New Costume Practices and Performances An international conference and exhibition of costume 25-27 March 2015 Department of Film, TV and Scenography Aalto University, School of Arts, Design and Architecture Helsinki, Finland Critical Costume 2015 is supported by the Department of Film, TV and Scenography, Aalto University; by the Academy of Finland, FiDiPro Costume Methodologies Research Project; and by the Federation of Finnish Learned Societies. New Costume Practices and Performances Costume in Focus Research Group 4 Critical Costume 2015 5 Critical Costume 2015: New Costume This relatively simple idea provides multiple concepts for The body is in the centre of costume research by definition. and proposes a garment that is designed as a means to Practices and Performances further enquiry: Is the life of a costume only as long as Some of the Critical Costume 2015 artists explore the extend the experience and physical response of the dancer. the performance-run? How does costume evolve together objectification of the body from a social, a political Charlotte Østergaard, on the other hand, focuses on the Critical Costume 2015 presents contemporary with and through the performer’s body? Can costume and a gender perspective. Costuming the ‘Other’ interaction between the performer’s proportions and costume practices and performances by thirty be alive, is it a living organism? And, what do materials becomes a way to pose questions on the performativity the position inside-or-outside the body of the costume two artists-researchers from three continents and mean for the creative practice of costume design today? of the body, its ageing, and dying. Gabriella Daris to develop a dialogic investigation on scale. Interaction various artistic backgrounds. The works examine The Critical Costume 2015 exhibits reflect this enquiry manipulates her body through gesture, posture, and the with the costume as object is also the method in Ellen the performative qualities of material and form - and pose further questions. use of prosthetic birds as her sole ‘costume’ until she Sampson’s work, which explores how the ways that shoes whether physical, digital or virtual - and stimulate A considerable number of submissions for Critical Costume becomes alienated from her body, a woman-bird-puppet are worn and gestures are performed create powerful the audience’s thinking to reconsider the role of 2015 addressed issues regarding the relationship of body herself. The work of Jorge Sandoval explores the space affective experiences for dancers – the performers who costume in contemporary performance by proposing and nature and proposed a variety of sustainable materials of the ‘Other’ through a layering of bodies: projected have the most ‘complex and ambiguous relationships’ new modes of representation as well as new artistic as costume materials. Is this response representative of the image becomes his tool to create a visual commentary with their shoes. Sofia Pantouvaki focuses on an artistic processes. Moreover, the selected works explore current exploration of what is natural in costume - and of metaphorical space that exists within bodies when process of mutual sharing as a method for creating how the scenographic body is constructed on a to what extent did the reference image of the Organorgan they become sites for performance. Alyssa Choat reveals performer-generated personalized costumes, aiming at spatial, temporal and conceptual level through body costume put emphasis on this aspect? Once we received bodies through concealing them: she creates an interactive enhancing the actors’ performance through creating an manipulation, material exploration, embodied design the full amount of submissions, costume and nature / interplay through garments that conceal parts of the body, intimate relationship between actor and costume. Kate and its interpretation. costume and environment and concepts for creating encouraging the exploration of the power of sight. And Berford is also concerned with the investigation of artistic The Call for Presentations for Critical Costume costumes with biomaterials and bio-compatible materials certainly, costuming also provides a context for critical processes for the conceptualization of costume and uses 2015 was visually illustrated with a costume from a were a strong theme. Are current costume designers comments on the objectification of the female body drawing to trace personal interpretation in the process performance experiment entitled Organorgan, in which concerned with creating ‘bio-costumes’? The final within contemporary oppressive societies, as in Nermine of meaning-making. In her mediated costume, Emma the performance makers investigated interaction as a shape of the exhibition shows only a small sample of the Said’s work which uses fabrics, cuts and colour to unseal Ransley investigates the performative aspect of costume performative act. Organorgan (2013) combined space, these proposals as some of the invited artists were finally unspoken taboos. within a spatio-temporal context of transformation sound, lighting design and technology with common, unable to join. The work of Anna Sinkkonen looks at the One of the main interests of Critical Costume 2015 is to through the actor’s actions. And finally, Sidsel Bech, in recognisable objects, plantae and the performers’ and recreation of natural elements and products (flowers, investigate current and emerging methodologies for collaboration with Christine Hatton, explore costume as audience’s presence documented through biosensors. vegetables, etc.) as a means for narrative representation. researching costume as well as proposing new ways to a scenographic event that is brought in existence through The costumes, designed to ‘resemble functional work Pesonen moves a step ahead by proposing real vegetables research through costume. Several exhibitors present time, space and movement, the only elements giving garments to characterise the performers as parts of as the main material for her costume which becomes their current artistic research projects which make evidence identity to an otherwise inanimate object. a larger system’ (Pesonen, 2014), were planted with an edible performance through interaction with the of the variety and the potential of new creative practice The emergence of new approaches and innovations in seeds that grew during the rehearsals and the two-week audience. Claire Doyle immerses her body in nature to as a tool for research enquiry. Jessica Bugg continues her the field of costume seeks to inspire and enable creative performance period, until they finally decomposed at create ephemeral costumes and explores how natural work on costume as a lived experience that is informed work that integrates traditional visual languages of the the end of the performances. materials affect body shape and texture. and shaped through action and the movement of the body stage with digital arts aesthetics, processes, techniques 6 Critical Costume 2015 7 and technologies. New design practices include wearable as in experimental or other research-based occasions. with an environmental friendly approach. A different is a design commentary on exactly this subject: how technologies with interactive qualities as well as media Simona Rybáková, whose work regularly engages with approach to material elaboration is shown in the work of individuals coming from different backgrounds create such as projectors and screens, which propose new non-traditional materials in costume design, shares a Jörn Fröhlich, who works on steampunk aesthetics as a new textile structures that take a three-dimensional form dramaturgical scenarios through mediated or projected number of images from live performance productions in transformative design method using recycled textiles and through communication and exchange, thus becoming costume. Frankie Knuckles presents the body as a which she developed­­ to an advanced level the creation of garments. And finally, Denise Massman contributes to this performative costumes ‘animated by the physical and/ performance machine that operates through the eye of costumes using foam padding materials aiming at new discourse of costume designers’ personal investigation by or invisible body’. the camera: using a costume element that functions as creative forms. Ines Alda presents a personal exploration allowing herself to express ideas completely freed from What is the aim of these artistic explorations through a reflective contemporary mask, the audience becomes in creating a biomechanical textile based on the violent any restrictions imposed by creative teams, showing her costume concepts? Each project poses questions and the projection of the performer within the performer. manipulation of textile surfaces to express a damaged skin ‘own mind’s’ small scale characters. proposes ways to look at costume as expressive embodied Natasa Stamatari’s work acts between past and future or flesh wound, designed as a second skin that embraces Encounters enhancing interaction between individuals design. Key elements related to costume – body, movement, and comments upon global culture and contemporary organically the dancer’s body. In her project, Giulia is another common theme among Critical Costume 2015 experience, materials, interaction and an overall aesthetic environmental issues using plastic fibres and light. Zsófia Pecorari explores mental and physical fragility in relation to artists’ work, and is brought forward in difference spaces quality – are discussed in