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Costume in Action

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Research Symposium 4: Digital Costume

Thurs 12 Sept 11.30 - 13.00
Studio 1

Research Symposium 4: Digital Costume

The speakers discussed the opportunities offered by new technologies to costume practice and theory and also reflected on the challenges that these pose to the workers in the field at every level.

1. Giulia Pecorari: Digital technology as new material in costume design.

Giulia Pecorari’s presentation was about how costume becomes closer to a piece of art or a performance in itself through engagement with digital technology and through materiality, thus allowing the costume and performer to become an extension of each other.

 2. Roma Patel: The Digital Embodied: interactivity and smart materials

The significant advances in the developments of integrated digital technologies in textiles for creating natural interfaces can potentially transform the expressive nature of design for costume and scenography. This talk addressed the nature of interactive and smart materials and how these can inspire theatre makers to create tactile, digital sensorial spaces and costumes that can initiate active engagement and co-creativity in live theatrical performance. Roma discussed the technical issues, research innovations and key challenges for future application and integration of these technologies within a traditional theatre practices.

3. Chrisi Karvonides: Creating HBO’s Big Love costumes falling from celestial heaven.

Costume must not only tell the story, but aid and advance the technology inside and around it. Chrisi Karvonides adapted previous TV and film experience as a costume designer to the technological challenges of dropping actors from a multitude of heights while filming at 1000 frames per second. Beyond the collaboration process with performer, cinematography and direction, the challenges to make the air-born clothes fly, spin and fall are emblematic of the complexity of the role of costume in performance.

Chair: Sofia Pantouvaki

Price: £6

Image: Ni Una Mas by Nerina Cocchi, 2012. Costume by Giulia Pecorari, photo by Andrea Messana.




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