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Friday, January 28, 2022
New dance performance features costumes made of spider silk
www.wallpaper.com: How do you make a substantial dance performance out of mist? That was the question that faced choreographer Damien Jalet, artist Kohei Nawa, and designer Sruli Recht as they developed their new project for Nederlands Dans Theater.
This is absolutely insane. Firstly, I can’t imagine how many spiders this must have taken, how laborious this must have been, and how much it must’ve cost. I also imagine this brings into question a lot of considerations around ethics and consumability and things. How long does it take for these costumes to deteriorate? And how do the dancers not damage the costumes? And how does this impact the spiders (however strange that sounds- but does it have an environmental impact- I know nothing about spiders)? Additionally isn’t spider silk sticky- how does that work? This artist is a genius but also this article tells us nothing about how he sources his materials- dolphin leather for example- how is that legal? On a completely other topic these pictures remind me so much of the beginning of the Flying Dutchman. The costumes work perfectly with the mist and how the mist floats over the dancers bodies.
The material composition of a work can contribute just as substantially to the artistic meaning of the design as the craftsmanship or subject matter itself. I think it is so spectacular when a piece ,such as this one, uses all aspects of controllable aesthetic and communicative meanings to create a cohesive design. This work is especially intriguing to me because it combines innovative science and artistic expression. By utilizing these natural fibers in a new way, perhaps we can find a substitute for less environmentally friendly materials. It proves the important part that art drives science, expression drives innovation. The work itself is ethereal and the feelings that it evokes, even by the photographs alone, grabs the viewer and holds on in a way that is almost tangible. I feel that the more I study design and practice my own art, the more movement and dance pieces resonate with me, and inspire me.
Wow. Even without the description of the dance piece or the technical elements, those photos in the article are beautiful. Almost indescribably so, it's astounding: the mist itself holds so much texture and movement, which compliments the movement of the dancers. As for the costumes themselves, I agree with Sawyer’s thinking on the matter. It sounds like the designer, Kohei Nawa, has constructed costumes from a variety of typically unusual materials, like dolphin skin. What are the environmental impact factors of these costumes? For this dance specifically, I wonder what the process was to actually make the costumes? And, to echo Sawyer, what of the spiders? I would love to know more about this, and how Nawa made this happen. Also, I would love to know more details about the process and decision to use spider silk specifically. I’m intrigued, and yet again astounded by the abilities and ideas of designers and creative people.
I know this article is about spider silk but to me the pictures did much more justice to the mist instelf that named the production. Something about it seems so above and beyond any of the mist that I have ever used to before or seen in shows; I’d always assumed that it was a relatively uniform substance but upon second though I’m curious how they did these effects, was it a different chemical makeup of a specific spout or fan, or the environment of the theatre itself? It simply looks so much more solid and tangible around the dancers, as many of the photos feature them interacting with it and it curving around them, and honestly I have zero clue how they managed to arrange that. Is mist also inconsistent to use during a show like this, or is it possible to choreograph it in a, if not fully, semi-consistent way?
The usage of unconventional materials in this piece is AMAZING! I am so interested in how the material was knitted to create a material that stretched and fit skin tight in the manner the designer wanted it to. I think the idea of creating costumes that can meld with natural phenomena like mist is so cool and requires a great deal of imagination and technical skill. I also like that the costumes complimented the piece that they were in. The contrast between the staccato/exaggerated movements within the dance and the natural flow and translucence of the fabric allowed the best parts of both mediums to shine. I wonder what processes and machines were used in order to create the spider silk cloth and allow it to be strong enough to endure dance performance. This is why I find costuming so interesting. Not only is a costume an art piece made to tell a story, but it is also a functional piece that must move and adapt to its surroundings and actor.
At first, the idea of spider silk didn’t really stand out to me because I thought it was just a typical silk costume. However, when I was reading the article and saw the images, I was truly shocked. In the pictures, the costumes look so skin-like it’s almost unnoticeable. The article also mentions that the costume designer, Sruli Recht, has numerous experiences with unconventional materials. This made me think about the differences and relationships between artificial materials and natural fibers. Personally, I think that whilst our advancements in technology have allowed us to explore and achieve great products that overcome challenges in functionality and durability of clothes, sometimes we just end up going back to nature. Afterall, there are many things that nature can do that we still can’t. And in a way, artificial products are only made to mimic what Mother Nature has already created.
