Unit 5

Project Evaluation File Barbara Bilon Design for stage Year 2

Theatre Practice: Specialist Competencies BA (Hons) Theatre Practice

Strand: Design for Stage Unit Seven Student Name Barbara Bilon

Year 2

Date : 11.12.12

There will be no more than 12 listed items for any discipline per term.

(C1)
Apply relevant specialist skills of technique, craft and associated technologies

Use of IT. Can include evidence of developing skills learnt so far in Photoshop, Vectorworks etc applied to each terms speculative project, skills sessions and strand projects.

Pass/Fail

Learning Outcome

Competencies

Assessment Criterion

Tutor comment

Progress in relevant practice based techniques and skills

Autumn term
No evidence yet. Please submit with PEF

Has completed

x
(C1) 1:25 scale model of the theatre Apply relevant space and design with specialist skills of technique, craft and at least three 3d scale figures. To associated demonstrate scene by technologies. scene how the production is staged for each of the two speculative projects. (Autumn and Spring term)

Communication (of for example, ideas and concepts)

Autumn term
This is failing in terms of model box 22.11.12 (not enough progress made for this stage)

You need to address the details required in order to communicate the design, Furniture needs to be accurately decided upon. Thickness of returns on flats need to be addressed and the

sightlines need to be checked for key scenes.

A complete set of fully finished costume/ character renderings/designs in an appropriate format and with appropriate fabric samples.

Spring term Very crude, not meeting ideas, feels like missed out on a few stages. Masking?

Please re-submit 22nd April

Autumn term You worked to create some interesting ideas. You created a set of costume drawings which needed more attention to detail, shape and character. You did experiment a little with rendering when asked.

Spring term Very hurried. What is the point of reference?

Fail 22nd April Please do Vixen, the Forester, The Schoolmaster, the Priest, Fox

Very generic

(Picasso? Goncherova (Russian))

(C2) Document and present your work.

Portfolio pages for one full speculative project from Autumn or Summer terms that demonstrate: Enquiry and visual research Idea development & material technical exploration Critical judgement, selection and resolution Contextual awareness. (Separate guidelines given in seminar)

Communication (of for example, ideas and concepts) Successful collaborative and/or autonomous processes

Autumn term You will need to represent these autumn term project pages. Spring term

Do by 22nd April at least 3 pages

(C2) Document and present your work.

A rationale (For each speculative design) should be displayed for the final presentations (No more than 250 words)

Communication (of for example, ideas and concepts) Successful collaborative and/or autonomous processes

Autumn term Not seen. Hand in with PEF Spring term Unclear what the world is, no rationale has been handed in

(C2) Document and present your work.

Selected research material that both inspires and supports the design process that should be selected and go on the wall for interim & final presentations of each speculative project.

Effective use of research

Autumn term
You had some interesting ideas quite boldly presented. Needed to research you materials as the sizes of sheets of grass was important for the model. Your research was from fashion which was misleading and didnt support the world you were creating.

Spring term Some good initial responses, but not evident in final design at all!

Research and Source file (to include

background research into context, author, genre, periods as appropriate) there will be a research presentation / sharing during the project

Autumn term Add images and research from the non-fashion world. This was a weak folder with not enough information.

Props Research and images That would be handed to those sourcing or making the props.

Spring term You will need to show a detailed and organised research and source file for this term, Still weak

x
Autumn term
You have scraped through on this item. You need to pay more attention to detail and sizes of items for sourcing and making

Spring term

X
(C3)
Practice and apply health and safety considerations rigorously and consistently in your work

Health and Safety Evidence awareness of what the issues may be in relation to each speculative design.

Effective use of research

Joint construction seminar

Evidence of how you have applied health & safety in the design process and making and in strand projects. (C4) Demonstrate effective time management and organisational skills Conduct, time keeping and housekeeping (Observed by staff and VLs) This includes attendance at strand seminars

Embassy shorts Induction

Successful collaborative and/or autonomous processes

Autumn term Please send your tutorial records for this term to tutor.
Strand seminars and

and critical thinking lectures.

tutorials missed.

Spring term You need to significantly improve. This is retrieved

(C5)
Contribute effectively to the needs of a given production or performance as an individual and as a member of a team.

