Monday 28 March 2011
Fabric
I went to FabricLand today but to add to the annoyance of not having enough fabric by 20cm, they did not have ANY of my fabric left despite there being a HUGE roll of it last time I was there. I asked about ordering it in but they said it could take up to 3 WEEKS. I cant wait that long so I had to buy some fabric which was closest to it but it is quite a lot darker. Hopefully this will not be seen as there will be a huge amount of embroidery over the top of the base fabric. SO annoying though!
Saturday 26 March 2011
Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama Cardiff- Transformation and Revelation
Yesterday we went on a 3 hour journey to Cardiff to visit the Transformation and Revelation- An Exhibition Celebrating Talent in British Theatre Design at Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff.
I found the trip really interesting, especially the exhibition which was a collection of the best set/ costume/ lighting design from 2007-2011 from all over the UK. There was some work there which I was really impressed by:
However there was also work there which I was not so impressed by and felt that people on both sides of the course have actually achieved better! Some of the model boxes were done without specific attention to detail and you could see lumps of glue etc. We would never be allowed to get away with this! There were also beautiful illustrative costume designs but they had no faces and they were all characters were in the same poses. Again, we would never be allowed to design like this; we are taught that every character has to be in a pose, with facial expressions representing their character.
We also went to some lectures, I went to one by Ramon B Ivars. The description states: "Professor of Scenography and Costume Design at the Institut del Teatre in Barecelona. Theatre and Televsion designer and Director. Spanish National Curator PQ 2007-2011. 'AFTER DESIGN', my work at PQ011."
This lecture was really interesting, Ivars talked about his exhibition work which will be shown at the Prague Quadrennial this year: a collection of work by artisans in Spain. Some of the artisans will even be creating work live in the space. He talked about potter makers, sculptors, model makers, puppet makers and even carpenters. However these carpenters are extremely gifted, they create the HUGE wooden sculptures for the Fallas fiesta in Valencia:
www.fallasfromvalencia.com
As his website is still under construction, this is the only link i can find for a BIO of his work:
www.theatreurope.org/www/Members/RamonIvars/RamonBIvars
The second lecture was by Jean Guy Lecat. The description states: "Space designer, developer of architecture, stage designer, theatre maker, Lecat devotes himself fully to the transformation of space for performance. he is untiring in his exploration of the interaction of theatre and architecture, dsign and performance, space and storytelling. 'An insight into his work and process" full title to be confirmed." Lecat talked about his work, mostly the reconstruction of old theatres but also designs for new theatre spaces. He was extremely interesting to listen to; he has got such a huge portfolio of work and is such a talented man in all aspects of his work.
A BIO for Lecat:
www.hamakom.at/uploads/media/BIO_JEAN_GUY_LECAT.pdf
I found the exhibition facinating, it was really inspirational and have given me motivation for this project. I am really inspired to go to Prague now to visit the exhibition.
I found the trip really interesting, especially the exhibition which was a collection of the best set/ costume/ lighting design from 2007-2011 from all over the UK. There was some work there which I was really impressed by:
However there was also work there which I was not so impressed by and felt that people on both sides of the course have actually achieved better! Some of the model boxes were done without specific attention to detail and you could see lumps of glue etc. We would never be allowed to get away with this! There were also beautiful illustrative costume designs but they had no faces and they were all characters were in the same poses. Again, we would never be allowed to design like this; we are taught that every character has to be in a pose, with facial expressions representing their character.
We also went to some lectures, I went to one by Ramon B Ivars. The description states: "Professor of Scenography and Costume Design at the Institut del Teatre in Barecelona. Theatre and Televsion designer and Director. Spanish National Curator PQ 2007-2011. 'AFTER DESIGN', my work at PQ011."
This lecture was really interesting, Ivars talked about his exhibition work which will be shown at the Prague Quadrennial this year: a collection of work by artisans in Spain. Some of the artisans will even be creating work live in the space. He talked about potter makers, sculptors, model makers, puppet makers and even carpenters. However these carpenters are extremely gifted, they create the HUGE wooden sculptures for the Fallas fiesta in Valencia:
www.fallasfromvalencia.com
As his website is still under construction, this is the only link i can find for a BIO of his work:
www.theatreurope.org/www/Members/RamonIvars/RamonBIvars
The second lecture was by Jean Guy Lecat. The description states: "Space designer, developer of architecture, stage designer, theatre maker, Lecat devotes himself fully to the transformation of space for performance. he is untiring in his exploration of the interaction of theatre and architecture, dsign and performance, space and storytelling. 'An insight into his work and process" full title to be confirmed." Lecat talked about his work, mostly the reconstruction of old theatres but also designs for new theatre spaces. He was extremely interesting to listen to; he has got such a huge portfolio of work and is such a talented man in all aspects of his work.
