Drawing with the Body and Cloth

This output was part of a collaborative research project Flight: Drawing Interpretations between LCF and the National Gallery (NG), London. The researcher conceived, designed and choreographed a garment, film and performance through the development of an embodied methodology that lead to a live costume dance performance and film screening at the gallery.

The work is experimental in extending design methods for contemporary dance through theoretical and empirical research into the relationship between design, drawing methodologies and cognitive theory to develop garments and choreography as simultaneous practice. Costume design is usually applied to choreography, in this case they were developed simultaneously through improvisational sessions between designer and dancer, analysis of video footage and recorded testimony.

The methodology approached the body as a physical drawing and design tool as a means of generating performative clothing design and communication. The NG painting A Detail from The Tempest by Peder Balke, inspired clothing, and dance development through which the methodology was tested. Costume and choreography were developed simultaneously through improvisational sessions with designer, dancer and analysis of video footage and recorded testimony. The methodology is informed by practitioners extending methods in design and dance such as Maria Blaisse, Rei Kawakubo Wayne McGregor and Merce Cunningham.

The research was disseminated through a peer reviewed paper Embodied Design and Communication (interdisciplinary.net 3rd Global conference, Salzburg, Austria, 2012), published ebook (ID net 2013), a book chapter (ID Press 2014) and a chapter Embodied Translation: Drawing with the Body and Cloth in Steven Farthing’s publication, Studio International, NY. ISBN: 978-0-9832599-5-4. The film was also screened at Berlin Fashion Film Festival 2013.