Noah and Noah's Wife
I've been trying to marry together bright contrasting and harmonious colours to make the most of the colour used in the costume as it seemed an important feature on the mood board given.
Photographer Steve McCurry
I looked at photographer Steve McCurry because of his amazing command over colour. Much of his best work comes from his travels in Asia and North Africa where he photographed the people he met. the photographs below some of my favourites from Afghanistan, India and Morocco, where in some rural parts, clothing styles have not changed that much since ancient times as practicality and tradition are important.
Ancient Judean Artefacts
I looked to find some artefacts from the time period of the story of Noah and the Arc. I focused on ancient Judea but also looked at some Roman depictions of the period for the style of clothing. In my designs I've put both Noah and his wife in a heavyish woven tunic with hoods and scarfs draped about their bodies and heads. I opted to go traditional in terms of the shape of the clothing. I also took some inspiration from the colours used in the ancient cloth and jewellery.
Arabic Patterns and Stained Glass
On of the key images I picked out of the mood board was that of the stained glass windows because I felt it included many of the other features such as bold colours, geometric patterns and of course a religious significance. While doing my research I found that the patterns in a lot of stained glass windows where similar to those used in traditional islamic prints. My drawings are supposed to have a suggestion of pattern as I felt these where too intricate to draw at this point but I think traditional arabic prints with the super modern Steve McCurry colours would be really striking.
I also took inspiration from the mood board's 15th century religious art for the harmonising earthy brick colours. I thought it was a nice touch to include the brick colour of "The Red House" the iconic home of Benjamin Britain the Composer of the opera.
Great work Fenella.
ReplyDeleteI think the referencing is sensitive and spot-on in so many ways - the vividness but also depth of colour is striking and suggests the centrality, but also the 'weightiness' and depth of the characters of Noah and his wife. The idea of using quite heavy,or voluminous, perhaps quite coarse fabrics enhances this sensation. The traditional Arabic patterning is a great idea - and some of the suggestions that are indicated on your drawings seem very apt. This would, I think, be the area to explore and develop further.
I think it's right that Mrs Noah visually belongs with Noah, but i think that she also needs to visually belong, to a lesser extent, to the gossips - as at first she is aligned with them as such. Perhaps the use of pattern in an ordered or subtle way (as is indicated in your drawing) is a way to 'make the connection' with the gossips.
Great to see your research and how it has fed into your designs. It's very informative and helps us all to see what you're thinking, how you arrived at the designs, and how other designs might sit in relation to this. For example, now we know that the designs for the Noahs have a 'weighty' feel, i can begin to see how a lighter kind of feel, or fabric, might work expressively in contrast on the gossips.
Thanks for the visual pictures and feedback Fen first of all. :)
ReplyDeleteI do think the idea of the weighty folds of fabric can give a sense of the burden Noah and his wife must carry to save human and animal kind from the flood. If as Chris suggested, Mrs Noah needed a hint of her connection with the Gossips, I could suggest a headscarf that similarly to the Gossips is quite floaty and something which they play around with.When Mrs Noah sobers up she could wear her heavier hood or scarf. The other thing we could do is give her a collar that could be similar to what the Gossips wear which can be covered up by her hood or scarf when she is in the presence of her husband. I am glad that the bright pinks and oranges you suggested are contrasting to the sea blues of the Gossips. If you want to have a chat with regard Mrs Noah's connection to the Gossips or would like to add or suggest something else we can do that too. Looking forward to seeing the final designs.