A BIO for Lecat:
www.hamakom.at/uploads/media/BIO_JEAN_GUY_LECAT.pdf
I found the exhibition facinating, it was really inspirational and have given me motivation for this project. I am really inspired to go to Prague now to visit the exhibition.
Friday 25 March 2011
Cutting Out Cape
Today I tried to cut out the cloak pattern for fabric I bought at FabricLand. I was SO frustrated when I found out that I was about 20cm short of fabric. I have cut out some pieces so that i can at least start my machine embroidery but I am going to have to return to FabricLand to get the reainder of the fabric ASAP.
Thursday 24 March 2011
Flower Ideas
I've found a lady who uses free machine embroidery and fabric to create flower brooches. I will use these as a source of inspiration and try to recreate some flowers like this to embroider onto my cloak. She uses wool against chiffons and a variety of contrasting fabrics to create flowers of different textures which I find really interesting.
Cape Pattern
This is the cape pattern I will be using. I will use design C. I will be cutting this out at Uni tomorrow(/today!), however I won't sew it together until I have done most of the textile techniques on it. I will be able to include embelishments such as hand embroidery and sequins/beads after the pattern pieces have been sewn together.
I think this pattern will work really well. I am not at all worried about cutting out the pattern as this is something I have done a lot and I am more than capable of doing. I may adapt the pattern if I need to make it longer etc but I will find this out when I pin the pattern to the fabric. I think this pattern is perfect and I am really pleased I managed to find it.
I think this pattern will work really well. I am not at all worried about cutting out the pattern as this is something I have done a lot and I am more than capable of doing. I may adapt the pattern if I need to make it longer etc but I will find this out when I pin the pattern to the fabric. I think this pattern is perfect and I am really pleased I managed to find it.
Bibliography
As I stated I will be using in my Learning Agreement:
• Harding, V (2000) Machine Embroidery- Stitched Patterns. Singapore: Kyodo Printing Co Pte Ltd
• Hasty, O (1996) Tsvetaeva’s Orphic Journeys in the Worlds of the Word. USA: Northwestern University Press
• Neely, C (2004) Distracted Subjects- Madness and Gender in Shakespeare and Early Modern Culture. USA: Cornell University Press
• Seaton, B (1995) The Language of Flowers- A History. USA: The University Press of Virginia
• Shakespeare, W and Coleman, W (2004) A Parallel Text- Hamlet. USA: Perfect Learning Corporation
• Harding, V (2000) Machine Embroidery- Stitched Patterns. Singapore: Kyodo Printing Co Pte Ltd
• Hasty, O (1996) Tsvetaeva’s Orphic Journeys in the Worlds of the Word. USA: Northwestern University Press
• Neely, C (2004) Distracted Subjects- Madness and Gender in Shakespeare and Early Modern Culture. USA: Cornell University Press
• Seaton, B (1995) The Language of Flowers- A History. USA: The University Press of Virginia
• Shakespeare, W and Coleman, W (2004) A Parallel Text- Hamlet. USA: Perfect Learning Corporation
Dyeing Cape Fabric
Today I went to Fabric Land in Ringwood to find some fabric to use as a basis for my cape. I initially intended to buy some white cotton calico with the intention of dyeing it blue by hand. However, I found a very rich deep blue cotton calico which as only £4.99 a meter. I've bought 2.5 meters (I should only need about 1.5 but I thought it better safe than sorry!). The blue is the perfect base but I really don't want the colour to be flat. As today was so hot and sunny, I decided to take the fabric outside and add to it. I mixed some Dylon 'Ocean Blue' dye in a bowl and dunked random areas of the fabric in it (with the intention that these areas will come out a darker blue than un-dyed areas). I then hung the fabric along the washing line and rubbed some Brusho Powder Paint in Tourquise into areas with a sponge (with the same intention). I then added splodges of Black and Colbolt Blue Silk Paint to the fabric. I literally have no idea how it's going to turn out as it is still on the line outside drying! I hope the fabric is now not such a flat colour. Tomorrow I am going to lay the pattern pieces out onto the fabric at Uni and cut them out (sounds easy enough but I will probably be quite rusty as I havn't done this is a while!).
Learning Agreement
NAME: Holly London Whitefoord
COURSE: BA (Hons) Costume with Performance Design
UNIT TITLE: Self-Directed Project
REF. NO./LEVEL: CSS518
WEIGHTING: 2.0
DURATION: 9 Weeks
HOURS OF STUDY: 300 Hours
Unit Leader: Adele Keeley
DESCRIPTION:
For my self-directed project I have chosen the Painting for Inspiration route. For Part One I will independently create a representation of a painting I have chosen from the National Gallery which I will interpret in the period portrayed but with a modern twist, producing a photograph supported by sketchbook work. Part Two of the project will be collaborative with the BA (Hons) Film course to costume BA (Hons) Acting students in a film inspired by a painting they have chosen from the National Gallery. This will also be supported by sketchbook work. I have a tight schedule for this project therefore I will aim to complete Part One before I start on Part Two to ensure I can put equal amounts of effort into both areas.