Analysis of relevant text/libretto/score and space in order to initiate the design process. Evidenced from feedback on process and evident in the final designs presented for each speculative project

Analysis and interrogation demonstrating knowledge and understanding some of which is at the forefront of the theoretical and practical field/industry

Autumn term 22.11.12 interims:not enough visual research to back up ideas and specific detail on individual elements. Still not fully developed for finals presentations. You will need to show that you can do this for the spring term opera project.

Spring Term

Unclear?

(C5) Contribute effectively to the needs of a given

A design sketchbook (a working tool that demonstrates the development of the design and your

Successful collaborative and/or autonomous processes

Autumn term A good start but you can show more process and idea exploration and

production or performance as an individual and as a member of a team

design process) for each project.

experiments. Spring term Useful sketchbook

(C6) Make use of current working practice in your discipline and its associated technologies

Moment drawings for each speculative design. Minimum of 8 drawings for each project that show key moments within the text/musical score/libretto.

Progress in relevant practice based techniques and skills

Autumn term Please hand in with PEF. Spring term

photoshop

Storyboard (C6 ) Make use of current working practice in your discipline and its associated technologies A photographic or rendered storyboard that is linked to a scenic breakdown A storyboard to support the presentation demonstrating the movement of performers in the space and changes of major elements including lighting for both Autumn and Spring Term projects.

Communication (of for example, ideas and concepts)

Autumn term This was lacking in the project. Please do 2 completed storyboard images for this project for 14th Jan.

Spring Term

You need to address this In the Opera Project

Not evident in terms of addressing all key moments

When you have new set choose 4 key moments

(C6) Make use of current working practice in your discipline and its associated technologies

Technical Drawing Hand drawn (autumn term) 1:25 ground plan and section of spec design in autumn term.

Progress in relevant practice based techniques and skills

This was passed by the tutor. (Autumn term)

1:10 prop drawing by hand or using a cad programme e.g. Vectorworks or Sketchup.

Vectorworks (spring term) Ground plan, selected elevation and section of Autumn term spec project

Make sure you have them for 22nd April

1:25 drawing of an element of the set . Vectorworks (summer term) Finished detailed plans, selected elevations and cross section in Vectorworks of Spring term spec. project.

(C6) Make use of current working practice in your discipline and its associated technologies

Documentation
A text or libretto analysis chart/ breakdown for each speculative design. A full costume chart of costume changes for each speculative design. A full props chart accompanied by research and images that would be handed to those sourcing or making the props for each speculative design.

X X

Progress in relevant practice based techniques and skills

You have done well in this area and completed useful charts and analysis.

X X

X X

Statement of Goals
Criteria [A1] :
My goal in response to this learning outcome is to improve my costume drawings. I want to improve both technical skills as well as communication ones. I would knwow whether I have achieved this goal based on self-assesment and most importantly, feedback from tutors and costume construction students.

Criteria [A3] :
For this learning outcome, my goal is to use the knowledge I already have in the field of using media in performance and use it in practice when creating a projection installation in a group. Also, I would like to gain better understanding of frameworks in this kind of performance and research different works of using media effectively. I would know if I achieved this goal based mostly on feedback received after showings of the installation we would create as a group.

Criteria [B1] :
My goals in response to this criteria are to address and look for ways of solving following problems effectively: the first one would be portraying animals in costumes for the opera The Cunning Little Vixen, the second one is creating a design based on the music in the opera, rather than based on text. I would know if I managed to achieve those goals based on the feedback from peers and tutors on costume drawings and feedback mostly from the director and design tutor on designing in response to the music.

UNDERGRADUATE UNIT 5: ASSESSMENT FEEDBACK FORM

Student Details: Surname: First Name: Student ID: BATP strand Bilon Barbara 114829 Design for stage

This Feedback Form is: Self-Feedback Peer Feedback Tutor Feedback Please tick as appropriate x

Unit Name: Assessment task/ element:

UNIT 5: Practitioner 2 PEF

Your writing should demonstrate your reflective learning journey, informed by rigorous research, good practice and initiative.

Please check that your PEF includes the following: Self-Assessment of the file x Peer Assessment of the file x Word Count x

Statements of goals

Feedback from at least two people who worked with you on the project

At least two pieces of supporting evidence per Learning Outcome x

Provisional grade

lower second

General Comments First Marker : Barbara Bilon [A1] The responsibilities of your role and how it relates to other roles.

I`m not sure whether I explained the responsibilities of my role in the project. Although, I feel that I have done good use of feedback from the costume construction student.

