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.