I have chosen this route for my self-directed project as I want to collaborate with the Film department before embarking on work experience in New York this summer on a film set, as it is the ideal way of gaining experience and skills whilst working in a team. My weaknesses currently lie in my lack of Film experience as I have never worked in that environment or made a costume for screen before. I stated in my Action Plan that I wanted to “gain knowledge and a greater understanding of the role costume designers have within the production team they are in” and this project will let me do exactly that. I aspire to work within Film after I have graduated therefore this project is the perfect first experience in working in a film environment. I have strengths in construction, which I have not utilized since choosing the Design pathway and I would like to design and create a costume for this project as opposed to sourcing one. I am very imaginative and creative with textile techniques and fabric manipulation and I would like to explore these in depth in this project. Creating a costume, which incorporates both design and creative making, works to both my strengths. I understand that my chosen route has a very tight schedule so my Work Plan should help me to manage my time appropriately. Ultimately, I hope to build on my textile techniques during this project to make a costume that allows me to use the skills I already have and develop them.
For Part One of this project I will create a body of sketchbook work which will show my initial and developed primary and secondary research, design development and textile techniques I have explored. I will also produce a photograph of the final representation, which will include a model. For Part Two of the project I will create a body of sketchbook work, which will again show my research, design, and explorative work but also how I have collaborated with the Film students. I will show photographic evidence of work on set on the day of shooting and a film file which will include continuity, character breakdown, budget breakdown and other relevant paperwork generated.
Aims:
A1 To provide opportunities for self-initiated, autonomous learning
and develop the ability to plan time and work independently
A2 To provide opportunity to study the contextual development of costume and performance design
A3 To further develop the creative, intellectual and practical applications of research and contextualisation within a self initiated environment
A4 To propose, develop and evaluate professional aspirations through professional development planning
Learning Outcomes:
On completion of this unit you will be able to:
LO1 Identify and define the context for the development of your own work towards professional aspirations
LO2 Demonstrate an understanding of the development of Costume with performance design
`
LO3 Have developed the creative, intellectual and practical applications of research and contextualisation
LO4 Consolidate and demonstrate professional aspirations and planning through your Progress File
Assessment Requirements:
I will be handing in a photograph of my completed painting representation for Part One of the project which will be supported by a sketchbook under pinned by personal development planning (in your blog journal) and a final written evaluation (750 words) evidenced in your Progress File 100%
Each assessment requirement must be passed at a minimum grade of 40% to successfully complete the unit
Assessment Criteria (specific criteria related to the learning outcomes and linked to the statement of generic assessment criteria matrix):
1. Evidence of knowledge of contextual and theoretical issues – The level to which you have considered the context of your project and evidenced that to your body of work (LO1, LO2)
2. Evidence of understanding through synthesis and development – The application and extend to which research has informed decision-making and project development together with the appropriate management of time (LO2, LO3, LO4)
3. Evidence of evaluation and reflection – The extent to which you have reflected on the progress of your project and used it to inform personal development planning (LO4)
4. Evidence of realisation through the communication of ideas - The presentation of your work and the level to which specialist knowledge has been applied, communicated and evidenced (LO3, LO4)
Reference Material
This will vary according to the needs of the individual project. You will define Reference Material through personal investigation and consultation with staff and list it in your Learning Agreement.
• Harding, V (2000) Machine Embroidery- Stitched Patterns. Singapore: Kyodo Printing Co Pte Ltd
• Hasty, O (1996) Tsvetaeva’s Orphic Journeys in the Worlds of the Word. USA: Northwestern University Press
• Neely, C (2004) Distracted Subjects- Madness and Gender in Shakespeare and Early Modern Culture. USA: Cornell University Press
• Seaton, B (1995) The Language of Flowers- A History. USA: The University Press of Virginia
• Shakespeare, W and Coleman, W (2004) A Parallel Text- Hamlet. USA: Perfect Learning Corporation
COURSE: BA (Hons) Costume with Performance Design
UNIT TITLE: Self-Directed Project
REF. NO./LEVEL: CSS518
WEIGHTING: 2.0
DURATION: 9 Weeks
HOURS OF STUDY: 300 Hours
Unit Leader: Adele Keeley
DESCRIPTION:
For my self-directed project I have chosen the Painting for Inspiration route. For Part One I will independently create a representation of a painting I have chosen from the National Gallery which I will interpret in the period portrayed but with a modern twist, producing a photograph supported by sketchbook work. Part Two of the project will be collaborative with the BA (Hons) Film course to costume BA (Hons) Acting students in a film inspired by a painting they have chosen from the National Gallery. This will also be supported by sketchbook work. I have a tight schedule for this project therefore I will aim to complete Part One before I start on Part Two to ensure I can put equal amounts of effort into both areas.