[A3] An understanding of the historical, conceptual and critical frameworks in relation to performance.

I might have concentrated on various frameworks of the performance, not just the current discourse.

[B1] That you can creatively solve problems to further independent and collaborative work.

I feel that I do not have enough evidence for this criteria, however I feel that I explained quite

well the problems I encountered and reflected on my way of solving them.

Second marker (if relevant):

Ways to improve your work

I feel that to improve my work, I should look at even more aspects of certain issues that I reflect on in my essay.

First marker:

Second marker (if relevant):

Assessmen t Criteria FAIL Sat isf act ory

40-49

PASS V. Go od Ex cel len t

70-84

V. Poor

Poor

Go od

Ou tst an din g
85-100

0-19

20-39

50-59

60-69

Intellectual engagement (e.g. devising and sustaining arguments and/or solving problems) Analysis and interrogation, demonstrating knowledge and understanding some of which is at the forefront of the theoretical and practical field/industry

Self reflection Successful collaborative and /or autonomous processes

Agreed Provisional Mark:

Lower second

Note: This mark is provisional and could be changed following moderation by the Board of Examiners.

This mark does not reflect any capping or mark reduction that may be applied for late submission, retrieving a failed assessment or academic misconduct.

UNDERGRADUATE UNIT 5: ASSESSMENT FEEDBACK FORM

Student Details: Surname: First Name: Student ID: BATP strand Ma Macrina

112727
Stage Management

This Feedback Form is: Self-Feedback Peer Feedback Tutor Feedback Please tick as appropriate x

Unit Name: Assessment task/ element:

UNIT 5: Practitioner 2 PEF

Your writing should demonstrate your reflective learning journey, informed by rigorous research, good practice and initiative.

Please check that your PEF includes the following: Self-Assessment of the file x Peer Assessment of the file x Word Count x

Statements of goals

Feedback from at least two people who worked with you on the project

At least two pieces of supporting evidence per Learning Outcome x

Provisional grade

upper second

General Comments First Marker : Macrina Ma [A1] The responsibilities of your role and how it relates to other roles.

I think that you explained your role as a designer well. Using feedback from costume student is good as well.

[A3] An understanding of the historical, conceptual and critical frameworks in relation to performance.

I think you write a bit too much about your inspiration, but it relates to the frameworks which is good.

[B1] That you can creatively solve problems to further independent and collaborative work.

You could reflect more on your process and what could you have done differently.

Second marker (if relevant):

Ways to improve your work First marker: maybe more visual evidence? It`s good that you put the evidence in the text. Maybe reflect on your process more.

Second marker (if relevant):

Assessmen t Criteria FAIL Sat isf act ory

40-49

PASS V. Go od Ex cel len t

70-84

V. Poor

Poor

Go od

Ou tst an din g
85-100

0-19

20-39

50-59

60-69

Intellectual engagement (e.g. devising and sustaining arguments and/or solving problems) Analysis and interrogation, demonstrating knowledge and understanding some of which is at the forefront of the theoretical and practical field/industry Self reflection Successful collaborative and /or autonomous processes

Agreed Provisional Mark:

Upper second

Note: This mark is provisional and could be changed following moderation by the Board of Examiners.

This mark does not reflect any capping or mark reduction that may be applied for late submission, retrieving a failed assessment or academic misconduct.

Criteria 1
[A1] Demonstrate the responsibilities of your role and how it relates to other roles.

During past, spring term, I have been involved in two projects: 2 weeks long Media Project and the main one: Opera Speculative Design Project. Both projects have been a challenge that enriched my learning process. However, my responsibilities in each of them varied due to different roles I was going to play as responsibilities of one depend on the team that one finds themselves in. When working on the opera, I was playing a role of a set and costume designer in collaboration with a visiting director. Whereas, during Media Project, I was working in a group with other design students to create a video projection installation. One of the goals that I have set myself for this term was improving my costume drawing skills. Reflecting on my journey in the process, I realised that when setting the goal, I was not aware of how important it was. At first, I looked primarly as a technical skill that needs improvement based on my auto reflection and feedback that I have received at the final presentation of the previous speculative design project that took place in autumn term. Some of the things I was trying to address that have been mentioned in the feedback from the director and design tutor were that my figures lacked faces and feeling of the character. Also, the figures that I have drawn were all in the same position and costumes were not specific. Consequently, these images were not exciting for the director and did not communicate my ideas well. Taking those useful comments on board, my next step was defining what makes a good costume rendering. During the learning process one has to refer to those with more experience and authority in certain discipline. In ordered to find the answer to this question, I looked at the essay entitled 'The diseases of costume' by Roland Barthes. He lookes at costumes from his structuralist point of view, comparing elements of performance to organs fulfilling certain functions in the organism. Based on that theory, he then points out reasons according to which performance or its elements can be classified as 'unhealthy'. Reflecting back on my design process during opera project, I found Barthes` essay highly informative and inspirational. It

