Dr Aby Cohen: Designing Without Borders

In this episode of the StageLync Podcast, we’re joined by Aby Cohen, a world-renowned performance designer, curator, and President of OISTAT. Cohen’s career is a masterclass in fluidity, moving from the elite art biennials of Brazil to the high-tech classrooms of the UK. This conversation dives deep into the “in-between” spaces of art and theater, exploring how a childhood of cultural displacement shaped a professional philosophy centered on crossing borders and breaking hierarchies.

Whether you are an aspiring scenographer or a seasoned technician, Aby’s insights on “un-learning” the limits of software and rediscovering the “guts” of creativity are essential listening.

This is just a sneak peek! Don’t miss the full, deep-dive episode dropping next week.

How has your unique upbringing as a “third culture kid” influenced your approach to design?

Aby explains that being the first generation of her family born in Brazil—with roots stretching across Yugoslavia, Romania, Syria, and Ukraine—created a permanent search for belonging. This personal history of displacement translated directly into her professional fascination with borders. She often designs spaces that are “borderless,” using transparency so the eye never hits a hard wall. For Aby, scenography isn’t just about building a set; it’s about exploring the “in-between” spaces where different cultures and artistic disciplines intersect.

Can you describe a project where you physically challenged the concept of artistic “territory”?

She highlights her 2019 project for the Prague Quadrennial (PQ) titled The Body as Space Territory and its Borders. In a standard 5×5 meter exhibition slot, Aby proposed a “walkable exhibition.” Once a day, performers would “wear” the exhibition boards and walk away from their assigned territory into other spaces. Interestingly, when the performers wore the art, people were comfortable; when they simply “dropped” the art in another person’s space, it was perceived as an invasion. This experiment highlighted the dual nature of borders: they provide comfort and community but also trigger fears of intrusion.

What is your philosophy on teaching the next generation of designers in a tech-heavy world?

While Aby teaches at the Academy of Live Technology in the UK, where cutting-edge tech is the norm, she encourages students to “think out of the box” before opening a laptop. She warns that tools like Google and AI act as “filters” that lead to repetitive imagery. She pushes her students to build their own references from their “inner world” first. Her goal is to move away from rigid hierarchies where a director simply tells a designer what to do, favoring a horizontal, experimental process where designers, technicians, and actors collaborate as equals from the start.

For someone looking to break into the industry today, what is your best piece of advice?

“Don’t be shy—knock on the door.” Aby emphasizes that while some people may never respond, many will. She shares a story of a student from Uruguay who reached out via social media, and now Aby serves as her mentor despite them never meeting in person. She advises following your “guts” rather than trying to fill a perceived market gap. To Aby, there is no worse “unemployment” than being stuck in a job you don’t like. She also recommends joining organizations like OISTAT to find a global community of peers.

If you could change one thing about the theater and live events industry, what would it be?

Aby wishes the industry would celebrate the process more than the ending. In a world obsessed with delivering a “fault-free show” and selling a product, the space for failure and experimentation is shrinking. She believes that without a “constant lab” environment where artists can make non-harmful mistakes, the industry cannot transform. She advocates for breaking the traditional protocols of production to allow for a true blend of ideas where ownership of the “vision” is shared among the entire creative crew.

Main Image: FESTIM DIABÓLICO, Teatro Nair Belo, 2012, direção de Carlos Porto de Andrade, published on abycohen.com/theatre/