I have chosen this route for my self-directed project as I want to collaborate with the Film department before embarking on work experience in New York this summer on a film set, as it is the ideal way of gaining experience and skills whilst working in a team. My weaknesses currently lie in my lack of Film experience as I have never worked in that environment or made a costume for screen before. I stated in my Action Plan that I wanted to “gain knowledge and a greater understanding of the role costume designers have within the production team they are in” and this project will let me do exactly that. I aspire to work within Film after I have graduated therefore this project is the perfect first experience in working in a film environment. I have strengths in construction, which I have not utilized since choosing the Design pathway and I would like to design and create a costume for this project as opposed to sourcing one. I am very imaginative and creative with textile techniques and fabric manipulation and I would like to explore these in depth in this project. Creating a costume, which incorporates both design and creative making, works to both my strengths. I understand that my chosen route has a very tight schedule so my Work Plan should help me to manage my time appropriately. Ultimately, I hope to build on my textile techniques during this project to make a costume that allows me to use the skills I already have and develop them.
For Part One of this project I will create a body of sketchbook work which will show my initial and developed primary and secondary research, design development and textile techniques I have explored. I will also produce a photograph of the final representation, which will include a model. For Part Two of the project I will create a body of sketchbook work, which will again show my research, design, and explorative work but also how I have collaborated with the Film students. I will show photographic evidence of work on set on the day of shooting and a film file which will include continuity, character breakdown, budget breakdown and other relevant paperwork generated.
Aims:
A1 To provide opportunities for self-initiated, autonomous learning
and develop the ability to plan time and work independently
A2 To provide opportunity to study the contextual development of costume and performance design
A3 To further develop the creative, intellectual and practical applications of research and contextualisation within a self initiated environment
A4 To propose, develop and evaluate professional aspirations through professional development planning
Learning Outcomes:
On completion of this unit you will be able to:
LO1 Identify and define the context for the development of your own work towards professional aspirations
LO2 Demonstrate an understanding of the development of Costume with performance design
`
LO3 Have developed the creative, intellectual and practical applications of research and contextualisation
LO4 Consolidate and demonstrate professional aspirations and planning through your Progress File
Assessment Requirements:
I will be handing in a photograph of my completed painting representation for Part One of the project which will be supported by a sketchbook under pinned by personal development planning (in your blog journal) and a final written evaluation (750 words) evidenced in your Progress File 100%
Each assessment requirement must be passed at a minimum grade of 40% to successfully complete the unit
Assessment Criteria (specific criteria related to the learning outcomes and linked to the statement of generic assessment criteria matrix):
1. Evidence of knowledge of contextual and theoretical issues – The level to which you have considered the context of your project and evidenced that to your body of work (LO1, LO2)
2. Evidence of understanding through synthesis and development – The application and extend to which research has informed decision-making and project development together with the appropriate management of time (LO2, LO3, LO4)
3. Evidence of evaluation and reflection – The extent to which you have reflected on the progress of your project and used it to inform personal development planning (LO4)
4. Evidence of realisation through the communication of ideas - The presentation of your work and the level to which specialist knowledge has been applied, communicated and evidenced (LO3, LO4)
Reference Material
This will vary according to the needs of the individual project. You will define Reference Material through personal investigation and consultation with staff and list it in your Learning Agreement.
• Harding, V (2000) Machine Embroidery- Stitched Patterns. Singapore: Kyodo Printing Co Pte Ltd
• Hasty, O (1996) Tsvetaeva’s Orphic Journeys in the Worlds of the Word. USA: Northwestern University Press
• Neely, C (2004) Distracted Subjects- Madness and Gender in Shakespeare and Early Modern Culture. USA: Cornell University Press
• Seaton, B (1995) The Language of Flowers- A History. USA: The University Press of Virginia
• Shakespeare, W and Coleman, W (2004) A Parallel Text- Hamlet. USA: Perfect Learning Corporation
Tuesday 22 March 2011
Wool Fibres
I've just bought some wool fibres from http://www.winghamwoolwork.co.uk/ in the hope that I can make some of my own felt to then Free Machine Embroider onto.
I found a website called Art Wey which features an artist called Sally Pepperell (www.artwey.co.uk/ person.php?person_id=152). She creates work made from wool, cotton, silk and other plant fibres.
Inspired by her designs, I have ordered a variety of different blues and greens to create not only the background for the cape but also for the flowers. It says it may take up to 14 days to be delivered but it should come sooner. Fingers crossed I don't have to wait too long so I can get on with my cape!
I found a website called Art Wey which features an artist called Sally Pepperell (www.artwey.co.uk/ person.php?person_id=152). She creates work made from wool, cotton, silk and other plant fibres.
