Pippa Nissen works as an architect and as a theatre designer. She received an MA in Theatre Design from the Slade School of Fine Art, specialising in the Greek Theatre. She continued to explore this topic when she returned to Cambridge University to complete her architectural education.
She worked for several architecture practices that specialise in the design of theatre buildings before founding the architecture practice Nissen Adams together with Ben Adams.
She has designed theatre sets both in the United Kingdom and abroad. Recent projects in the UK include TRANSFIGURED NIGHT (Opera North), BREAKING THE CODE (Northampton Theatre), THE FOREST MURMURS (Opera North), KANTAN/DAMASK DRUM by Alexander Goehr (Almeida Opera, Aldeburgh Festival), and EUGENE ONEGIN Clonter Opera/Buxton Festival with Netia Jones.
Work with the Actors’ Touring Company and the director Nick Philippou on productions that toured small venues in the UK, includes THE BOY WHO LEFT HOME by Michael Wynne and FAUST IS DEAD by Mark Ravenhill.
International work with Tim Hopkins includes THE RAKE’S PROGRESS at the Staatsoper Hannover, MARE NOSTRUM by Mauricio Kagel at Theater Basel and EUGENE ONEGIN at Theater Basel.
She has used film increasingly in her work, including an installation VIDEO COLLAGE at the Forster Inc. Showroom. She started a theatre partnership that considers the relationship of opera and film, ‘ Live Video Projects’ , with opera director Netia Jones. Two projects, ELEVATOR and TRANSMISSION WILL RESUME were completed in 2004.
Work with Cathie Boyd using film accompanying live music includes THE PAPER NAUTILUS (Tramway, Glasgow), and MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM (RSAMD).
Other recent projects include ELEPHANT AND CASTLE, with the director Tim Hopkins at Aldeburgh Festival with London Artist Projects in 2007. At the Prague Biennale June 2005 she is exhibiting a series of films, THE HOSPITAL, which consider the relationship between theatre and architecture. This is her second exhibition in Prague following the PRAGUE QUADRENNIALE INTERNATIONAL SCENOGRAPHERS EXHIBITION in 1999, where she was part of the British group, and an exhibition at the Theatre Museum in 2000.
In 2007 she made a film NOTHING LIKE THE SUN for Opera North and the Royal Shakespeare Company that premiered at the Courtyard Theatre Stratford to accommpany a score by Gavin Bryars. For this she made a film that combined 16mm footage, and a high speed industrial camera, recording slow speed footage of everyday events.
She is currently exhibiting some of her work at the Victoria and Albert Museum as part of the Collaborators: UK Design for Performance 2003 - 2007 exhibition which is running until November 2008.
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