made me more aware of the role that costumes play in a production. When setting this goal, I was hoping to learn a lot about costumes and gain practical skills that would make my costume rendering a useful tool in communicating and expressing my ideas visually, as for the first time our group was given a chance to have a costume tutor with a lot of insight knowledge and experience. I found the first session with Christopher Giles to be a very useful and important moment in my learning process. Even though when applying to the course I was mainly interested in set design, over my first 4 terms, I realised that costume design is my weak spot that I genuinely wanted to improve and gain more understanding of, but was not sure how to go about that. After the session mentioned above, I left with my hopes high that I could become an exeptional costume designer, with a few useful tips written down. One of them that has helped me when drawing costumes, was using found or photoshopped silhouttes as a base for the rendering. Having those ready to use ensured correct proportions and desired posture or indication of movement. Here is an example of a drawing I have done using this useful tip I mentioned above.

costume rendering of the character of the Grasshopper

Unfortunately, due to unexpected turns of events, our group lost a costume tutor that I, personally, needed a lot. At first, I felt very lost and was not sure how to improve my costumes without this additional learning guidance. I felt that I was left on my own to some extend. Despite that, I was still keen on fulfilling my goal. Looking back at some notes I have received in the past, which mentioned that my research didn`t support costume ideas well enough, I put emphasis on this part of the process. To my surprise, when I actually put effort in doing research and stopped perceiving it as something that I was required to do but instead as something that inspires and informes my design that I do to benefit my own process, not to fulfill any obligation, I relised that it happens to be an extremly inspiring and enjoyable part of the process. One of the suggestions that I received from design tutor was that I might want to look at photography artists when researching characters. Taking that on board, when exploring characters of hens in the opera, I came across photographs of drag queens by Diane Arbus.

A picture of a page from the research part of my sketchbook

They turned out to be a perfect visualisation of my take on those characters and inspired my costume drawings. Here is a picture of a costume drawing I have done thanks to the inspiration that those images provided for the character of the Chief Hen

Also, notes that I received from the director and design tutor during interim presentation mentioned that my character research into hens was very effective and supported my take on the character and what I would like to create on stage well. This positive feedback made me feel more confident and once again, assured me about the relevance of good research and how it helps in communicating one`s ideas. One of the challenges of designing costumes for this specific project was that for the first time I was responsible for considering such aspects as the fact that the

performer would be either an opera singer or a ballet dancer. In order to get some insight into how to go about this issue, I went to see two different shows that could have shined some light onto that. The first one was 'Onegin' at the Royal Opera House, a ballet with music by Tchaikovsky.

It was a rather traditional take on ballet and how dancers act on stage and what kind of costumes they might wear. Despite that, I feel that it was a very useful experience, as many people say that in order to create something and develop one`s taste, one should see as much as they can, preferably, diverse things. Even though, repeating after Harold Rosenthal 'What is happening in the present is just as interesting and, I feel, more important'. Following that route, I went to see another production: Design for Dance at Central Saint Martin`s.

It was a series of short, contemporary pieces designed and choreographed by students. It has been a wonderful experience for me to watch other students` work, see their interpretation and also learnt a bit about what costumes work well when dancers are involved. Both performances informed my design process and had broadened my understanding of this kind of spectacles, as when working on this project, it has been the first time I encountered this kind of performance in a creative way, not as audience member, which has been terrifying to start with. Coming back to my design process, and the final outcome, I feel that the fact that I pushed myself to see more things to gain better understanding, made my costume designs better. During a session with costume construction students which took place after the project was finished, I had a chance to go over my drawings with one of the students. In her feedback, Holly O`Neill said that 'I like the way you have drawn your figures as it gives me an idea of movement and shape.It is also so helpful to have them in colour.' Something that I was trying to address in my drawings was a suggestion of fabric that I imagined the costume to be made of, especially in the ones worn by dancers. Here is an example of my costume rendering for the character of the Blue Dragonfly, performed by a ballet dancer.