Inspired by her designs, I have ordered a variety of different blues and greens to create not only the background for the cape but also for the flowers. It says it may take up to 14 days to be delivered but it should come sooner. Fingers crossed I don't have to wait too long so I can get on with my cape!
Free Machine Embroidery Technique
I really love using Free Machine Embroidery and have used it and developed my techniques a lot over the years of studying Art and Design and Textiles at school and doing my Art Foundation at Central Saint Martins. I am going to use this technique in my SDP as it is a really fluid, quick and easy way to create really intricate designs which appear to have taken a lot longer than they really have. I really want the cloak to feature a lot of details and layers as I stated in previous posts.
The images below are of a witch costume/ instillation I made for my Final Major Project at Central Saint Martins. It was inspired by Shakespeare's witches in Macbeth and by the history of medicine women and men. I sewed onto a basic cloak all of the witches 'spell' ingredience and collected objects. I was given a big box of my Grandpa's fishing tackle collection when he died, which was a random collection of lots of feathers, (real) furs including squirrel, fox, goat and badger, bird capes, squirrel tails and sheeps wool. I combined these with other feathers I bought and collected and natural materials which I sewed onto using the free machine embroidery technique. In some of these images you can see the use of this technique. For some of the patches I tore hand dyed natural fabrics into strips and sewwed them together in this way which was really effective. I even used it to sew real leaves onto squares of fabric.
The image below is a detail of a small area of a skirt I made for A Level Art and Design project called 'Transitions' and is made entirelly from collected and recycled pacaking and old fabrics and items of clothing. This also shows the type of embroidery I am intending to use on the cloak I will be creating for my current project. For this I used a combination of purple and gold threads given to me by friends, family and other donators.
Other Free Machine Embroidery inspiration I have found is a blog by a nice Welsh lady named Karen: http://artistsgardenstudio.wordpress.com/2007/10/
I absolutely LOVE the different colours and materials she has used and the intricate designs she has created using the Free Machine Embroidery technique; like I did for my A Level Art and Design 'Transitions' project, she has used a gold thread on a few of her samples. I will attempt to create some samples like these to test out the different effects I could acheive.
The images below are of a witch costume/ instillation I made for my Final Major Project at Central Saint Martins. It was inspired by Shakespeare's witches in Macbeth and by the history of medicine women and men. I sewed onto a basic cloak all of the witches 'spell' ingredience and collected objects. I was given a big box of my Grandpa's fishing tackle collection when he died, which was a random collection of lots of feathers, (real) furs including squirrel, fox, goat and badger, bird capes, squirrel tails and sheeps wool. I combined these with other feathers I bought and collected and natural materials which I sewed onto using the free machine embroidery technique. In some of these images you can see the use of this technique. For some of the patches I tore hand dyed natural fabrics into strips and sewwed them together in this way which was really effective. I even used it to sew real leaves onto squares of fabric.
The image below is a detail of a small area of a skirt I made for A Level Art and Design project called 'Transitions' and is made entirelly from collected and recycled pacaking and old fabrics and items of clothing. This also shows the type of embroidery I am intending to use on the cloak I will be creating for my current project. For this I used a combination of purple and gold threads given to me by friends, family and other donators.
Other Free Machine Embroidery inspiration I have found is a blog by a nice Welsh lady named Karen: http://artistsgardenstudio.wordpress.com/2007/10/
I absolutely LOVE the different colours and materials she has used and the intricate designs she has created using the Free Machine Embroidery technique; like I did for my A Level Art and Design 'Transitions' project, she has used a gold thread on a few of her samples. I will attempt to create some samples like these to test out the different effects I could acheive.
Monday 21 March 2011
Saturday 19 March 2011
Textile Technique Research
I've been researching different painting and dyeing effects to create interesting textures, patterns and layers to the fabrics I use for the cloak. I want to be extremely experimentative and bold and be daring with the kind of techniques I use. I want the cloak to have extreme detail in it and have loads of interesting layers. The choice of fabrics and the dyeing and painting techniques are the absolute basis for the entire thing. These links are from YouTube and are the kinds of effects I want to acheive.
Friday 18 March 2011
Work Thus Far...
So far I have collated some fabrics together from boxes of scrap fabrics I have collected over the years and and my Nan's collection of fabrics (some of which date back over 50 years!). I am going to now take these fabrics and test out some different dyeing techniques on them. I've picked a variety of fabrics because I want there to be loads of layers within the cloak. There are silks, heavy cottons, chiffons and nettings and even some upolstery fabrics (I'm not sure if i will use these yet though as they are covered in floral patterns... They may prove to add an extra dimention to the piece but they may prove to just be too complex and busy). I will now research into the kind of different dyeing effects I could apply to these fabrics.
