COSTUME DESIGNER
"GUERNIKA"
I was asked to design the costumes for the female characters of the play "Guernika" which was written and directed by Matan Amsalem and shown in the Tel-Aviv Museum of Art spring of 2016. The play was based on the Picasso painting of the same name which revolves around the disasters of war. The characters in the play were the figures in the iconic painting: "Mother" "Running Women" and "Burning Women". The color scale ranged from black to white and all the fabrics and textiles were laundered, dyed and dirtied to some degree before and after assembling.
Running Women
The character of the Running Women was inspired by women's suits from the forties, which had military uniform detailing due to the wars of the time. I wanted to create a costume that would be very feminine but in a utilitarian matter; and exaggerated its proportions so as to resemble the disfigurement of the limbs in the painting.
Burning Women
the character of the burning women does not talk in the play. Her costume to me, had to be that of a women who is on fire but at the same time it would be very obvious to the viewer that she is still living despite her loss of speech and cleanliness. I composed a two-piece suit made of nuno felt fabric which I created. The felt had copper toned Angelina fibers encased in it so as to give the impression that she was still on fire. I added white collar and cuff details which would imitate the somber trend of the early twentieth century.
Mother
The Mother figure in the painting is known to have been inspired by Michelangelo's Pietà, and so I took inspiration from the heavy draping of the statue; but at the same time I wanted to create a look that would look very maternal and feminine despite the amount of fabric. The patchwork in the skirt was taken from the college technique used in the painting.