Holly said that 'the suggestion of transparent fabric is clear', but she also suggested that having fabric samples would be very helpful as it makes the communication clearer and my vision more defined. That was extremly useful feedback, as it was from a point of view of a maker, that I plan to take on board next time I will be designing costumes. In overall self assesment I feel that I managed to fulfill this goal. I think that it is a good start as I was very insecure about costumes and felt lost and confused throughout the process. However, hearing another piece of feedback that I received from a costume student 'I like the way you communicated your ideas and I felt informed about what you wanted to achieve', felt very rewarding and encourages me to keep developing this vital skill more and more.

Word count: 1490

Criteria 2
[A3] Demonstrate an understanding of the historical, conceptual and critical frameworks in relation to Performance.

During first two weeks students on my course have been working together to create a projection installation. Since I`ve heard about the project I was very excited as projection and video design is something I`ve been growing to be more and more interested in during my time in Central. It is something that combines my interest in art, video, photography and new media. It was an amazing opportunity that I wanted to take out from as much as I could. One of my goals for this project was to transfer my knowledge and interest in this field onto work we created as a group. Apart from theatre, I am very much fascinated with the music world. Not particularly the world of sounds but rather the visuals that have the potential to make them more powerful, meaningful, spectacular. In my opinion they add this extra depth to music which is something that I find both wonderful and inspiring. I research artists working with musicians on regular basis, and two of them that I adore, also turned out to be very inspirational when creating the projection installation at Central. One of them is an Austrian-based collective System Jaquelinde, artists who regularly work with a musician creating chillout electronic music, called Parov Stelar. This collective is responsible for creating eye-catching and beatiful music videos for his songs. Apart from that, they are involved in creating projections using video mapping.

An example of System Jaquelinde`s video mapping installation

When watching their work, I felt that it was something I would very much like to get experience and skills in creating, as it had this power of touching certain strings in my mind. My friends involved in the music industry, introduced me to another company working with video mapping connected to music, called V Squared Labs. It is a team of animators, designers, programmers, architects and producters creating big scale projections using cutting edge technology. One of their most impressive projects was the one they created in collaboration with a contemporary electronic musician Amon Tobin, called 'Amon Tobin Isam: Live Visual Experience 2011'.

a picture of one one of the projections during Amon Tobin`s performance

One of the key aspects of the project is that it is a live performance, with the musician on stage and visuals designed to respond to the music, projected on a big piece of set, that thanks to the animation came to live during the show. This performance has been a big inspiration for me during this project, as we had a chance to learn a bit about projection mapping and have been briefly introduced to Isadora Core, one of the programmes that can be used when designing projections. Another performance that helped me develop greater understanding of the frameworks and current discourse in this discipline was Master and Margarita by Complicite/Simon MacBurney at the Barbican Theatre. It was a breathtaking production, with impressive use of technology that in my perception, has trurly served the story told on stage. However, it was not only my reception of the show, as later I read in one of the reviews: 'Notably, the marriage of video and live action (Google Earth-style maps set the scene, while several key moments are filmed from above and projected on the back wall) enables the production to match the epic nature of the narrative, culminating in a final image that feels appropriately apocalyptic.' Complicite is known for creating big scale multi-media performances and I feel that experiencing one of them live as audience member has helped me understand what using projections and mapping in theatre really feels like and what impact does it have on the audiences. As I wrote down in my journal after the show 'when we left, Ricky told me that if it wasn`t for me, he would have left in the middle, as he was so overwhelmed by constantly present projections and great speed of the play'. My friend`s response showed me that even though I was amazed by the vibrant visual image in front of my eyes, other audience members might simply feel tired and overwhelmed by what they described as overuse of new technology. This opinion made me think about the wider

aspect of creating such performances and using media in it. I feel that when making the decision that one wants to use projection or video, they should always consider firstly, whether it would serve the story well and also the impact that it would have on the audience and what kind of reaction one aspires to achieve. The Media Project, that I have been involved in during first two weeks of term was a great opportunity to put theory into practice. With enhanced understanding of the field of using media in performance, I was ready to create my first as conscious as posssible at this stage video installation. I was motivated to take inspiration from the successful and accomplished artist in this field that I have mentioned above. As a group, we made a decision to use video mapping and play with video as all four of us were keen on learning the software and trying out new things. Our initial idea was to use footage of people we saw filmed around Piccadily Circus, combine it with video of the famous advertising screen and then project onto 3D surface. We have been inspired by the shape of scrrens that I mention above, although we needed more projection surface. In order to explain my visual idea, I referred back to some of the works of artists I admire to look for some practical ways to solve this problem. In our collaborative process, we tried out different configurations of projection surfaces but in the end we came back to the basic, structural idea I suggested in the beginning. Here are a few pictures of our final installation