Ophelia's Character
I have been researching into Ophelia's character in Hamlet and have found a nice summery on the internet on http://www.shakespeare-online.com :
The extent to which Hamlet feels betrayed by Gertrude is far more apparent with the addition of Ophelia to the play. Hamlet's feelings of rage against his mother can be directed toward Ophelia, who is, in his estimation, hiding her base nature behind a guise of impeccability.
Through Ophelia we witness Hamlet's evolution, or de-evolution into a man convinced that all women are whores; that the women who seem most pure are inside black with corruption and sexual desire. And if women are harlots, then they must have their procurers. Gertrude has been made a whore by Claudius, and Ophelia has been made a whore by her father. In Act II, Polonius makes arrangements to use the alluring Ophelia to discover why Hamlet is behaving so curiously. Hamlet is not in the room but it seems obvious from the following lines that he has overheard Polonius trying to use his daughter's charms to suit his underhanded purposes. In Hamlet's distraught mind, there is no gray area: Polonius prostitutes his daughter. And Hamlet tells Polonius so to his face, labeling him a "fishmonger" (despite the fact that Polonius cannot decipher the meaning behind Hamlet's words). As Kay Stanton argues in her essay Hamlet's Whores:
But, to the rest of us, Ophelia represents something very different. To those who are not blinded by hurt and rage, Ophelia is the epitome of goodness. Very much like Gertrude, young Ophelia is childlike and naive. Unlike Queen Gertrude, Ophelia has good reason to be unaware of the harsh realities of life. She is very young, and has lost her mother, possibly at birth. Her father, Polonius, and brother, Laertes, love Ophelia tremendously, and have taken great pains to shelter her. She is not involved with matters of state; she spends her days no doubt engaged in needlepoint and flower gathering. She returns the love shown to her by Polonius and Laertes tenfold, and couples it with complete and unwavering loyalty. "Her whole character is that of simple unselfish affection" (Bradley 130). Even though her love for Hamlet is strong, she obeys her father when he tells her not to see Hamlet again or accept any letters that Hamlet writes. Her heart is pure, and when she does do something dishonest, such as tell Hamlet that her father has gone home when he is really behind the curtain, it is out of genuine fear. Ophelia clings to the memory of Hamlet treating her with respect and tenderness, and she defends him and loves him to the very end despite his brutality. She is incapable of defending herself, but through her timid responses we see clearly her intense suffering:
References
Bradley, A.C. Shakespearean Tragedy. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1966.
Burnett, Mark, ed. New Essays on Hamlet. New York: AMS Press, 1994.
Evans Lloyd Gareth. Shakespeare IV. London: Oxford university Press, 1967.
Granville-Barker, Henry. Prefaces to Shakespeare. New York: Hill and Wang, 1970.
Loske, Olaf. Outrageous Fortune. Oslo: Oslo University Press, 1960.
Muir, Kenneth. Shakespeare and the Tragic Pattern.
I've highlighted in red the most relevant aspects of the character anaylsis. I do see Ophelia as the analysis states: "Ophelia is the most static and one-dimensional (character)", but I do think she adds a lot of depth and a sense of instability and scares the audience with her total lack of mental sanity. The flower picking scene is especailly unsettling. I will further research this scene to gain a greater unsderstanding of the relevance of the flowers she gives to the other characters.
Ophelia
Of all the pivotal characters in Hamlet, Ophelia is the most static and one-dimensional. She has the potential to become a tragic heroine -- to overcome the adversities inflicted upon her -- but she instead crumbles into insanity, becoming merely tragic. This is because Ophelia herself is not as important as her representation of the dual nature of women in the play. Ophelia's distinct purpose is to show at once Hamlet's warped view of women as callous sexual predators, and the innocence and virtue of women.The extent to which Hamlet feels betrayed by Gertrude is far more apparent with the addition of Ophelia to the play. Hamlet's feelings of rage against his mother can be directed toward Ophelia, who is, in his estimation, hiding her base nature behind a guise of impeccability.
