The quirky, satirical Sci-Fi coming-of-age story LANDSCAPE WITH INVISIBLE HAND gives tangible caution flags for a possible future, while showing the human ability to find ways to negotiate through the cracks, even those not discernible...but for how long? Just because the aliens are “benevolent” overlords, it doesn’t mean they are aware that their “labor-saving” technology and mismanagement is slowly destroying humankind. Luckily, there’s a dry sense of humor & heart intwined, and the sets reflect it.
Set Decorator Lynne Mitchell SDSA gives us a glimpse!
The Campbell home...
Campbell home. Image courtesy of MGM
By the time 2036 rolls around, humans had been living with the Vuvv for a number of years, all in steady decline.
The Campbell home is in a state of dilapidation, with nothing new having been purchased for quite some time. They are broke...public water is no longer potable, and they can barely afford electricity. Square "printed" food the Vuvv manufacture is both costly and unappealing, so we added vegetables and grow lights wherever we could, supporting the humans’ desperate need for "real" food.
Large bottles of water and filtration pumps appear in multiple rooms, to convey their need for clean water.
We also removed things like artwork, mirrors and lighting to prompt the viewer to consider the that perhaps these items had been sold. The lighting over the dining room table is a good example of how the Campbells cobbled together a replacement for the chandelier they had to sell just to make ends meet, which they often barely do.
Additionally, since they were trying to conserve electricity, we dressed-in fans, candles, a camping stove and racks of laundry.
Everything was conserved and recycled, and anything that could be sold was.
Campbell home. Image courtesy of MGM
Adam’s room...
Adam's room. Image courtesy of MGM
We dressed Adam’s room to help make the point that his art was his life. The sketches on the walls around his desk and the art supplies everywhere we could fit them were intended to support his lifelong passion for drawing and painting.
Below is a quick peek of his school’s art classroom.
School Art class. Image courtesy of MGM
Campbell house basement - Marsh family temporary quarters...
Basement. Images courtesy of MGM
Like the Campbell's main living space, the basement they rented to Chloe’s family was also a stage build. We carved out three different sleeping areas using typical items a family of 4 would have.
Evidence of happy childhood memories scattered among tools abandoned by their father, and other utilitarian objects, helped to make this space odd but somehow livable for the Marsh family.
Insider clue: Some of this dressing was used in the wedding scene as well.
Shirley's office...
Shirley's Office. Asante Blackk, Kylie Rogers. Images courtesy of MGM.
The office furniture for the official Vuvv representative, Shirley [photo, top right], required a lot of consideration and fabrication.
We shopped mid-century desks and chairs until we found pieces that could be altered without affecting the integrity or the look of the piece. Using a scale Vuvv proxy, we found the eye line for Shirley's eyestalks. From there, we were able to determine the height of the desk and the guest chairs. [Where we see Adam & Chloe, photo bottom right]
The office was sparsely dressed with things from earth that we believed the Vuvv would find fascinating.
It is not often that one gets to dress an alien’s office located in a sand trap!