Also, as I wanted to make effective use of my interest in the discipline, I suggested choosing soundscape and providing the audience member with a set of headphones to create an extra layer to our installation and make it a more personalised experience. I struggeled with this idea, as the group was not so much interested in adding

music, nevertheless, I did not give up and presented them with different options and then we made a remotely collaborative decision on which one to use. I felt quite proud of myself that I did not drop the idea and persisted on creating something more complex, as during the brief we received feedback that 'the choice of music was excellent and it added to the visual image we created'. It was a simple but rewarding moment that ensured me that it is worth doing something one believes in despite lack of support from others. I feel that I managed to fulfill the goal that I set for myself in this project, however I know it is just the beginning. This project made me realise the importance of life long learning and how to use theory in practice and become a better practitioner thanks to expanding one`s interests. I understood that maintaining curiosity is extremely important when being a designer. After this short project, I attended two lectures in Central that were connected to using media in performance. One of them was a contextual studies session with Finn Ross, who talked about designing and creating video projection for Master and Margarita at the Barbican. The other one was interdisciplinary studies lecture with Darren Johnston who came in to talk about his work and how he uses projection in performances combining dance, projection and contemporary electronic music. Those two amazing, informative and inspiring lecture have been just another confirmation of relevance of expanding knowledge and exploring one`s interest in certain discipline, as it turns out I can do it even during lectures, it is all about taking as much as possible of what I experience.

Word count: 1327

Criteria 3
[B1] Demonstrate that you can creatively solve problems to further independent and collaborative work.

Throughout this term, I encountered numerous problems that needed to be solved either independently or as a part of the collaboration process. One of my goals for the opera project corresponding to this criteria was to find a creative way to solve to main problems that I could predict beforehand. The first one was designing animal costumes for opera singers and ballet dancers. It has been a big challenge, as for the first time I had to think about costumes that were not simply items of clothing but something more, creating non-human forms. Although, animal costumes would have been worn by human performers what makes it impossible to create entirely animal-like shapes, as the human element is present and significant. At first, I felt a bit overwhelmed with this task, as the initial resposnse is not to fall into cliches and approach animal costumes creatively and originally. The sensation of a kind of pressure and tension to be original and avoid being too literal could have been sensed in the design group at the beginning of the process. But I feel that with time all of us, or at least I, became less stressed about the outcome and more concerned with creating characters, not realization of a certain animal on stage. The first important decision in the process was whether to choose animals on stage or animalisation. In order to make that call, I researched a few productions in which animal characters appear on stage. To begin with I looked at the popular ones such as The Lion King or Cats.

Pictures from the performances mentioned above

Later in the process, I looked up previous productions of The Cunning Little Vixen, the opera we have been working on, to compare my costume ideas with the way previous creators interpreted characters. I felt lost in the process, as I did not have the support of the costume tutor who we lost at the beginning of the process, as I mentioned in the first essay. This lack of support from the technical costume side on top of my insecurity concerning designing animal costumes made me very unsure about my initial ideas and doubtful throughout design process. To put together costume ideas in my head I needed one more aspect: research into animals appearing in the opera. I combined character analysis, research into certain animals and research into professional productions with animal characters na stage to find my way of solving this problem. My concept for dealing with it and finding moderation between animalisation and actual animal-shaped costumes was choosing distinctive features of a certain animal and then based on that creating costumes, sometimes adding such elements as a tail for foxes, a long ear-like hat for the dog or winglike sleeves when creating costumes for insects such as the blue dragonfly or flies. Here are examples of a few of my renderings for animal characters

