RICARDO HOINEFF, GRADUATE, DEPARTMENT OF SCENOGRAPHY, THEATRE FACULTY

The trajectories of our life and career journeys can be straightforward, or they can be convoluted, with many sharp turns, nooks and crannies, and detours along the way. The changes and challenges that life has in store for us can be great. What matters most is that they eventually lead to a happy and fulfilled life – and not just in career terms. The following stories of personalities from among AMU graduates illustrate this statement.

People want to be told stories, and you can tell stories not just from a theatre stage but also through glass. Graduate scenographer Ricardo Hoineff is a master of that: one day, he saw a glassmaker at work and literally fell for this art form. So much so, in fact, that he actually completed a glassmaking school at over 40 years old, years after his DAMU graduation. Even though he works with glass, he is still in touch with theatre. Before he fatefully set foot to the glass workshop, Ricardo made his mark on TV. “Before I started studying scenography at DAMU, I worked in advertising from age 17,” says Ricardo, a Rio de Janeiro native who, in addition to his scenography designs, is also a respected author of TV jingles. For example, he composed the jingles for the Civic Judo TV show, the Novamba campaign, and the Roztančené léto (Dancing Summer) dance show. He also authored the latest set design for the Volejte řediteli (Call the Director) talk show. “When I worked for the TV and had to design a concept for how it all works, scenography always played a vital role,” he says and adds, with a bit of a hyperbole, that directors used to hate scenographers while in school. “We had a clear idea of what it would all look like. We were like these drawing directors and dramaturges,” he laughs. “When a theatre production or film shoot is over, the entire project is torn down. This little ‘baby’ that you have fostered and lived with intensively for several months suddenly ceases to exist. These are like little deaths,” Ricardo explains what eventually led him from theatre and film work to glassmaking. “Theatre and film work is wonderful, but it is also a huge team effort. What I missed most was being able to leave behind something tangible, and also something I could say was all mine,” says Ricardo, adding that the fact that he is gay and has no child of his own also plays a role. “I desired to leave an emotion for the world. And I found it all in glass. It has colour, space, and light – the elements that really fascinate me. In connection with glass, I finally realised that I can tell my stories through it,” the artist describes how the theatrical way of thinking still keeps shaping his work. As a scenographer, he is also invited to design exhibitions, and he also does that the theatrical way, as he puts it. “You have more than one face. You have more than one dream. And if you get an opportunity to make them reality, you shouldn’t hesitate. I mean, the entire story of my life – how I got from Rio de Janeiro to Slunečná near Nový Bor, where my partner and I built a log cabin and where I have my glass studio and furnace – is dreamy,” concludes Ricardo.