“What is a Charette Anyway?”
By: Keith Johnson – Seattle, Washington (USA)
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It never ceases to amaze when one of my interests occasionally crosses with my interest in Cirque du Soleil. I also keep track of Disney park fandom, and recently ran across some interesting prose. Laughingplace.com is one of the biggest and best places to get Disney-related news and information. They have a lot – of everything, from a website directory (with ratings), to park guides with trick and tips, to a merchandise ordering service, to several columns.
One such column is by Bob Gurr, who worked as a Disney design engineer from 1954 to 1981, as well as being a much-in-demand mechanical design subcontractor since then. His column, “Designer Times,” is now in its 56th installment, each one talking about a different design project Bob has worked on. This is one fascinating engineer, who has contributed mechanical designs to the Pirate Battle at Treasure Island, movies like Godzilla and Jurassic Park, tons of Disney (and other) theme park rides, and other things. Including being at the table during design discussions for the “O” theater!
In an excerpt from one of his recent columns, Mr. Gurr describes the process in general terms.
“One Las Vegas job extended over several years – The Cirque du Soleil “O” Show at the Bellagio Hotel. Late in 1994, Steve Wynn started formal monthly design charettes to figure out his dream for an underwater show. The conceptual design period was quite lengthy as the show toyed with outdoor, indoor, and motorized stunt shows a bit like the famed Florida Cypress Gardens. Steve had engaged the Cirque creators led by Guy Laliberte to be the show producers.
“Steve had invited maybe twenty or so specialized subs to kick ideas around with the Cirque guys. I was so impressed with Guy’s guys and their “cat off the wall” French thinking methods. This was a joyful time watching a fabulous show develop in a formal charette setting each month. Steve was a superb committee leader. One day Design Architect John Jerde and I enthusiastically doodled some ideas together in the meeting. “Gurr….shut up. Fellas, no sidebars. All your ideas are important and we will hear them together….no more sidebars”.
“At the end of every day, Steve would invite every single person to summarize their thoughts on the day’s progress. He made sure we all had plenty of time to voice our concerns, good and bad, before we ended the meeting. It was hard for the first guy, but everyone voiced freely after that. I never forgot that lesson. If you hire talent, listen to it all….not just get guys to sanction your scheme in silence. What a lesson for organizations that value creative success.”
For those confused, as I was, about what exactly a “charette” is, one definition defines it as, “An intense effort to solve any architectural problem within a limited time. From a creative standpoint, a Charette can be divided into three portions: Listen, Envision, and Draw Fast!”
You can find the complete article, as well as other installments in his series, at: < http://www.laughingplace.com/News-Previous-C-GURR.asp > And while you’re at www.laughingplace.com take a bit of time to explore the site, there’s lots to see for any Disney fan.
Thanks to Mr. Bob Gurr and Laughing Place Head Honcho Doobie Moseley for allowing us to reprint this excerpt.
