Footstorm

The narrative at the beginning helped to understand the story line but the music, background change, dance and costume changes made it clear what was happening. Really liked how they had revolving towers at the sides which could be changed depending on the location and the use of fringing and free bits of material that move with the dance movement. Really enjoyed it.

Couple of photos from the show

Yinka Shonibare 'FABRIC- ATION'

I managed to get a few pictures, shame photography was not allowed would have loved to get some close up photos of the print and the silhouette of the garments.

Prefer the bodies to have nothing in the head area, think they work better like that

FABRIC-ATION

http://www.ysp.co.uk/exhibitions/yinka-shonibare-mbe-fabric-ation

02.03.13 - 01.09.13


Underground Gallery, YSP Centre, Chapel & open air
Taking place in three of YSP’s indoor galleries and the open air, FABRIC–ATION features over 30 vibrant works from the period 2002 – 2013 including sculpture, film, photography, painting and collage, with many works never before seen in the UK.

'Another Place': Liverpool visit

Another Place: 1997
Crosby beach is home to Antony Gormley's 'Another Place'. Another Place consists of one hundred cast iron life size figures. These figures stretch out along 2.5 kilometers of the foreshore, the area between the high and the low whatever mark, and stretch almost one kilometer out to sea. The is  an average of 500 meters between each of the stood figures. Each of the 650 kilos 'Another Place' figures have been made from one of 17 cast of Gormley's body. All of the figures are facing out to sea, looking towards the horizon. Depending on the state of the tide, the weather conditions and the time of the day the work will be more and less visible, all the figures are on the same level meaning that those closest to the shore can be buried up to as far as their knees.

http://www.visitliverpool.com/things-to-do/attractions/search/another-place-by-antony-gormley-p160981
http://www.antonygormley.com/sculpture/item-view/id/230#p0

London Brief- The Lion King

For the character of Sarabi.

For the character of Scar.

These are the two photos of the Lion King costumes I got in the V&A. I have chosen these as one of my pieces to look at because I have loved this production ever since I went to see it as a child.

http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1176042/theatre-costume-taymor-julie/
Information about the costume for Sarabi

http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1176045/theatre-costume-taymor-julie/
Information about the information for Scar

The War of the Worlds

Yesterday I went to see Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of The Worlds. After listening to the original soundtrack as a child and seeing the 2005 film I didn't know what to expect but it was really good. The way that it was transferred into a production from book was really interesting and well done. I think as well because it was such a large scale performance the big screen at the back work really well to piece the story together.

Two images from the production, the bottom showing the large martian.

These three pictures show the front of the program and two halves of a large image in the in it. They all show things that happen throughout the story.

British Ballgown- V&A

This was one of two exhibitions that we went to see at the V&A in London. The first thing that we got told when arriving was that there were no photos or sketching allowed while in that particular exhibition  Meaning that we couldn't really record what we were seeing, apart from to note down artists and the collection the dress belonged to, and would just have to look at photos after in books or on the internet, which ins't really the same.

I did really like sections of the exhibition  where the dresses where a little bit more eccentric and out there, but others were more like your traditional ball-gown which didn't interest me as much .
The two dresses i thought were the most interesting in the exhibition were these two.

The one on the above is Alexander Mcqueen and the one on the below is Vivienne Westwood. I likes these two out of all the dresses because they are different to the typical silhouette that is used for traditional  ballgowns. 

These few images show the majority of the dresses that were in the upstairs section of the exhibition. 

Hollywood Costume- V&A

Defiantly worth a visit!
I was really looking forward to going down to London to visit this exhibition and it defiantly wasn't a disappointment. I think that it would have been better if there wasn't so many people as you sort of got pushed along by the crowd. Which meant that I didn't get chance to read all of the plaques with the information on, which I would have wanted to. I really loved seeing the costumes in person and was quite surprised about the sheer size of some of them. We were not allowed to take photos in the exhibition which I would have wanted to. I bought the book that was based on the exhibition because it has a lot of information  in it and has some nice photos of the exhibition as well.