costume rendering for the Dog

drawing of costumes for characters of the Fox and Fox Cubs

costume rendering for the Fly

Feedback that I received from my peers was rather positive, however I wanted to test whether my costume drawings signigfy that the character is an animal so I asked a few colleagues from different strands, lightng design and stage management, who did not know the opera to try telling which animal is on the drawing. To my positive surprise, they were right with most of the characters what assured me that if the production was to be realised audience members would be able to tell that the person on stage is meant to be for example a fox. This aspect was a big concern of mine, as during interim presentations the director that we have been working on pointed this issue out when giving feedback to other designers. One of her useful comments was that if performer playing in this case the Badger is dressed in trousers and a top hat, audience members would not be able to identify him as this certain animal, as noone in the opera referrs to him using the

word 'badger'. At this point I have very much appreciated the relevance of presentations and feedback sessions in a big group as I could use or at least consider suggestions given to other people that made me question my own design. The second goal that I set for myself before the opera project started addressed the challenge of designing for the opera, to be specific, designing from music rather than from the text. At first, I had no idea how to even start the process. I have no music education, I do not understand music well. I do appreciate it and I find it fascinating probably because it is a mystery to me. It has not been infected by practical skills and hours of practicing, like it was with drawing and painting for me, so that it maintened its magical quality for me. However, using the term 'black magic', which in Polish means something almost impossible to understand, would be very appropriate to describe how I felt about the opera when I first encountered it. The director told us to create 'atmospheric moment drawing' of scenes in the opera. I was very confused, as I was not sure what was I expected to do exactly. I tried and then feedback that I received from her stated that it was 'intellectual bullshit'. The way the director expressed herself was quite unique, even though I aprreciated that it was straightforward. After this rather harsh comment, she explained that I respond to the opera on a intellectual, not emotional level that she was trying to get from us. She also suggested that I concentrate too much on the action that I can read about in the libretto instead of listening to the music and sensing the atmosphere created there. After this conversation, I felt lost and had no idea how to change my way of understanding and analysing the opera. Fortunately, director took time to show me an analysing exercise: we were listening to the music together and she made me write down anything that was coming to my mind no matter which language I prefered to use. Here is a photo of my sketchbook from that day with a list of different words describing atmosphere in the prelude in act one.

I found this way of approaching the opera very useful and it helped me to respond to it on more emotional level. Even though, looking back at my process, I do not feel that I managed to fulfill my goal and find a way of designing trurly from the music. Also feedback that I received both from the director and design tutor mentioned that what I created in terms of the set does not really come from the opera, that I did not manage to capture its feel and meaning in my set design. I agree with this opinion, as I was struggling to understand and take from the music during entire process and I feel that still I have not found a way that would suit me. Even though I failed when it comes to set design for this particular opera, I think that for my personal development and my journey as a designer, it has been a very useful process. I did get a chance to do the set design again, as at the moment it does not serve the opera and I got a suggestion that my initial responses that I presented during interim presentations were a good start for the design, but at some point I got lost in the process and forgot about them. When looking back at my first ideas and initial responses, I can now see that they were valuable as they captured my

understanding and perception of the story captured in the music and libretto. So maybe I did understand the opera in my personal way after all? Now I feel that probably I was trying too hard to get the same understanding of the opera as the director had, somehow forgetting about my own. What I have learnt and what our design tutor mentioned somewhere in the process is that the designer and even we, as design students, are not there to please the director, our responsibility is to serve the story well and that is a lesson I will definitely keep in mind in future projects when trying to be more confident with my ideas and responses.

Word count: 1414

Bibliography
Allison, J. (2013) 'Past, present and...', Opera, February 2013: 149 Barthes, R. (1972) 'Diseases of costume' in Barthes, R. Critical Essays, Northwestern University Press: 41-50 Bosanquet, T. 'The Master and Margarita', www.whatsonstage.com (accessed 29.03.13) Central Saint Martins (2013) Design for dance, Platform Theatre, London, 01.03.13 Complicite/Simon MacBurney (2012) The Master and Margarita, (Mikhail Bulgakov), Barbican Theatre, London, 14.12.12 19.01.13 Disney Theatrical (1999) The Lion King, Lyceum Theatre, London Royal Opera House (2013) Eugene Onegin, Royal Opera House, London, 30.01.13 System Jaquelinde (2010) Visual Performance Augemented Sculpture, Zwischenstromball, 2010 Tobin, A. (2011) Amon Tobin Isam Live Performance 2011 Webber, A. L. (1981) Cats, New London Theatre, London, 11.05.81