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Thursday, October 01, 2020
When The Lights Went Out: Costume & Scenic Designer Vita Tzykun
LiveDesignOnline: Costume and scenic designer Vita Tzykun shares how she is coping with COVID-19 closings in this series, "When the Lights Went Out," where theatrical designers discuss what they are doing these days.
8 comments:
Jill Parzych
said...
I chose to comment on this article featuring the costume designer Vita Tzykun because I am very interested in what everyone in the industry has been up to since the Covid lockdown. When the entertainment industry shut down, and a PPE shortage was announced in hospitals across the country, many costume shops began producing masks and PPE to donate to locals in need. But, besides the mask efforts pushed from costume studios nationwide, I have seen creatives take time to learn baking, gardening, find a new love for the outdoors, and learn new art skills that have been meaning to spend time with for a while. I have enjoyed watching friends start etsy shops, creating and selling jewelry, paintings, vintage finds, etc. Tzykun spent time with her partner to explore creative outlets as an important method of meditation during the lockdown. Now, using a show that will involve media and projections, they will move forward their opera productions despite the pandemic.
Its kind of magical to me that video games need costume designers too. It makes total sense that the virtual characters would need to have a custom look made for them, but I never thought that this job would be held by a theatrical costume designer. It just goes to show how resourceful and innovative theatre makers are in the search of the next era of the theatre frontier. Videos games are a great gig to jump onto for now while so many theatres remained closed. It will not only give the designers a somewhat steady paycheck, but will also allow for their creativity to stay sharp. I can’t imagine video game productions being halted as long as theatrical shows would ever be, and its most definitely the opposite of a “dying” art form. I’d be curious to see how many designers are able to break into the world of video games, and if they learn or design anything that can be translated back to the theatre world.
I clicked on this article because anything about scenic design, I want to hear about. First off, I love that people in the costume shop immediately started making Personal Protective Equipment for front line workers and also probably masks for everyone. I love how innovative and helpful companies became as they adapted to the situation. I had mixed feelings when she talked about VR. I think it’s very cool that they are experimenting with creating theater in RV. I’ve always been pretty confident that art and theater are not professions threatened by automation. However if our industry is going to shift to RV because it’s more accessible and possibly more sustainable then dang it I better learn how to design virtual sets. I really liked the ending and how they talked about how they had time now to draw for themselves and get creative and spend time with their families. I think the pandemic can be a blessing in a lot of ways. It helped us press pause and reset ourselves. When you are always working on projects for work, you lose time to expand who you are as an artist in the way that you want. Did I do that with my quarantine or did I just waste my time? I don’t want to talk about it...
It is really encouraging to see artists like Vita Tzykun and her partner taking on this pandemic as an opportunity to explore. As absolutely devastating as this thing has been, emotionally and career-wise, they continue to find ways to thrive in the given conditions. I have seen so many wonderful examples of this throughout the last few months (the one in particular that comes to mind is Shadyside Shakespeare), and one thing which remains clear is that art is a fluid, and artists will expand it to fill whatever space it can. I definitely relate to her comment about the transition to online everything not being entirely challenging. As someone who has grown up in the digital age and has been in a long-distance relationship for almost two years, I felt very prepared to live and produce work online. It is certainly a new thing for everyone though, and I am happy to see such wonderful pieces coming through despite everything.
I loved this article- for me, it was another reminder that there are ways to make art, move forward, and even take advantage of the changes in all of our lives. Tzykum seems to have an incredibly positive attitude, and has used the time at home to explore new ideas and broaden the scope of her work. It's painful to have a project you have worked so hard on be canceled because of COVID, and even with Edward Tulane, they had to convert their work in the costume shop into a space to make PPE for hospitals. The quote that impacted me the most was, “even though it’s not possible to keep our heads up every single day, we try to channel our anxieties into fueling our push into new creative frontiers.” This was inspiring for me, and I connected with this article. Even as the pandemic continues around us, I look forward to contributing and hearing about new and beautiful ways to make art from a safe social distance.