Through Ophelia we witness Hamlet's evolution, or de-evolution into a man convinced that all women are whores; that the women who seem most pure are inside black with corruption and sexual desire. And if women are harlots, then they must have their procurers. Gertrude has been made a whore by Claudius, and Ophelia has been made a whore by her father. In Act II, Polonius makes arrangements to use the alluring Ophelia to discover why Hamlet is behaving so curiously. Hamlet is not in the room but it seems obvious from the following lines that he has overheard Polonius trying to use his daughter's charms to suit his underhanded purposes. In Hamlet's distraught mind, there is no gray area: Polonius prostitutes his daughter. And Hamlet tells Polonius so to his face, labeling him a "fishmonger" (despite the fact that Polonius cannot decipher the meaning behind Hamlet's words). As Kay Stanton argues in her essay Hamlet's Whores:
Perhaps it may be granted...that what makes a woman a whore in the Hamlets' estimation is her sexual use by not one man but by more than one man.... what seems to enrage [Hamlet] in the 'nunnery' interlude is that Ophelia has put her sense of love and duty for another man above her sense of love and duty for him, just as Gertrude put her sense of love and duty for her new husband above her sense of love and duty for her old. Gertrude chose a brother over a dead Hamlet; Ophelia chooses a father over a living Hamlet: both choices can be read as additionally sexually perverse in being, to Hamlet, 'incestuous'. (Stanton,New Essays on Hamlet 168-9)
But, to the rest of us, Ophelia represents something very different. To those who are not blinded by hurt and rage, Ophelia is the epitome of goodness. Very much like Gertrude, young Ophelia is childlike and naive. Unlike Queen Gertrude, Ophelia has good reason to be unaware of the harsh realities of life. She is very young, and has lost her mother, possibly at birth. Her father, Polonius, and brother, Laertes, love Ophelia tremendously, and have taken great pains to shelter her. She is not involved with matters of state; she spends her days no doubt engaged in needlepoint and flower gathering. She returns the love shown to her by Polonius and Laertes tenfold, and couples it with complete and unwavering loyalty. "Her whole character is that of simple unselfish affection" (Bradley 130). Even though her love for Hamlet is strong, she obeys her father when he tells her not to see Hamlet again or accept any letters that Hamlet writes. Her heart is pure, and when she does do something dishonest, such as tell Hamlet that her father has gone home when he is really behind the curtain, it is out of genuine fear. Ophelia clings to the memory of Hamlet treating her with respect and tenderness, and she defends him and loves him to the very end despite his brutality. She is incapable of defending herself, but through her timid responses we see clearly her intense suffering:
Hamlet: ...I did love you once.Her frailty and innocence work against her as she cannot cope with the unfolding of one traumatic event after another. Ophelia's darling Hamlet causes all her emotional pain throughout the play, and when his hate is responsible for her father's death, she has endured all that she is capable of enduring and goes insane. But even in her insanity she symbolizes, to everyone but Hamlet, incorruption and virtue. "In her wanderings we hear from time to time an undertone of the deepest sorrow, but never the agonized cry of fear or horror which makes madness dreadful or shocking. And the picture of her death, if our eyes grow dim in watching it, is still purely beautiful". (Bradley, Shakespearean Tragedy 132-3). The bawdy songs that she sings in front of Laertes, Gertrude, and Claudius are somber reminders that the corrupt world has taken its toll on the pure Ophelia. They show us that only in her insanity does she live up to Hamlet's false perception of her as a lascivious woman.
Ophelia: Indeed, my, lord, you made me believe so.
Hamlet: You should not have believed me...I loved you not.
Ophelia: I was the more deceived.
References
Bradley, A.C. Shakespearean Tragedy. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1966.
Burnett, Mark, ed. New Essays on Hamlet. New York: AMS Press, 1994.
Evans Lloyd Gareth. Shakespeare IV. London: Oxford university Press, 1967.
Granville-Barker, Henry. Prefaces to Shakespeare. New York: Hill and Wang, 1970.
Loske, Olaf. Outrageous Fortune. Oslo: Oslo University Press, 1960.
Muir, Kenneth. Shakespeare and the Tragic Pattern.
How to cite this article:
Mabillard, Amanda. Ophelia. Shakespeare Online. 20 Aug. 2000. (date when you accessed the information) < http://www.shakespeare-online.com/plays/hamlet/opheliacharacter.html >.
I've highlighted in red the most relevant aspects of the character anaylsis. I do see Ophelia as the analysis states: "Ophelia is the most static and one-dimensional (character)", but I do think she adds a lot of depth and a sense of instability and scares the audience with her total lack of mental sanity. The flower picking scene is especailly unsettling. I will further research this scene to gain a greater unsderstanding of the relevance of the flowers she gives to the other characters.
Monday 14 March 2011
National Gallery Trip
Today I went to the National Gallery and searched through the many rooms to find the painting that I was most inspired to recreate. I found it was quite challenging as most of the paintings are quite traditional and posed which is not a route I wanted to go down. I eventually found a pastel piece called Ophelia Among The Flowers by Odilon Redon which is very etherial and abstract.
I am very familiar with Hamlet by Shakespere as I studied it at A Level at school so know the text and characters well. This piece inspired me the most as it immediately made me think of all of the different textile techniques I could include in it. I think I am going to interpret the mass of flowers next to Ophelia as a design on a dark blue cloak or cape she will be wearing. This means I will be able to do lots of experimentation with fabrics and sewing techniques and be very innovative and resourceful as the brief stated we should be. This would work on the skills that I already have and enable me to enhance and experiment with these skills to create new ones appropriate to this project. I am very happy with my choice of painting and looking forward to starting the experimentation with fabrics and textile techniques.
