When designing An Experiment with an Air Pump, I wanted the set to complement the actors and match the tone and characteristics of the play. I designed the set around a concept I came up with called “peripheral disintegration.” The walls on either side of the stage break apart and dissolve, which resembles the unraveling of the story itself. The turntable center stage allows the show to jump two centuries into the future or past in just a matter of seconds. I wanted the 1799 side to be busy, full of trinkets and collectibles, which contrasts the simplicity of the 1999 side.