Drawing, Interpretation and Costume Design: a study of the costumed body informed by watching 'Tanztheater Wuppertal' in rehearsal and performance

This practice-led study contributes new methods of practice and applications of theory to record and analyse the costumed body in performance. While costume scholarship has gained momentum in recent years, this is the first research project to fully explore the application of drawing blind as a means of documenting a researcher’s response to the costumed body. This study contributes to existing knowledge of drawing practice as a method of costume research,through its development of a specific methodology of blind drawing used to record observations while watching video, rehearsals and performance. It also extends the theorisation of costume, through its application of texts by Charles Sanders Peirce on semiosis, interpretation and habits, and contributes new insight into costume design practice by enabling the first costume-focussed analysis of works by 'Tanztheater Wuppertal' in the English language.

The first part of the thesis discusses three cycles of drawing, interpretation and costume design. The starting points for these investigations are my experiences watching dancers perform in the German dance theatre company 'Tanztheater Wuppertal'. These experiences were enriched by my being granted access to rehearsals and performances,which facilitated unique opportunities to observe dancers in and out of costume. Blind drawing was used to look more attentively at costumes and to record my observations of these dancers. The complexities of using blind drawing and annotation, as methods to articulate this visual, auditory and spatial information, were tested through drawing practice and analysed using a theoretical framework incorporating Peircean theory,costume studies and scenography. Questions and uncertainties that arose through this process were then explored through experimental costume practice, in which costumes were designed and tested on volunteer performers.The second stage of the research describes and analyses my costume design for three experimental performances shown in public spaces that were informed by these cycles of practice and theory.