I really enjoyed reading about what a senci and costume designer is doing with their life during covid. It’s so disheartening to hear about the shows that were canceled and the work that was not able to be seen. I found it exciting to hear that she was taking time to learn new skills. I follow a lot of designers on instagram and some of them have turned to creating visual arts to support themselves while they are out of work. I was doing the same when covid started but I became unamused after a while. I have been inspired by the costumers I have seen that have started back on work and are developing new techniques of theatre making. Also I think it is remarkable how most costume shops were the first to start making masks and aiding hospitals. Just shows how theatre reaches beyond itself and is always helping the community
This article was very inspiring for me. When the pandemic first hit, I thought that theater and the art it produces were doomed to sit at a standstill. However, stories like Vita Tzykun's help to show me that art is never fully defined. I'm still learning as an artist, but these stories also help to teach me how to be more flexible in my thinking and expression. This includes methods such as AR/VR/MR/XR, as the article mentioned. I never even thought about using these technologies for my art before, as for some reason I always considered the worlds of art and technology to be limited in their intersectionality. Lastly, I also found that the Austin Opera's production of Schubert's Winterreise may give a good source of inspiration to a theater world that is looking to continue its operations. Not only would it be good for its creative idea of being a filmed song cycle, allowing the use of post-production tools to balance out the inability to have a live, in-person performance, but it also is good due to its small size. Being a one-person show allows it to meet the standards for limiting gatherings since less than 10 people could be in the space at any one time. Smaller productions may be a good way for theaters to begin a phased reopening, at least allowing them to use their physical spaces as a foundation for their virtual productions.
It was really inspiring to hear the point of view of a costume and scenic designer having to persevere with the situation of the pandemic and how it has informed her artistry. The designer named Vita Tzykun talks about how since most of her shows have been cancelled, she has spent time during quarantine to learn more about the AR/VR/MR/XR world. As a Scenic designer, this is a very interesting medium that provides an opportunity for us to create Art while no one is able to enjoy it physically. I agreee with Rhianonn that it was so inspirational to have people in the costume shop immediately begin to work on PPE for the essential workers and shows how strong a sense of community is present in the artistic community.
8 comments:
I chose to comment on this article featuring the costume designer Vita Tzykun because I am very interested in what everyone in the industry has been up to since the Covid lockdown. When the entertainment industry shut down, and a PPE shortage was announced in hospitals across the country, many costume shops began producing masks and PPE to donate to locals in need. But, besides the mask efforts pushed from costume studios nationwide, I have seen creatives take time to learn baking, gardening, find a new love for the outdoors, and learn new art skills that have been meaning to spend time with for a while. I have enjoyed watching friends start etsy shops, creating and selling jewelry, paintings, vintage finds, etc. Tzykun spent time with her partner to explore creative outlets as an important method of meditation during the lockdown. Now, using a show that will involve media and projections, they will move forward their opera productions despite the pandemic.
Its kind of magical to me that video games need costume designers too. It makes total sense that the virtual characters would need to have a custom look made for them, but I never thought that this job would be held by a theatrical costume designer. It just goes to show how resourceful and innovative theatre makers are in the search of the next era of the theatre frontier. Videos games are a great gig to jump onto for now while so many theatres remained closed. It will not only give the designers a somewhat steady paycheck, but will also allow for their creativity to stay sharp. I can’t imagine video game productions being halted as long as theatrical shows would ever be, and its most definitely the opposite of a “dying” art form. I’d be curious to see how many designers are able to break into the world of video games, and if they learn or design anything that can be translated back to the theatre world.
