Costume Lectures Autumn 2016 Programme
You are welcome to attend the Costume Lectures, which are open to all.
Wednesday 14 September 2016:
9:00 – 12:00, room 5006, 5th floor, Hämeentie 135C entrance
“Interactive Opera at Primary Schools”: Costume and Scenography as Tools for Creative Interaction and New Social Encounters
Speaker: Professor Sofia Pantouvaki, Aalto University (in English)
Through the artistic research project ‘Interactive Opera at Primary Schools’, led by Greek National Opera (2011-2015) in collaboration with a number of partner artists, this lecture analyses how creative activities, undertaken before the performance and integrated in it, became a means for education providing space for expression, active participation, teamwork, and social integration. The project involved the staging of a new production of Rossini’s opera The Barber of Seville as a platform for schoolchildren to engage creatively with an opera performance through specific actions in the making of the opera and in direct interaction with the artists-professionals. The lecture focuses on the designers’ extended role participating in the project as scenographers/artists and researchers/educators. Results from the implementation of this project show the potential of transdisciplinary collaboration between artists and institutions for co-action with impact on an educational, cultural and sociological level for future generations.
Wednesday 21 September 2016:
9:00 – 12:00, room 5006, 5th floor, Hämeentie 135C entrance
“Reigning Men” Framing a History of Men’s Fashion 1715-2015
Speaker: FiDiPro Professor Peter McNeil, University of Technology Sydney and Aalto University (in English)
This lecture explores a researcher’s role over five years in supporting and writing for a major exhibition at Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). Themes such as ‘uniformity’ were chosen by the curators to examine 300 years of fashion. Several rare artefacts that relate in some ways to costume were included, mainly from the French Revolution period. The lecture will cover everything from Les Incroyables to Zoot suit to hipsters. Let’s discuss some of the creative tensions between definitions of fashion, dress, costume and also discuss issues regarding display in the contemporary museum.
Exhibition website: http://www.lacma.org/ReigningMen#landing
Wednesday 28 September 2016:
9:00 – 12:00, room 5006, 5th floor, Hämeentie 135C entrance
Touching the Past – extant performance costumes as mediators of historical costume practices for stage and film
Speaker: DA Joanna Weckman, Post-doctoral Researcher FiDiPro research project, Aalto University (in English)
Although theoretical discussion on costume and its diverse importance as a part of the performance on either stage or screen have attracted growing interest within the costume research community, the academic discussion on all the aspects of practical work preceding the performance is less common. In this study, the aim was to explore the possibilities when utilizing extant performance costumes as primary material for investigation and moreover, to work towards refining new methodological approaches for costume, theatre and film history research, with particular focus on materiality and the archive.
This lecture will present the post-doctoral study undertaken within the FiDiPro Costume Methodologies research project at Aalto University, Dept. of Film, TV & Scenography, funded by the Academy of Finland 15.12.2015–30.9.2016.
Wednesday 5 October 2016:
9:00 – 12:00, room 5006, 5th floor, Hämeentie 135C entrance
Making Liz Taylor ugly - 40 years of Hollywood Costume Design by Irene Sharaff
Invited Speaker: Mathias Clason, MA, Freelance designer, Sweden (in English)
From 1943 to 1981, Irene Sharaff was one of the really strong women in costume design for films, bringing colour, texture, depth and theatricality to the screen, where many of her colleagues would just do "pretty dresses". We shall study her painterly style, her way to handle primadonnas like Barbra Streisand and Liz Taylor (for CLEOPATRA 72 costumes alone!). We will finally look at two films: WHO´S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF - that gave her an Oscar for 6 B/W costumes) and MOMMIE DEAREST, her last film from 1981, where she recreates the studio system stars she met in the forties. Discussion: How much should the designer listen to the actor/actress?
Wednesday 12 October 2016:
9:00 – 12:00, room 5006, 5th floor, Hämeentie 135C entrance
4000 costumes - and counting, Mathias Clason-34 years of costume design
Invited Speaker: Mathias Clason, MA, Freelance designer, Sweden (in English)
Covering every field: operas, plays, musicals, modern dance, ballet, children´s theatre, Mathias Clason has designed over 100 productions (in Finland only in Savonlinna) from arenas to basement theatre. Making one actor happy and still in an avant-garde basement for 72 spectators CAN be harder than producing 400 costumes for Carmen in 3 months. Discussion: How does the sketch communicate the idea? The concept?
Mathias Clason also designs sets, directs and writes plays and librettos. He has exhibited his costumes in several exhibitions and is represented in some museums. He will show sketches, slides and video clips.
Wednesday 19 October 2016:
9:00 – 12:00, room 5054, 5th floor, Hämeentie 135C entrance
Costume & Make-up - Character development partnership
Invited Speaker: Sarah Bowen-Walsh, MA, Freelance designer, Finland (in English)
This lecture will explore the partnership between the costume designer and make-up artist in the development of character. We will examine sample characters and discuss the current working methods of make-up students in Finland. By discussing their process, we will consider ways of building collaborative working methods to benefit the design partnerships of production designer, costume designer and make-up artist.
Info for students:
Study credits can be gained through the course:
ELO-E5016, Scenography, Production and Costume Design Lectures
What are the Costume Lectures about?
The Costume Lectures address the theory and practice of costume design and related areas. The students deepen their knowledge in special areas of costume design through encounters with different aspects of costume and with the work and ideas of various professionals.
The lectures stimulate critical and analytical thinking on costume, culture and performance through the presentation of case studies, through comparative studies, individual artistic work, and analyses of technical aspects, ideas and theoretical concepts. With presentations and discussions, the lectures open new perspectives to special areas in
design for live and mediated performance through the perspective of costume. Scholars, professional costume designers and other professionals are invited to present their ideas, experience and practice. The lectures include visual and audio-visual materials or original samples of work materials and artistic work.
Who can attend?
BA, MA and Doctoral students from Aalto ARTS, any Aalto school, the University of the Arts Helsinki and the University of Helsinki. The course is also open to the public.
Credits:
1-4 credits (for students)
Attendance to four (4) Scenography, Production and Costume Design Lectures gives 1 credit (ECTS). The students are free to attend as many lectures as they wish.
Additional credits can be given if students are interested in undertaking a written or research assignment or prepare a presentation related to a costume design / costume theory subject.
Dr. Sofia Pantouvaki
Professor of Costume Design for Theatre and Film
Costume in Focus Research Group
Co-Editor, Studies in Costume and Performance
Aalto University | School of Arts, Design & Architecture | Department of Film, Television and Scenography
M: +358 50 5992288
Postal address: P.O.Box 31000, FI-00076 AALTO, Helsinki, Finland
Street address: Hämeentie 135A, 00560 Helsinki, Finland