Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 2023 - 13

of Into the Woods was cancelled due to
the pandemic, she found herself " In the
Woods " of the pandemic. To keep creatively
functioning, she designed full-scale paper
costumes for the characters of Into the
Woods, and she also expanded the idea to
include other fairy tale characters. In the
tradition of Isabella de Borchgrave, these
costumes are exquisite works of art in
and of themselves. In her artist statement,
Bean said she " built all of the costumes
and accessories using paper products, including
printer paper, Tyvek, poster board,
cardstock, and cardboard. " Bean cast the
characters, dressed the actors, and staged
a gorgeous photoshoot, shot by Ben Tobin.
Gender fluidity and identity issues
were the subjects of two projects, Missing
a Seat at the Tea Party and The Slipping
Nymph. Neither project resulted in a live
performance. Malachi Ward explored
corsetry as an expression of gender identity
and fluidity. Ward began with upcycled
materials and created a corset for himself-an
act of truthful rebellion in the
context of his highly religious traditional
black family, where he, as a man, was not
included at the ladies' tea party. The project
was documented in a photoshoot. The
Slipping Nymph, a film/photography project
written, directed, and designed by Julie
Scharff and Rob Lewis, was performed
and shot in a river in Pittsburgh. The beautiful
evocative and delicate costumes were
abstracted expressions that explored being
a queer or trans adult in an environment
that is not always accepting of these
identities.
Identity and the body was explored
cross culturally in Little Red Book or
Plural Body by Xiyu Lin. Xiyu investigated
the physical and metaphysical properties
and experiences of what it means to be
a Chinese person in a complicated time
during a pandemic. The project, based
at CALARTS, changed from live performance
to a film using online technologies.
The artists broke the normal boundaries
of their job descriptions and collaborated
in new ways. Xiyu and her collaborators
explored the tensions between the individual
body and the collective body. Xiyu
stated, " While the pandemic continues to
challenge our relationship with our bodies,
the collective, and our understanding
of theatre space, we want to acknowledge
and present the tension between memory,
discipline, and liberation: Are individualism
and collectivism the two ends
A PQ visitor with Helen Dominguez's costume design for Agbedidi: Beginnings in the USA Emerging Artists
Exhibition. | Photo by Matthew Booth, Prague Quadrennial 2023.
of a spectrum, or two things that could
co-exist? "
Helen Dominguez's design for
Agbedidi: Beginnings, produced at the
University of Florida and choreographed
by Rujeko Dumbutshena, was a live dance
performance based on a Chivanu creation
myth. The artists discussed the struggles
against COVID-19, science and isolation,
and were ultimately looking toward
expressions of human connectivity. The
textiles were inspired by nature: trees,
waterfalls, and the night sky of Zimbabwe.
The designs were also inspired by traditional
Zimbabwean
architecture.
Dominguez
stated, " It honored the journey
of connectivity, mirrored by many in
the time of COVID-19, into myth and the
past. It is stories like these, performed in
places far from their origin, that connect
us to each other, our past, and our planet. "
Ami Okazaki's design for Machinal
(1928) by Sophie Treadwell is the story
of a woman who marries a man she detests,
falls in love with another man, and
then murders her husband. She is found
guilty of the crime and executed in the
electric chair. Okazaki designed scenery,
costumes, and props for this production at
Boston University. Part of the production
process occurred during the pandemic,
but the performance was live. The original
production, designed by Robert Edmond
Jones, was configured for a proscenium
stage. Okazaki designed an environmental
space in a black box, with audience members
sitting among the action. Okazaki's
design was the only text-based emerging
artist entry representing the U.S. in the
PQ.
Student Exhibitions
The Student Exhibitions were erected outdoors
in a large area between two buildings
of Holešovice Market. For the most
part, these exhibitions were designed to
withstand wind and rain, and in some
cases, exhibitions had to be completely
covered and protected during inclement
weather. The location was less than ideal;
the outdoor events contended with the
noise and dust of construction, hot afternoons,
occasional rain, and a lack of security.
However, the work of the students and
emerging artists is typically a high point of
the PQ, generating excitement and energy
among the visitors, and this edition was
no exception. Compared to the national
pavilions, the students exhibited more
costume-related material and had more
costume interactions with the public. The
out-of-doors access and costumed people
drew the PQ participants to the space.
Holešovice Market is also a public space
with shops and restaurants, and the locals
seemed to enjoy the boisterous activities
of the Student Exhibition, without even
understanding the context of the PQ.
Like every other aspect of the PQ, the
Student Exhibition included multiple performances.
Almost every student pavilion
was the site of a performance, class, or interactive
activity. The Student Exhibition
was constantly energized; every hour,
FALL 2023 | THEATRE DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY | 13

Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 2023

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