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| Information next to painting: 'This pastel is one of several compositions by Redon of this subject from Shakespeare's 'Hamlet' which date from this period. The flowers seem to be of no identifiable species, resembling lilac and strawberries, and with blue leaves interspersed with the green. The garlanded head of Ophelia is turned towards the flowers as though in contemplation of their beauty.' |
I am very familiar with Hamlet by Shakespere as I studied it at A Level at school so know the text and characters well. This piece inspired me the most as it immediately made me think of all of the different textile techniques I could include in it. I think I am going to interpret the mass of flowers next to Ophelia as a design on a dark blue cloak or cape she will be wearing. This means I will be able to do lots of experimentation with fabrics and sewing techniques and be very innovative and resourceful as the brief stated we should be. This would work on the skills that I already have and enable me to enhance and experiment with these skills to create new ones appropriate to this project. I am very happy with my choice of painting and looking forward to starting the experimentation with fabrics and textile techniques.
Friday 11 March 2011
Further Inspiration
I have done some further research on painting recreations and have found a series of recreations including famous actors and actresses faces which seem to have been Photoshopped onto the paintings.
http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/galleries/celebrities_and_famous_portraits_collide
I also found an article called Recreating Famous Paintings With Photography which also features famous actors and actresses but this time they are full recreations; just like the brief we have been set. They are not Photoshopped afterwards. These include:
I love these recreations as they are not exactly the same, they are strongly influenced by the original paintings but have not been taken too literally which I like. I especially like the Gustav Klimt recreation but I would have put a lot more detail into the dress and perhaps embroidered onto it to create the effect Klimt achieved in his painting. I would really like to create something like this for Part 1 of the project as it will enable me to enhance and use skills that I already have. These reconstructions have really inspired me; I feel I could create something really successful.
I also found an article called Recreating Famous Paintings With Photography which also features famous actors and actresses but this time they are full recreations; just like the brief we have been set. They are not Photoshopped afterwards. These include:
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Wednesday 9 March 2011
Inspiration
I have researched on the internet, different recreations of paintings and I have found a music video by Hold Your Horses called 70 Million which features several recreations of famous paintings including Van Gogh's Self Portrait with Bandaged Ear and Andy Warhol's Marilyn. I absolutely love this music video, it is cleaver, witty and well thought through.
Monday 7 March 2011
Brief
Today we were given our briefs for our SDP. I have chosen the Painting For Inspiration Film and Styling Project route.
I am pleased with the brief we have been given, I think it sounds interesting, like it will be a lot of work and like it will be fantastic for me as I will hopefully form relationships with film students. I am excited to work on this project as working on films is something I have never done before and looks like I will produce lifelong skills in working on film.
I think this route is the best for me as it includes, in Part 2, collaboration with the 2nd year Film department. As I am strongly considering a career in Film after I have finished the course I think it will be extremely useful for me to have experience working on set and collaborating with other people.
Part 1 - Styling
You are to visit the National Gallery or National Portrait Gallery in the first week of the project and select and painting which you would like to interpret. The painting can be from any period and can have just one character in or a number of characters.
Once you have selected a painting you should decide whether you would like to interpret the painting in the period portrayed whether you would like to place it in a contemporary context.
The outcome of the Part 1 should be presented in a photograph (taken by you or by a photography student if you can arrange it yourself). The project has £0 budget so you will have to be resourceful and inventive in your creations. You will have access to the costumes in the costume store and can contribute a small amount of your own money if you wish to purchase items from charity shops ect. The skill in creating this piece will be in the styling of the costume ready for camera.
Here I have underlined the important key information in the first half of the brief. I must find a painting that I would like to interpret; I does not have to be an exact copy, it can even be set in a modern context.
Part 2 – Designing for Film
You will work closely with a film crew from the BA (Hons) Film course to costume a film inspired from a painting from the National Gallery. Students from the film course will chose a painting and pitch their ideas to the tutors. 9 ideas will be chosen and you will be assigned a film each to design and source costumes for. The actors in the films are students on the BA (Hons) Acting course.
The turn around for the project is very tight and forces you to be creative with time management and work to a tight budget. Each film has £50 -£70 for ALL costs including costume so the budget for costume will be minimal but you must negotiate this with your crew.
Each shoot will last 1 day and you will be required to work on set. It is advised that you buddy up with another film designer to assist each other on the day of shooting.
Part 2 of the brief is about collaborating with the Film department; the students will pick their own painting from the National Gallery (Adele mentioned that we will be able to give our opinion on their choice of painting but at the time of the gallery trip we will not know which student we will be assigned to). I am looking forward to this part of the project, however I think it will be more challenging than Part 1.
Before I go to the gallery I will research into other recreations or adaptations of paintings for inspiration.
I am pleased with the brief we have been given, I think it sounds interesting, like it will be a lot of work and like it will be fantastic for me as I will hopefully form relationships with film students. I am excited to work on this project as working on films is something I have never done before and looks like I will produce lifelong skills in working on film.
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