These two pictures show some of the costumes that were featured in the exhibition. 

.

Some fashion from 1750 onwards

These show photos from a part of the V&A that has fashions from 1750 until the present day showing in it.

Show the earliest clothing and undergarments in the exhibition, 1750-1775. It was good to look at these as this is closest to the era that we are looking at in a Rake's Progress.

1830-1840 at home, these show how silhouettes of dresses started to change from the previous photo of the mid 1700's.

these three photos show two of the undergarments from the 1800's, the one on the left shows a corset and the right showing a crinoline.

1937- 1939 Bathing Costumes

There were lots of other different fashions from through the years in the exhibition, for both men and women, but these were the best of all the photos that I have taken.

The Women In Black- Performace

This is a play that I have wanted to watch for some time. After booking the tickets to go and see it I looked through some reviews to see what other people had said about it. From looking at these I found that the reviews were very varied, from this I had some reservations as to what the play would be like. I had also watched the film earlier this year and wanted to see how they would represent the elaborate scenes like the road up to eel marsh house and also the house itself.

The road up to eel marsh house and the marsh surrounding it.

The house that is used in the film for Eel Marsh house

When getting into the theater, before the performance started, this is the way that the stage was set up.

There wasn't any other props added to the front of the stage, apart from some different clothing that was put onto the rail at the side. This clothing was used to show the difference between the characters that one of the actors played and the different stages of the story that the other actors character goes through. There was other scenes set up behind the curtain that rotated for when they were needed as part of the story, but they were also not elaborate. A lot of sound effects were used instead to set a scene or represent something that wasn't there.

This is a page spread out of the program shows the two actors in their different  costumes  worn to show the different stage of the story and the different characters being portrayed.

I really enjoyed this performance, I don't understand the negative reviews that people have given for the performance. The right balance between story and scary. I think the fact that you are not given everything and have to use your imagination to see the scene in your own mind keeps the audience interested throughout the whole of the performance. The actors were brilliant as well creating tension and suspense and interacting with things that weren't physically there.

I found the use of costume interesting as there wasn't whole changes from character to character as the character changes were done on the stage. Although there wasn't a whole outfit change the putting on of a coat, hat, scarf etc. it was clear that there had been a change of character not from just the clothes but the actors portrayal of the character.

V&A Exhibitions

Ballgowns- British Glamour Since 1950
http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/exhibitions/ballgowns/

'Ballgowns: British Glamour Since 1950 will feature more than sixty designs for social events such as private parties, royal balls, state occasions and opening nights.

The exhibition will cover over sixty years of a strong British design tradition that continues to flourish. Eveningwear from the V&A’s vast collection, by designers including Victor Stiebel, Zandra Rhodes, Jonathan Saunders and Hussein Chalayan, will be on show alongside dresses fresh from the catwalk shows of Alexander McQueen, Giles Deacon, Erdem and Jenny Packham.

A selection of royal ballgowns will be on display, including a Norman Hartnell gown designed for Elizabeth the Queen Mother, Princess Diana’s ‘Elvis Dress’ designed by Catherine Walker and gowns worn by today’s young royals. Ballgowns: British Glamour Since 1950 will also include dresses worn by actresses and celebrities including Elizabeth Hurley, Bianca Jagger and Sandra Bullock, and a stunning metallic leather dress created especially for the exhibition by innovative designer Gareth Pugh.'
http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/exhibitions/ballgowns/ballgowns-british-glamour-since-1950/


Theatre Performance Galleries
http://www.vam.ac.uk/page/t/theatre-and-performance-galleries/

Rooms 103 to 106b in the V&A have all aspects of theatre design in them, the rooms include:

• Room 103- Theatre and Peformance enterance
• Room 104- Theatre & Performance temporary exhibitions
• Room 104a- Experiencing Theatre and Performance
• Room 104b- Designing
• Room 105- Costume
• Room 106- Make Up
• Room 106a- Creating and Producing
• Room 106b- Rehearsing & Promoting

Looking through these will give me a small idea of what stages go into design for a theatre performance.

