Shivani Pinapotu is a spatial thinker and designer interested in how space intersects with story, society and our sense of self.


My earliest memory of a space was a pillowfort that my aunt had built when I was young. The experience of having a space that fit me and a place to call my own fascinated me beyond measure. I have since then been driven by the impact of empathy, wonder and a story well-told, and always find myself reaching for these virtues to position myself within a project. My practice is, therefore, an attempt to humanise the built environment.

I hold an MDes. in Interior Studies from the Rhode Island School of Design, where I concentrated in Exhibition and Narrative Environments, and have extensive experience in architecture, interiors, exhibitions and theatre design across India and the States.

I am presently working at Home Studios, Brooklyn.

Reach out to spinapot@gmail.com or find me on Linkedin, if you have anything in mind!

WORK ︎︎︎

Moodboard / Performance, Drag, Tension, Nostalgia



scenography

Fun Home, Alison Bechdel


Adapted from the graphic memoir of the same name,  ‘Fun Home’ is a musical that takes us through Alison’s journey as she navigates the course of events that led to her father’s sudden death. Moving between past and the present, she relives her unique childhood at the family’s Bechdel Funeral Home, her growing understanding of her own sexuality, and the looming, unanswerable questions about her father’s secrets.


Several readings of the text prompted focus on the relationship shared between Alison and her father through her memories which then formed the foundation of the set design with the introduction of pillowfort.

program scenography - academic

professor Sara Ossana

place Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI



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