Clothing in Performance 2019 Class Syllabus Class Objectives: To gather a general knowledge of how clothing developed and how that clothing is used in many types of performance to help to further the artists collaborative vision of the story they want to tell. To see the ways that has been accomplished traditionally, and how those methods are now changing. To explore visual research and to learn to find documentable and unexpected images, and how they contribute to the design process. To learn how these two dimensional designs are translated into three dimensional, wearable objects. To experience the full arc of completion from the impetus to create to the final realized garment with all its artistic and practical considerations. To these ends, the class will fall into three general sections. 1) An overview of the history of Western Clothing. This section will trace the development of draped and tailored clothing from Ancient times to the 21 st century. Because this is where my experience and expertise is, and because of time limitations, this class will of necessity be limited to Western Clothing and traditions. But whenever possible references and examples will include non-western clothing. I want to be very clear that we are examining only a narrow slice of clothing history. 2) Clothing Design for performance. We will examine how designs are developed and how they help to tell the story of performance being created. How this process shifts from scripted pieces to devised works for performance. We will look at various media for designing and rendering costumes using both traditional and digital methods. 3) The methods for translation of a two-dimensional rendering of a costume/clothing concept into a wearable three-dimensional garment. After an overview of systems and skills needed for this process, and their practical application, we will drape and draft patterns and acquire basic sewing skills. We will work in all three of these areas simultaneously. Mondays will be primarily history and research days, but will always include references to construction and design. Wednesdays will be primarily devoted to design development and techniques, but will always involve considerations of history and construction. Fridays will be primarily about drafting and construction, but will include discussion of the design and research process. Class Projects You will have four major assignments for this class. Everyone will do the first design assignment and the costume construction assignments. You will choose from the other three assignments two that you wish to complete. There are projects in all of the areas that we are working in.
Section 1 You would choose an article of modern clothing and trace its history and development from its earliest appearance. This research can be presented in a 7-10 page paper and should include additional illustrations, or can be presented as a poster with texts and illustrations that show this evolution. Section 2 There are three design projects. There is a separate page on these at the end of the syllabus. Section 3 You will each choose a costume you have designed during the semester and draft a pattern for the costume. You will cut and stitch this costume to fit another class member. You will be provided with the basic materials to make this costume. You are allowed to spend an additional $25.00 of your own funds on this costume but no more, and receipts will be required! Clothing in Performance Daily Schedule FRI. 1/25 Intro to Class What Clothing does, Image and assumptions. Class expectation, projects and the Arc of completion. String, fiber, spinning, weaving, knitting, and crochet. Making fabric and cutting and sewing. For Monday: Chapters 1 4 in Survey of Historic Costume For Wed. 1/30 Read Mrs. Warren s Profession and Chapters 1-3 of Costume Designer s Handbook. (Ingham) MON. 1/28 Ancient Egypt Through the Roman Empire For Mon 2/4 Read Tortora part II Middle Ages WED. 1/30 Scripts/Sources/ Analysis and collaboration Certain factors are true whether using a standard text, or devising new work. VISUAL RESEARCH For Wed. 2/6 Analysis of Mrs. Warren s Profession and preliminary research. Analyze the script from you design standpoint. Do some visual research from a historical stand point. Use primary sources photos, painting and advertisements. Do a paper or digital collation of at least ten images that you might or might not incorporate into your design. Include at least one that you really like, but aren t sure would work, and one that you don t really like, but seems to really work. Read Chapter 4 of Costume Designer s Handbook FRI. 2/1 Basics of Draping and flat drafts. Intro to basic sewing terms and skills
MON.2/4 Middle Ages WED. 2/6 Analysis and Preliminary research for Mrs. Warren s Profession due. We will look at them in class, and discuss design tools and techniques. For Wed. 2/13 Pencil Sketches due for Mrs. Warren s Profession. FRI. 2/8 Manipulating Fullness for Fit and Effect For mon. 2/11 read Tortora Part III MON. 2/11 Renaissance and Elizabethan The rise of the Merchant Class WED. 2/13 Pencil Sketches due. We will discuss them in class. FRI. 2/15 Making Muslins and slopers. Basic sewing techniques. For Mon 2/18 Read Tortora Part IV For Wed. 2/20 read Chapter 5 of Costumes Designers Handbook For Wed 2/27 Read Goodnight Desdemona, Good Morning Juliet and Experiment with an Air Pump MON. 2/18 17 th and 18 th Century Silhouettes WED. 2/20 Using Color in Design Experimenting with Color Media FRI. 2/22 Drafting and constructing a period peasant shirt Learning to measure Practical vs. authentic methods. For Mon 2/25 Read Tortora Chapter 11 MON 2/25 17 th Century WED. 2/27 Discuss Goodnight Desdemona and Experiment with an Air Pump. Design references another work of art. How this relates to designing other devised work. FRI. 3/1 Drafting Sleeves and Collars For Mon. 3/4 Read Tortora Chapter 12 MON. 3/4 18 th Century Analyses of Goodnight. And Experiment due. Choose a play to design. WED. 3/6 Design Presentations in Class for Mrs. Warren s Profession
