Title Drawing, Interpretation and Costume Design: a study of the costumed body informed by watching 'Tanztheater Wuppertal' in rehearsal and performance Type The sis URL https://ualresearchonline.arts.ac.uk/id/eprint/12001/ Dat e 2 0 1 6 Citation Barford, Katie Elizabeth (2016) Drawing, Interpretation and Costume Design: a study of the costumed body informed by watching 'Tanztheater Wuppertal' in rehearsal and performance. PhD thesis, University of the Arts London. Cr e a to rs Barford, Katie Elizabeth Usage Guidelines Please refer to usage guidelines at http://ualresearchonline.arts.ac.uk/policies.html or alternatively contact [email protected] . License: Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives Unless otherwise stated, copyright owned by the author Drawing, Interpretation and Costume Design: a study of the costumed body informed by watching Tanztheater Wuppertal in rehearsal and performance By Katie Elizabeth Barford A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) University of the Arts London Wimbledon College of Art September 2016 Abstract This practice-led study contributes new methods of practice and applications of theory to record and analyse the costumed body in performance. While costume scholarship has gained momentum in recent years, this is the first research project to fully explore the application of drawing blind as a means of documenting a researcher’s response to the costumed body. This study contributes to existing knowledge of drawing practice as a method of costume research, through its development of a specific methodology of blind drawing used to record observations while watching video, rehearsals and performance. It also extends the theorisation of costume, through its application of texts by Charles Sanders Peirce on semiosis, interpretation and habits, and contributes new insight into costume design practice by enabling the first costume-focussed analysis of works by Tanztheater Wuppertal in the English language. The first part of the thesis discusses three cycles of drawing, interpretation and costume design. The starting points for these investigations are my experiences watching dancers perform in the German dance theatre company Tanztheater Wuppertal. These experiences were enriched by my being granted access to rehearsals and performances, which facilitated unique opportunities to observe dancers in and out of costume. Blind drawing was used to look more attentively at costumes and to record my observations of these dancers. The complexities of using blind drawing and annotation, as methods to articulate this visual, auditory and spatial information, were tested through drawing practice and analysed using a theoretical framework incorporating Peircean theory, costume studies and scenography. Questions and uncertainties that arose through this process were then explored through experimental costume practice, in which costumes were designed and tested on volunteer performers. The second stage of the research describes and analyses my costume design for three experimental performances shown in public spaces that were informed by these cycles of practice and theory. Acknowledgements This research was made possible by an AHRC funding grant and the support of staff at University of the Arts London. I am extremely grateful for having received this scholarship, interest and encouragement in my inquiry. I would also like to thank my supervisory team Professor Jane Collins; Professor Helen Thomas and Dr Paul Ryan, for their generosity in giving so much time, expertise, and enthusiasm over the four year duration of this project. This PhD would not have been possible without the encouragement and participation of family members, students, researchers and friends. I would like to thank my husband Kyle, for his belief in me during the many ups and downs; as well as my parents Linda and David Elliott. I am hugely thankful to my collaborating dancer Desiree Attard, for her invaluable participation and continuing friendship. I am also very grateful to stage manager Felicitas Willems and the dancers at Tanztheater Wuppertal, for their warm invitation to sit in on rehearsals. Finally, I would like to thank Helen Gush at the V&A Theatre and Performance Department, and V&A archivist Sarah Belanger, for their help during the 2015 Festival of Performance at the Victoria and Albert Museum. While there are too many others to mention here, I am sincerely thankful to everyone who took part. Contents 1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 7 1.1 Aims, objectives and methodology ............................................................................. 7 1.2 My position as the researcher .................................................................................... 8 1.3 Key terms ..................................................................................................................... 8 1.4 Images and film .......................................................................................................... 10 1.5 References and writing style ..................................................................................... 11 1.6 Summary ..................................................................................................................... 12 2 Contextual Review ...................................................................................................... 13 2.1 Scenography and costume studies ........................................................................... 13 2.2 Theoretical and conceptual frameworks ................................................................. 18 2.3 Locating costume in existing research and material on Tanztheater Wuppertal 23 2.4 Drawing in costume studies and scenography....................................................... 27 2.5 Summary .................................................................................................................... 30 3 Methodology .................................................................................................................. 31 4 Watching Costumed Bodies in Café Müller: process, semiosis, and blind contour .................................................................................................................... drawing ........................................................................................................................... 47 4.1 Methods of costume design drawing ...................................................................... 47 4.2 The potential of blind contour drawing .................................................................. 52 4.3 Blind contour drawing, semiosis and the costumed body .................................... 58 4.4 Hemmed Bodies ......................................................................................................... 63 4.5 Conclusions ................................................................................................................ 70 5 Watching Dancers in and Out of Costume during Tanztheater Wuppertal Rehearsals: Vollmond and Two Cigarettes in the Dark .. 72 5.1 Drawing dancers and costumes in rehearsal ......................................................... 73 5.2 How pre-existing knowledge meets with new experience (to generate surprise) 81 5.3 Exploring fragments of costumed bodies ................................................................ 87 5.4 Conclusions ................................................................................................................. 97 6 An inquiry through drawing, costume practice and doubt: how details of costume work disruptively in relation to action in 1980: A Piece by Pina Bausch ................................................................................................ 98 6.1 Drawing the details ................................................................................................... 99 6.2 Doubt sparks inquiry: looking at costume, movements and bodies .................. 105 6.3 Separating the layers ................................................................................................119 6.4 Conclusions ............................................................................................................... 130 7 Contrasting costume with choreography through three experimental performances: materials, context, design ...................... 132 7.1 Sinister Costume/Child’s Play Movement ............................................................. 133 7.2 Weighted Costume/Weightless Movement ........................................................... 139 7.3 Weighted Movement/Weightless Costume ........................................................... 145 7.4 Conclusions ............................................................................................................... 156 8 Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 158 9 List of Figures ............................................................................................................. 166 10 Bibliography ............................................................................................................ 174 11 Appendices ............................................................................................................... 185 11.1 Museum programmes