DESIGNING & BUILDING CARNIVAL COSTUMES by Nicola Richardson
These are my thoughts on the subject, but as with all art forms there are different approaches and ways of working. I think you need to develop your own formula. We all learn from mistakes, and sometimes our experiments produce worth while results, but use experience and ideas from others in the business as your base knowledge (there is no point re-inventing the wheel if works and there is no better way to design it!).
I have put together a few points that draw on things I do or have done.
Go see, learn, and be inspired
For me, many ideas and inspiration come from what other people are doing. I am not suggesting you steal others designs, but the more you learn and see the more adventurous you can be.
Go to other Carnivals – try and be there when they are setting up, it is good to walk around and get up close to the work, see how it is constructed, then get a good spot to watch it during the Carnival so you can see how it moves and what it looks like coming towards you, going away from you etc.
Go and work in someone else’s Mass Camp – most groups will be glad of the help and it’s the best way to learn the tricks of the trade! But, remember to share your ideas too, Carnival is about collaboration and having fun.
Training - AMT run training courses every year for beginners to more seasoned artists. I would recommend them for both learning and making contacts, and sorting out points one and two!
Think about your own work
I use the same approach to Carnival design and making as I do to my own practice. I use it as a way to develop my skills, push them forward and experiment with design and construction ideas. Think of where your strong points lie and use these within your design, but I always add another more challenging element to keep my work and skills developing. Think about what interests you, we all have sketchbooks full of doodles and ideas, maybe elements of these may act as a springboard for ideas.
Carnival is hard work! Even the best organised carnival has its share of stresses and late nights so it helps if you are really enjoying what you do, and shows in the work produced.
Research your topic, be inspired
I like to sit in the library, or the middle of my sitting room, surrounded by books related to the subject for which I’m designing. I like to read articles or stories as well as looking at the pictures! I also use the Internet which is a great resource, although I am more of a book person. I normally photocopy things or make sketches and put stuff into a sketchbook. I often find that the simplest image can crank the cogs into working and the more that I know the easier I find designing. Carnival tells stories, normally having a strong narrative, so a costume needs to communicate with the audience. If you do your research well and really know the subject you're designing for it allows a design to be subtle and abstracted, yet recognisable.
Designing
I need time to think and develop my ideas. I like to do a number of sketches first and then work up an idea. A lot of my designing and planning happens in my sleep actually (I wouldn’t recommend this). I spend a lot of time thinking about my design and visualising it,
· How it looks from all angles, remember that costumes are seen as much from the back as they are from the front…
· Movement, does the costume move?
· Impact. Everything looks miniature when you take it outside, how does your costume attract attention
Once I’ve got a clear design in my head (helped by rough drawings) I then do a scale drawing with lots of notes and reminders to myself gathered from my thinking time. It's at this time that I think about the following points which are really key to making a successful costume
· Weight. Remember that the wearer needs to perform in the costume, and also needs to make it out of the studio! Choosing the right materials can help keep weight down. If your structure is very large and very heavy you will need some add stabilisers. Weight should also be well balanced off the body (this part is easier to work out during building)
· Materials are really important and should be part of your design. Sometimes I wander around shops and suppliers during the initial design stages to gather inspiration then. You also need to choose the right material for the right job, keeping in mind that your costume must be lightweight, and durable.
· On carnival day the wind is everyone’s biggest nightmare. When designing and building remember that any fixed surface bigger than a hand will act as a sail! In materials that can move freely, holes or large slits are often the solution.
· Movement and performance. I remember being told that costume design should start with the performer, and designs that do really come alive.
· Durability. Before the carnival even starts your costume is likely to have been put through its paces. It needs to be well made with the right materials to avoid disaster.
I have been the production manager’s nightmare - due to making large costumes that don’t fit easily into the largest of lorries, or store well. I now try to make my costumes in parts so that they can be dismantled for both.
I also make a scale model (usually), which helps to address the above and is also useful when explaining and illustrating your design to other people.
Building
Then it comes to making this thing. The first costume I built gave me sleepless nights for days. I managed to worry myself stupid about almost everything, but had also done degrees of everything included above…particularly thinking and planning. I made sure I was very well organised and it turned out I had worried myself over nothing!
Planning, for me, is the key. Then the build should be as enjoyable as everything else. And other artists to help, be helped and inspired by are surrounding the best thing.
Hope this is use to someone out there. And I hope that you have as much fun on carnival as I do!
Nicola Richardson is an artist based in Coventry. She has designed and built costumes for the summer and winter carnivals in Coventry and assisted on the Notting Hill Carnival in 2004. www.nicola-richardson.co.uk
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