Metamorphosis - Idea Development and Final Outcome

In our third taught day of this project we gathered together our research to create concept boards and then discussed and shared our initial ideas as a group.  

Concept Board

I decided to try and make two costumes for contrast. Instead of the conventional way of designing outfits for characters that they would actually wear in a traditional adaptation of the novella, I wanted to make costumes that were more a comment or embodiment of the nature of the characters. Before designing I started thinking about fabric and realised for cost and practicality purposes it made most sense for me to use fabric provided by the college: white polyester and calico. The simplicity and low quality of these fabrics don't matter to me as my ideas are more about techniques and surface design than the drape and textures of fabrics.

The characters I picked to design for are the two protagonists, Gregor and his sister Greta. I decided to create costumes that showed how, despite Gregor being a repulsive insect on the outside and Greta being a beautiful young woman, their inner natures are opposites, with Greta the more repulsive of the two. Inspired by the Jan Svankmajer exhibition, I thought the best way to do this was through anatomical surface design. I also wanted to convey how the real transformation of the story happens to Greta, who from her initially sweet and human nature into something more twisted. Inspired by the life drawing we had done, I planned to do his through layering of images. 

I kept the cut to a simple tunic-shaped dress so as to be able to concentrate my time on design rather than complicated construction. I used fabric paints on the calico to create a deformed skeleton with insect legs protruding from it, illustrating Greta's cruel and twisted inner nature. I then sewed the pattern behind this design of a normal human skeleton in grey thread, as a shadow of who she used to be to show the transformation she undergoes. 

Heat Transfer Printer

For Gregor's costume I painted the calico with black ink, which also had the effect of stiffening the fabric, making it more like insect armour. I decided to make a kind of cloak out of this fabric with a hood completely obscuring the face, to show how hidden and trapped within his outside appearance Gregor is. Also, to illustrate how inside he still experiences human emotion, I decided to print an anatomical heart on the inside lapel of the cloak. I drew the design for this and then scanned it into use the heat transfer printer and press to render the design onto fabric.

Final Outcomes:

     

I am pleased with my final outcomes, and feedback from my peers shows that the ideas I was trying to convey were evident. The main theme on which I worked was the conflict between appearance and personality, and the concealing and revealing of this. I added final touches to my designs to emphasise this. I cut the shape of a human spine into Gregor's costume, to show again his inner human nature but also his vulnerability: he is at the mercy of his family despite his gruesome appearance. I also added a chiffon overlay to Greta's costume, indicative of the fact that though she is beautiful and feminine on the outside, it is a thin façade. If I had more time I would have liked to create higher quality costumes with better tailoring. However, as I only had a week I am happy with my results and that I got to try costume design for the first time on the course. 

Footnote: Greta plays the violin in a key scene of the novella, hence the prop.

Metamorphosis - Life Drawing

On the second day of our two-week collaboration project based on 'The Metamorphosis', we continued our research through life drawing. These are a selection of the stages we went through during the day. Starting out with traditional observational drawings I used pencils:

And then progressed to looking in more detail at shadow lines and body contours using charcoal: 

After the morning we got more experimental, thinking about the ideas of the novella. We started layering poses to show physical transformation, sometimes drawing them all on one sheet, sometime building on using tracing paper:  

Oil Pastel on Tracing Paper

Oil Pastel, Charcoal, Pen, Pencil

Pen and Pencil

We then progressed from this by projecting images onto the model, often of insects to show the relationship between human nature and the insect form that is in the book:

Charcoal

Pen and Pencil layered Tracing Paper

Pencil

I always enjoy life drawing and think this day was helpful to our research as it gave me ideas about how to depict transformation and the inner nature of things. I am generally pleased with my drawings though looking back feel it would have been more interesting if I had experimented with colours as well within different media.

Collaboration Project: Metamorphosis - Research

Following the Industry Project, we were offered various projects in collaboration with the other foundation pathways: Graphics, Lens-Based Media and 3D Design. The project I chose is inspired by 'The Metamorphosis' by Kafka and its themes. I chose this project because my main interest within the Fashion and Textiles pathway is costume design, and I was interested in translating the themes and characters of the story into this.

Metamorphosis:

'The Metamorphosis' is a novella by Franz Kafka, first published in German in 1915. The story begins with a travelling salesman, Gregor Samsa, waking to find himself transformed into a large, monstrous, insect-like creature. The cause of Samsa's transformation is never revealed. The story deals with the aftermath of this occurrence and the reactions of Gregor's parents and sister, who are repulsed by the creature he has become. Themes I took from this are ideas of the hidden inner nature of people as, despite his repulsive appearance, Gregor maintains very human emotions throughout. The ideas of transformation (as the title of the book suggests) are also prevalent, though it is argued that the change the title refers to may not be Gregor's, as the story begins after his transformation. It is instead hypothesised that the 'metamorphosis' affects his sister Greta, who begins the story sympathetic and kind but becomes angry and resentful towards her brother. Eventually fatally injuring him, she behaves cruelly despite her outward beauty.

Brighton: 

Jan Svankmajer

As part of our research we spent a day in Brighton, visiting an exhibition and taking observational photos and drawings . 

The exhibition we visited was 'The Inner Life of Objects' by Jan Svankmajer, a Czech filmmaker and artist whose work spans several media. He is a self-labelled surrealist known for his animations.

This exhibition featured a variety of work; however the area that mainly interested me was the displays of animal skeletons fused with other objects to create surreal creatures. A lot of the work showed artefacts or animals being given new dimensions, revealing different and twisted natures. There was something mythological about the things he sculpted, animated and drew which I feel fits well with the unexplained magical elements of Gregor's transformation.

My Observational Drawings of The Exhibition

After The exhibition we wandered around Brighton taking observational photos to add our research:

All together the day in Brighton was very interesting and Jan Svankmajer's work fitted well with the themes I had already picked out from the novella, such as that of inner nature being incongruous with outside appearance. It was useful for my research and has inspired some ideas about how to interpret 'The Metamorphosis' in costume.