Gerriets Equips New Oslo Opera House

Umkirch, 10. October 2008

A Curtain that simulates folded Aluminum Sheeting

Gerriets, the theatrical equipment specialist, provided the new Oslo Opera House with draperies, curtains, track systems and projection screens.

The new opera house in Oslo, designed by the Norwegian architects Snøhetta, is a highlight in design and architecture. The opening ceremony in April was broadcast live and celebrated across the entire country as a huge cultural event. The inauguration ceremony lured almost 1400 guests to Oslo.

The building is 360 ft wide, 680 ft long and has a surface area of 414.410 ft² spread over more than 100 rooms. It has three stages including the main theater with 1358 seats. Norway spent more than 500 million Euros for the new opera house.


Glass, Marble and a Spectacular Main Curtain:

The opera house rises like an iceberg out of the Oslo fjord. Its marble roof made from 36,000 blocks of marble, is entirely accessible. Each block is computer designed, custom cut in Italy and then assembled like a huge three dimensional jig-saw puzzle. The building’s front consists of white Italian Carrara marble and Norwegian “Ice Green” granite mined from the west Norwegian area of Rennebu. The architectural conception has received international acclaim.

The highest quality of materials was chosen for the new building. The same standards applied to the stage equipment.

For the manufacturing of the main curtain, the American artist and designer Pae White worked closely together with Gerriets. A photograph of crumbled metal foil was transferred to a loom. The result is a woven, two-dimensional fabric with an amazing three-dimensional effect. The “aluminum-design”curtain is 74 ft x 36 ft and weighs 1100 lbs.