I clicked on this article because anything about scenic design, I want to hear about. First off, I love that people in the costume shop immediately started making Personal Protective Equipment for front line workers and also probably masks for everyone. I love how innovative and helpful companies became as they adapted to the situation. I had mixed feelings when she talked about VR. I think it’s very cool that they are experimenting with creating theater in RV. I’ve always been pretty confident that art and theater are not professions threatened by automation. However if our industry is going to shift to RV because it’s more accessible and possibly more sustainable then dang it I better learn how to design virtual sets. I really liked the ending and how they talked about how they had time now to draw for themselves and get creative and spend time with their families. I think the pandemic can be a blessing in a lot of ways. It helped us press pause and reset ourselves. When you are always working on projects for work, you lose time to expand who you are as an artist in the way that you want. Did I do that with my quarantine or did I just waste my time? I don’t want to talk about it...
It is really encouraging to see artists like Vita Tzykun and her partner taking on this pandemic as an opportunity to explore. As absolutely devastating as this thing has been, emotionally and career-wise, they continue to find ways to thrive in the given conditions. I have seen so many wonderful examples of this throughout the last few months (the one in particular that comes to mind is Shadyside Shakespeare), and one thing which remains clear is that art is a fluid, and artists will expand it to fill whatever space it can. I definitely relate to her comment about the transition to online everything not being entirely challenging. As someone who has grown up in the digital age and has been in a long-distance relationship for almost two years, I felt very prepared to live and produce work online. It is certainly a new thing for everyone though, and I am happy to see such wonderful pieces coming through despite everything.
I loved this article- for me, it was another reminder that there are ways to make art, move forward, and even take advantage of the changes in all of our lives. Tzykum seems to have an incredibly positive attitude, and has used the time at home to explore new ideas and broaden the scope of her work. It's painful to have a project you have worked so hard on be canceled because of COVID, and even with Edward Tulane, they had to convert their work in the costume shop into a space to make PPE for hospitals. The quote that impacted me the most was, “even though it’s not possible to keep our heads up every single day, we try to channel our anxieties into fueling our push into new creative frontiers.” This was inspiring for me, and I connected with this article. Even as the pandemic continues around us, I look forward to contributing and hearing about new and beautiful ways to make art from a safe social distance.
I really enjoyed reading about what a senci and costume designer is doing with their life during covid. It’s so disheartening to hear about the shows that were canceled and the work that was not able to be seen. I found it exciting to hear that she was taking time to learn new skills. I follow a lot of designers on instagram and some of them have turned to creating visual arts to support themselves while they are out of work. I was doing the same when covid started but I became unamused after a while. I have been inspired by the costumers I have seen that have started back on work and are developing new techniques of theatre making. Also I think it is remarkable how most costume shops were the first to start making masks and aiding hospitals. Just shows how theatre reaches beyond itself and is always helping the community
This article was very inspiring for me. When the pandemic first hit, I thought that theater and the art it produces were doomed to sit at a standstill. However, stories like Vita Tzykun's help to show me that art is never fully defined. I'm still learning as an artist, but these stories also help to teach me how to be more flexible in my thinking and expression. This includes methods such as AR/VR/MR/XR, as the article mentioned. I never even thought about using these technologies for my art before, as for some reason I always considered the worlds of art and technology to be limited in their intersectionality. Lastly, I also found that the Austin Opera's production of Schubert's Winterreise may give a good source of inspiration to a theater world that is looking to continue its operations. Not only would it be good for its creative idea of being a filmed song cycle, allowing the use of post-production tools to balance out the inability to have a live, in-person performance, but it also is good due to its small size. Being a one-person show allows it to meet the standards for limiting gatherings since less than 10 people could be in the space at any one time. Smaller productions may be a good way for theaters to begin a phased reopening, at least allowing them to use their physical spaces as a foundation for their virtual productions.
It was really inspiring to hear the point of view of a costume and scenic designer having to persevere with the situation of the pandemic and how it has informed her artistry. The designer named Vita Tzykun talks about how since most of her shows have been cancelled, she has spent time during quarantine to learn more about the AR/VR/MR/XR world. As a Scenic designer, this is a very interesting medium that provides an opportunity for us to create Art while no one is able to enjoy it physically. I agreee with Rhianonn that it was so inspirational to have people in the costume shop immediately begin to work on PPE for the essential workers and shows how strong a sense of community is present in the artistic community.
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