6 comments:
This is absolutely insane. Firstly, I can’t imagine how many spiders this must have taken, how laborious this must have been, and how much it must’ve cost. I also imagine this brings into question a lot of considerations around ethics and consumability and things. How long does it take for these costumes to deteriorate? And how do the dancers not damage the costumes? And how does this impact the spiders (however strange that sounds- but does it have an environmental impact- I know nothing about spiders)? Additionally isn’t spider silk sticky- how does that work? This artist is a genius but also this article tells us nothing about how he sources his materials- dolphin leather for example- how is that legal? On a completely other topic these pictures remind me so much of the beginning of the Flying Dutchman. The costumes work perfectly with the mist and how the mist floats over the dancers bodies.
The material composition of a work can contribute just as substantially to the artistic meaning of the design as the craftsmanship or subject matter itself. I think it is so spectacular when a piece ,such as this one, uses all aspects of controllable aesthetic and communicative meanings to create a cohesive design. This work is especially intriguing to me because it combines innovative science and artistic expression. By utilizing these natural fibers in a new way, perhaps we can find a substitute for less environmentally friendly materials. It proves the important part that art drives science, expression drives innovation. The work itself is ethereal and the feelings that it evokes, even by the photographs alone, grabs the viewer and holds on in a way that is almost tangible. I feel that the more I study design and practice my own art, the more movement and dance pieces resonate with me, and inspire me.
Wow. Even without the description of the dance piece or the technical elements, those photos in the article are beautiful. Almost indescribably so, it's astounding: the mist itself holds so much texture and movement, which compliments the movement of the dancers. As for the costumes themselves, I agree with Sawyer’s thinking on the matter. It sounds like the designer, Kohei Nawa, has constructed costumes from a variety of typically unusual materials, like dolphin skin. What are the environmental impact factors of these costumes? For this dance specifically, I wonder what the process was to actually make the costumes? And, to echo Sawyer, what of the spiders? I would love to know more about this, and how Nawa made this happen. Also, I would love to know more details about the process and decision to use spider silk specifically. I’m intrigued, and yet again astounded by the abilities and ideas of designers and creative people.
I know this article is about spider silk but to me the pictures did much more justice to the mist instelf that named the production. Something about it seems so above and beyond any of the mist that I have ever used to before or seen in shows; I’d always assumed that it was a relatively uniform substance but upon second though I’m curious how they did these effects, was it a different chemical makeup of a specific spout or fan, or the environment of the theatre itself? It simply looks so much more solid and tangible around the dancers, as many of the photos feature them interacting with it and it curving around them, and honestly I have zero clue how they managed to arrange that. Is mist also inconsistent to use during a show like this, or is it possible to choreograph it in a, if not fully, semi-consistent way?
The usage of unconventional materials in this piece is AMAZING! I am so interested in how the material was knitted to create a material that stretched and fit skin tight in the manner the designer wanted it to. I think the idea of creating costumes that can meld with natural phenomena like mist is so cool and requires a great deal of imagination and technical skill. I also like that the costumes complimented the piece that they were in. The contrast between the staccato/exaggerated movements within the dance and the natural flow and translucence of the fabric allowed the best parts of both mediums to shine. I wonder what processes and machines were used in order to create the spider silk cloth and allow it to be strong enough to endure dance performance. This is why I find costuming so interesting. Not only is a costume an art piece made to tell a story, but it is also a functional piece that must move and adapt to its surroundings and actor.
At first, the idea of spider silk didn’t really stand out to me because I thought it was just a typical silk costume. However, when I was reading the article and saw the images, I was truly shocked. In the pictures, the costumes look so skin-like it’s almost unnoticeable. The article also mentions that the costume designer, Sruli Recht, has numerous experiences with unconventional materials. This made me think about the differences and relationships between artificial materials and natural fibers. Personally, I think that whilst our advancements in technology have allowed us to explore and achieve great products that overcome challenges in functionality and durability of clothes, sometimes we just end up going back to nature. Afterall, there are many things that nature can do that we still can’t. And in a way, artificial products are only made to mimic what Mother Nature has already created.
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