Meet Nadja Antic | Set and Production Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nadja Antic and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nadja, we’d love to start by asking you about lessons learned. Is there a lesson you can share with us?
Definitely patience, and allowing myself the time to find my place in a new environment to be able to create from a grounded spot and as myself. Given the job I do, I get thrown into new experiences very often, and with time, I found out that it is unfair to expect the solutions straight away. Many times I would get frustrated when I get a new script or a play and I am unable to crack the code and find a key to the design immediately, and that brings nothing useful to the table. Thankfully working with other creative people on the same “case” makes the fear of the blank paper less paralyzing.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I feel like as an artist I’m often a victim of the pendulum going from – we are all the same and I’ll never be able to think of something truly unique and – this design is the best solution for this text and no one can convince me otherwise. Admittedly, the pendulum doesn’t sway equally and I can get too critical of my work. I always try to create a set that connects the piece and the audience on an emotional and inexplicable level, I try to tap into the unconscious which can often make it hard to anchor in realism, so over time my biggest challenge was just that – to learn how to walk the line of abstraction without compromising the integrity of the play. In film it is a little easier since it mostly requires a level of naturalism that keeps you bound, but allows exploration on another level. I am beyond grateful to have the opportunity to work in both spheres, and like to think of it as a macro and micro view into my design inclinations.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I recently had an opportunity to do just that ! First we had to take all the classic New York staples out of the way, had to take them to Times Square and all the big museums. You have to see a Broadway show and walk the Brooklyn Bridge and even if it is crowded and annoying and i hate doing it, it eventually becomes a lovely memory and it is an opportunity to look at the city with different eyes. I am a big fan of dive bars, the more sticky and the less daylight inside – the better, so that is always a stop. Gallery hopping in Chelsea feels like a great way to see many different artists at once and is always inspiring. The beach is also a must visit, and so is at least one party or a gig by an unknown band. I took them to the park as well because the feeling of being hidden in nature and surrounded by the metropolis at the same time is always fresh. Taking the Staten Island Ferry or the Far Rockaway one is a great way to be reminded that this city is more than the grind and the crowd.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
It is hard to pinpoint one person or group, I believe we are an amalgamation of all our experiences and everyone who crossed our path. I deeply value true friendships and I think they are necessary to help us find ourselves, so I would dedicate it to all my dear friends, and family (including the NYU family- as cliché as it sounds the Design for Stage and Film Department truly is one)

Website: https://www.nadjaanticdesign.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/margitajedecak/?hl=en

Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8262221/

Image Credits
1. All’s Well That Ends Well, directed by Mark Wing-Davey 2. Asphyxia, directed by Jorge Schultz 3. Medea, directed by Tiffani Swalley 4. Liberated, short film directed by Miroslav Savic 5. Inherent Resolve, directed by Bob McGrath 6. A.S. (25), long feature film directed by Milena Grujic Headshot by Maria Baranova