 

 

V&A Hollywood Costume

http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/exhibitions/exhibition-hollywood-costume/

The V&A's autumn exhibition, 'Hollywood Costume', explores the central role costume design plays in cinema storytelling. Bringing together over 100 of the most iconic movie costumes from across a century of film-making, it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the clothes worn by unforgettable and beloved characters such as Dorothy Gale, Indiana Jones, Scarlett O'Hara, Jack Sparrow, Holly Golightly and Darth Vader.
 

Video from the V&A channel talking about the Hollywood Costume Exhibition



 

V&A Hollywood costume, BBC news report

 

 

'Audrey Hepburn's black dress from the film Breakfast at Tiffany's and Dorothy's ruby slippers as seen in the Wizard of Oz are among the items on display at a major exhibition of Hollywood costumes.

London's Victoria and Albert Museum will showcase over 100 movie costumes worn by cinema greats over the last century.

Jenny Hill reports'

Video for the news report done by the BBC for the opening of the Hollywood Costume exibition at the V&A.

In the video it explains the process of breaking down a costume, making sure it fits the characters story up until the point youo see it in a film, adding things such as rips, blood, worn areas ect. The oldest costume within the exhibition is Charlie Chaplins that he wore in The Tramp.

 

 

 

The Woman In Black

Theatre Royal & Concert Hall, Nottingham
Saturday, October 20th

http://www.thewomaninblack.com/

The Women in Black Story
Proud and solitary, Eel Marsh House surveys the windswept reaches of the salt marshes beyond Nine Lives Causeway. Arthur Kipps, a junior solicitor, is summoned to attend the funeral of Mrs Alice Drablow, the house’s sole inhabitant, unaware of the tragic secrets which lie hidden behind the shuttered windows. It is not until he glimpses a wasted young woman dressed all in black at the funeral, that a creeping sense of unease begins to take hold. This feeling is deepened by the reluctance of the locals to talk of the woman in black – and her terrible purpose.
Years later, as an old man, he recounts his experiences to an actor in a desperate attempt to exorcise the ghosts of the past. The play unfolds around the conversations of these two characters as they act out the solicitor’s experiences on Eel Marsh all those years ago.

From watching the film earlier in the year and finding out that there was also a theatre performance, also based on the Susan Hill novel, I looked to see whether there were any performaces I could go and see. When I first looked there were only shows in the west end which I could not get to or afford, so when seeing a poster in nottingham advertising the perfomance I booked ticets to see it.

Chatsworth Chairs

I tried taking pictures of different textile things in the house to give me and idea of some patterns and fabrics from around the era of a Rakes Progress. These are the only two pictures containing the textile things that have come out so you car see the detail on them. I can use these to help in my textile sessions and also to help with fabric patterns in costume sessions.

Chatsworth Research

I want to use this visit to help me with the Rake's Progress. As the history of chatsworth goes through the 18th century i want to look at the painting and portraits from the relevant era to see what clothing they would have been wearing. I can then use this information and the pictures that i have taken to use it as a basis for the first designs that i will do in my costume sessions.

portraits to look at:
-William Cavendish, 3rd Duke of Devonshire
-William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire
-Katherine Hoskins, Duchess of Devonshire
-Portrait of Lady Charlotte Boyle, Marchioness of Hartington
-Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington and 4th Earl of Cork

All of these people were alive through the year of 1733, which is the same year as A Rake's Progress was painted, so i particularly want to look at the clothing in these five.

Millennium Gallery- Under The Sea

One of the pieces within this exibition is the 'Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef', a communty project. I liked the fact that with this piece of work you could stand back from it, looking at it as a whole, but also you could go close up and see the indiviual sections that people had done and the detail that they had incorporated, crocheting little fish into it etc.

Close up of a section of the whole coral reef