The production required the creation of an 11-metre-long prayer corridor and a central rock pool installation. The design intent was to capture the intimacy and serenity of prayer while guiding visitors through a symbolic journey.

Key design and technical challenges included:

• Achieving a weathered, realistic finish, replicating aged shipping containers through detailed scenic painting and texturing.
  

• Incorporating suspended prayer mats; each bearing personal inscriptions, lit with subtle, atmospheric lighting to enhance mood and symbolism.

• Installing a mirrored floor, which produced striking reflections of light and movement to heighten the immersive effect.

• Creating a robust, water-resistant rock pool structure for the arena’s centrepiece, designed to support performer movement while maintaining visual realism and durability.

Seedbed Studio worked with the creative team’s designs to build scenic elements, combining practical theatre construction methods with fine scenic art techniques.

The 11-metre prayer corridor was fabricated using stage flats arranged in a tapering sequence of arches, precisely measured to create a sense of diminishing space and spiritual progression. Each section was hand-painted to evoke the texture and patina of weathered steel, aligning with the designers’ vision of industrial materials meeting spiritual themes.

The mirrored flooring and layered lighting design were integrated carefully to ensure both visual clarity and safety for performers and audiences.

At the centre of the arena, we constructed a custom rock pool installation using reinforced materials and waterproof coatings, allowing the performer to climb and interact with it safely. Artificial grass was laid around the pool to soften the environment and enhance the sense of natural stillness within the theatrical space.

All components were built and installed under tight production timelines in collaboration with the Soul City Arts creative team and Hippodrome technical staff.