on writing an essay, and in this way they each have their own world.
The Langson Library has even less division between worlds. Desks and chairs are placed in each room with no separation other than space. The energy of the people around you is even more infectious this way. While you occupy your own world, it is easy to become absorbed in the world of another through a quick glance at their desk.
Outdoor Spaces
Outdoor Spaces
Aldrich Park is more similar to the locus amoenus found in The Decameron than other spaces on campus because the park has more elements of nature. In my opinion, this is a very peaceful place to escape to. While you can definitely use it as a study space, I prefer it as a space to relax. It is a very calming atmosphere that allows you to set aside any stress regarding assignments and work.
I'm also fond of the Arts Campus as a space to escape to. There is this quaint grassy area that serves as a somewhat naturous outdoor space, but, differently than Aldrich Park, it still has a mild feeling of productivity. There is also a nice coffee shop with a seating area nearby if you want a tables and chairs to work at. I often use this space for lower stake assignments or tasks, such as answering emails.
Theatre
Theatre
As a Drama major at UCI, I can't help but relate worldbuilding to theatre. Theatre builds worlds using different elements such as storytelling, lighting, sound, sets, music, etc. The spaces that can be used for theatre are unlimited. If you can imagine a world somewhere, you can create it with theatre. Some key examples of imaginative spaces used to create worlds in theatre are Sleep No More and IRT: A Tragedy in Three Stations.
The company Punchdrunk took a real hotel, the McKittrick Hotel, and created an immersive theatrical experience, Sleep No More, in which audience members walk through different spaces and they get to choose what pieces of the story they want to watch. Actors play their parts of the story throughout the space, sometimes incorporating audience members in different ways. It is a very unique way of doing theatre that builds a world in an unconventional theatre setting.
Another unconventional setting for theatre that has been used is a NYC subway system in IRT: A Tragedy in Three Stations. Audience members would be directed onto a subway and follow the actors to different stops, all the while taking in this world that the actors are creating through storytelling.
As you can see, any space can open up the possibilities of worldbuilding.
The Little Theatre
The Little Theatre
I'd like to use The Little Theatre at UCI to demonstrate another way worldbuilding progresses in theatre. While these other unconventional theatre spaces create worlds in different spaces, I'd like to examine how UCI uses the Little Theatre to create different worlds in the same space.
As you go through this image carousel, you will see how the Little Theatre is transformed to create different worlds.
In this first image, the Little Theatre is shown as a plain, empty building. After this we will see how worlds are created within this space.
The next image is a photo of the Drama 10 Lecture. Not much has changed in the space. The only changes are a projector that projects slides for the lecture and students occupying the space. With these minor changes, the space has been transformed into an educational world used for learning about theatre.
The following image was taken at an improv show hosted by the UCI club, Improv Revolution. The theater building is left very plain intentionally, because improv relies heavily on the imagination of the audience to create worlds. Improv is typically done without any props or sets--the improvisers describe their location and pantomime the use of props. Through this, Improv Revolution creates various worlds through imaginative, on-the-spot storytelling.
Finally, an image is shown of a production done in 2014 at UCI called Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. This is an example of a more conventional theatre production. The world here is built through storytelling, but it is also enhanced through the use of lighting, costumes, set pieces, props, and other theatrical elements.
While all held in the same space at UCI, these completely different worlds are constructed. The Little Theatre has been a locus amoenus used for world building at UCI, used especially by theatre organizations on campus.
Consider following Improv Revolution on Instagram to hear about upcoming shows so you can experience this worldbuilding for yourself!
In Summation
In Summation
Worldbuilding, in my opinion, is a limitless endeavor that can occur in any space. Any world you can imagine can be created in any space--people saw a world of theatre in a subway station, and they made it happen. This also results in completely different worlds being created in the same space, as shown by the versatility of worldbuilding done in The Little Theatre. While theatre is a very obvious visual of worldbuilding, this creation of worlds can also be completely in the mind and imagination. This method is touched on in improv, but it can be even less spatially obvious. As we compartmentalize different tasks, we create different worlds in our day-to-day that allow us to focus on the given task. The world we inhabit while studying for a test in the Science Library differs from the world we inhabit while talking with friends in Aldrich Park. While different spaces may be more conducive to various worlds, worldbuilding is ultimately driven by human creativity and imagination.
References
References
Informational Sources
Informational Sources
Boccaccio, Giovanni. The Decameron. Edited and translated by Wayne Rebhorn. Norton, 2016.
“IRT: A Tragedy in Three Stations.” YouTube, 9 May 2009, youtu.be/-_YY88d_EDU.
“Sleep No More at the McKittrick Hotel.” YouTube, 3 Oct. 2018, youtu.be/AnR_BjEaJ7k.
Photo Sources
Photo Sources
“Claire Trevor Theatre.” Claire Trevor Theatre | Claire Trevor School of the Arts | UC Irvine, www.arts.uci.edu/venue/claire-trevor- theatre.
“Claire Trevor Theatre.” Claire Trevor Theatre | Claire Trevor School of the Arts | UC Irvine, www.arts.uci.edu/venue/claire-trevor- theatre.
“Directions to Little Theatre.” Directions to Little Theatre | Claire Trevor School of the Arts | UC Irvine, www.arts.uci.edu/directions- little-theatre.
“Little Theatre.” Little Theatre | Claire Trevor School of the Arts | UC Irvine, www.arts.uci.edu/venue/little-theatre.
Priest, Hannah De. “The Magic of the Medieval Garden.” Les Delices, 5 Apr. 2021, lesdelices.org/medieval-garden/.
Scott, William Bell. “Illustration to a Scene from 'the Decameron' by Giovanni Boccaccio.” National Galleries of Scotland, National Galleries of Scotland, www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/12100/illustration-scene-decameron-giovanni-boccaccio.
Soloski, Alexis. “'Sleep No More' Awakens after a Long Hibernation.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 9 Feb. 2022, www.nytimes.com/2022/02/09/theater/sleep-no-more-reopens.html.
“University of California, Irvine.” Aldrich Park, parkerlab.bio.uci.edu/UCI/AldrichPark.htm.
“University of California, Irvine.” UCI School of the Arts, parkerlab.bio.uci.edu/UCI/Arts.html.
Vincent. “In the Subway, Moving Theater, in More Ways than One.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 2 Feb. 2009, www.nytimes.com/2009/02/02/nyregion/02underground.html.
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