FRI. 3/8 Collars and Sleeves Continued. Discuss Costume construction project. For Monday read Tortora chapters 13 and 14 MON. 3/11 2 nd half of the 19 th Century WED. 3/13 Digital Design Photoshop, Painter, Free stuff Visual Images and research for 2 nd project due FRI 3/15 Drafting and stitching skirts For Mon. 3/25 read Tortora chapters 15 and 16 For Mon. 3/25 Sketches for second design project due BREAK MON. 3/25 1 st Half of the 20 th Century Sketches for 2 nd design project due WED. 3/27 Designing for Non scripted work. Discuss Design Project 3 FRI. 3/29 Pants basics and using commercial patterns. For Mon. 4/1 read Tortora chapters 17, 18, and 19 MON. 4/1 2 nd Half of 20 th Century WED. 4/3 Second Design Project Presentations in Class 2 nd Design Projects Due FRI.4/5 Pockets and design features MON. 4/8 21 st Century and Contemporary Design WED. 4/10 Futuristic and Fantasy Design Non-Human Shapes FRI. 4/12 Drafting Non-Human Shapes materials and support structures. MON. 4/15 Myth and Fantasy and pulling from history. WED. 4/17 Surface treatments in design stencils, free hand, silk screening etc FRI. 4/19 Paint and Dye lab MON. 4/22 TBA
WED. 4/24 Costume Timeline Due FRI 4/26 Specifics on your costumes MON. 4/29 Specifics on your costumes WED. 5/1 Third Design Project Due FRI 5/3 Specifics on your costumes MON. 5/6 Final Costume Parade Books for this Class Everyone in the class will use the following six books. They are all available on textbook reserve in the library. Everyone must purchase The Costume Designer s Handbook, by Ingham and Covey, and Survey of Historic Costume by Tortora and Eubanks. You don t have to purchase the plays (the entire text of Mrs. Warren s profession is available on line,) but you have to read and analyze all three plays. I have some copies available for 48 hour loan, and I ll make sure there are copies on reserve in the library. The other books are available in the Costume studio The Costume Designer s Handbook, by Rosemary Ingham and Liz Covey Basic Sewing for Costume Construction, by Rebecca Cunningham Second edition Survey of Historic Costume, by Phyllis Tortora and Keith Eubank Fifth edition Digital Costume Design &Rendering, by Annie O. Cleveland Mrs. Warren s Profession by George Bernard Shaw An Experiment with an Air Pump, by Shelagh Stephenson Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet), by Ann-Marie MacDonald Other texts we discuss in class or reference, will also be available on reserve. First Design Assignment A traditional design for the stage. Use the GB Shaw Play Mrs. Warren s Profession Six Rendered costume designs with color, by a hand drawn method. You can choose to do all the costumes for one character, and then two or three other costumes. Or you can costume all the characters in any act of the play. You must design both men and women s costumes.
Analysis and preliminary research are due Feb 6 Pencil sketches due Feb. 13 Renderings due Mar. 6 Presentation in class 2 nd Design project A Play that references another work. Goodnight Desdemona, Good Morning Juliet An Experiment with an Air Pump Render six costumes using whatever design medium is most comfortable for you. Each of these plays references another work. In the first play, two plays by Shakespeare, and in the second, a work of art. You will need to be familiar with both this play and those other source. In the script analyzes we ll look at how these works interact with each other. What is the playwright telling us by doubling the characters the way she does? What practical problems do each of these plays present with their time jumping? What ways can we solve these? Perhaps the use of an artist or era is appropriate. Ask yourself what other questions the playwrights are exploring. In what ways are we as historically responsible for our research now a they were then? After analyzing the plays, you will choose one to design. You should follow an actor through the characters they inhabit. Or Render six costumes for a dance piece that references another work. Examples would be the ballet version of Romeo and Juliet, or the Martha Graham and Samuel Barber collaboration, Cave of the Heart based on Medea. You would need to read the original source a well as look for videos or reviews of other productions. You would prepare an analysis of the work that compares the two versions. Visual research due Mar. 9 Sketches due Mar. 20 Final Renderings due April 3 3 rd Design project This will be the design for a devised project. A book or tale or legend/myth that the company of collaborators is re-telling with or without a modern twist. It might be a choreographic work or piece of music. Non - human shapes or puppets may be used. Everything has to be able to move. How? You may use spoken word, but there should be no set text. Your script analysis here will be to make a one or two page document with text and sketches, showing how you would like to approach this story. The research emphasis here is not anchored historic research. Rather think in terms of colors and textures and moods first. Are you using music? Feel free to find some and use it as an inspiration point. This is the most flexible of your design assignments and in some ways the most difficult. You do not have to use any traditional rendering methods. Collages of texture and color and mood are acceptable. Yes, we should see some bodies represented, but in relationship to each other and where you are starting in this piece.
Subject and analysis due Mar. 27 Visual research due Apr. 10 Final Renderings due Apr. 22