Reflective Textiles:
Garment Design, Space, and the Digital
By
JESSICA BAYNTUN
Supervisor Helene Day Fraser

Bachelor of Applied Design in Fashion and Technology
Kwantlen Polytechnic University, 2008

A critical & process documentation paper submitted in
partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of

MASTER OF DESIGN
Emily Carr University of Art + Design
2019

© Jessica Bayntun

Table of Contents:

List of Figures................................................................................2
Special Thanks............................................................................4
Introduction...................................................................................5
Glossary of Terms......................................................................9
Abstract........................................................................................ 11
Context......................................................................................... 12
Projection and Light........................................................... 16
Collaboration.......................................................................... 21
Digital tools for Costuming............................................ 28
Conclusion.................................................................................. 48
Works Cited............................................................................... 54
Appendix 1: Studio Explorations.............................. 56

List of Figures:
Abstract:
Image 1: Muslin prototype of the Future Human shoulder structure.
Context:
Diagram 1: Traditional Theatre Production
Projection & Light:
Image 2: Ruthe and in the Cultch Theatre.
Image 3-6: Ruthe working with the cape at the Cultch Theatre.
Diagram 2: Projection Explorations
Image 7-8: Ruthe working with fabric at the Cultch Theatre.
Image 9: The Cultch Theatre Technician and I.
Image 10: Me testing the projection on the floor.
Collaboration:
Diagram 3: Roles & Contributions through the prototyping process.
Image 11: Setup, inside of the performance space.
Image 12: Sound and set design breakout session.
Image 13: Dance and set design breakout session
Image 14: Building the stage design, Sean Bayntun.
Image 15: Stages installed in the theatre space.
Image 16: Second sound and set breakout session.
Image 17: Aodin Hand-held projector
Image 18: Second Dance and set design breakout session
Image 19: Stage set-up for test performance.
Image 20: Stage set-up for test performance
Image 21: Projection testing with dancers and set design.
Image 22/23: Photos from the Test performance on Aug 31
Digital Tools for Costuming:
Image 24: 3D scan of shoulder structure.
Image 25: Process photo of shoulder structure design.
Image 26-27: Process photos of creating the flat pattern pieces.
Image 28: Heavy cotton prototype.
Image 29-31: Work-in-progress photos for sequin costume.
Image 32: Work-in-progress photos for sequin costume.
Image 33: Adobe Illustrator file, skeleton structure.

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Image 34: Buckram inter-lining.
Image 35: Skeleton Framework.
Image 36: Buckram inter-lining and sequins
Image 37: Skeleton Framework: Internal view.
Image 38: Process of 3D Printing Skeleton Structure
Image 40: 3M Scotchlite Textile, photo with flash.
Textile Design:
Image 41: Projection on a dress form.
Image 42: Transferring projection lines onto fabric.
Image 43: Transferred lines on fabric.
Image 44: Re-drawn textile design.
Image 45: Masterpiece VR screenshot.
Image 46: Hand drawn textile design, back.
Image 47: Hand drawn textile design, front.
Image 48: Hand drawn textile design, scales, back.
Image 49: Hand drawn textile design, scales, front.
Image 50: Flattened version of the textile design.
Image 51: Final textile design template.
Image 52-54: Dissecting the textile design.
Image 55: Scanned and digitized version of the textile design.
Weave Testing:
Image 56: Photoshop file of textile design.
Image 57: Weave testing.
Image 58: Weave tests: Checking the original design.
Image 59: Weave tests: Unbalanced.
Image 60: Weave testing yardage.
Image 61-63: Constructing the textile components.
Image 64: Internal view of final garment.
Image 65: Work-in process, constructing the final textile.
Image 66: Final garment design, photo without flash.
Image 67: Final garment design, photo with flash.
Image 68: Final garment design, photo with flash.
Conclusion:
Image 69: Digital Jacquard Loom.
Diagram 4: Thesis Research Process Map.
Diagram 5: Untraditional Theatre Production
Image 70: Weave testing.

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Special thanks to:
Helene Day Fraser
Dr. Maria Lantin
Sean Bayntun
Brad Danyluk
Sean Bletcher
Meg Carscience
Ariel Helvetica
Sidney Hryciuk
Lyndsey Britten
Ruthe Ordare
Daniel Ruiz
The Material Matter’s research Center
&
Kwantlen Polytechnic University

4

Introduction

As a child who grew up in the later part of the 20th
century much of my desire to learn how to sew stemmed
from a fascination with identity and customization.
Looking back, my first exposure to being taught to sew
was inherently connected to shared traditional hand
sewing techniques and values - it was quite meticulous and uncompromising. I have come to realize that
this practice - a handed down lineage held in common by my mother, my aunts, and my grandmothers - is
also one that was made accessible, encouraged and
taught through early 20th century publications such as
The Mary Brooks Picken Method of Modern Dressmaking
(1925). As a teenager, I didn’t realize that my maternal mentors were shaping my skills and philosophical
values regarding quality, patience, and detail based
on a perspective espoused and encouraged over half
a century earlier. These women, who found passion in
garment creation, inspired my career path.

5

A degree in fashion design was a focused path I dedicated all my energy towards as a young adult choosing a career goal. The idea of becoming a fashion
designer in a professional business, possibly a high end
fashion house, directed me to seek a university learning environment. While completing that degree, I was
working in a variety of jobs as a workman (hemming
seamstress) and communicator (material assistant), and
upon graduation a junior designer (menswear). The
complexity and attention to detail applied to visual
garment-production files gravitated my interest to technical illustrations and production specification documents. Working in a communication rich environment,
the head designer, product developer, and factory all
impacted the prototyping process. As I explored my
role as a designer, I found satisfaction in controlling the
design fit and construction details, much like a pattern maker would do through translating an illustration.
In 2009, as a way to explore other areas of making,
I started to create burlesque costumes for my friends,
learning about the neo-performance style.
I quit my fashion design job in 2010 and found inspiration in a new field that utilized my sewing skills as a
workman: the theatre. Since making this shift almost ten
years ago, I have had the opportunity to work in a new
way. Removed from the garment industry I was no longer basing all garment construction and form ideation
of an idealistic male body type. Increasingly my work
involved satisfying specific needs and aspirations for
theatre production. Through this design work I have
been able to work with a large variety of body shapes
and sizes, a wide range of textiles, and many different
forms of garment construction. Over time and based
on circumstance I have found myself applying new

6

methods of garment creation - adapting my approach
to the context of clothing demands of each project
that has come my way.
In addition to working for the theatre my move out of
the fast-fashion industry context also led me to take
on custom work. In response to demand and interest
in body-positive, well-fitting garments, I started a personalized swimwear service. My work in swimwear soon
morphed into an increasing number of commissions for
burlesque costumes. Developing costumes for a burlesque performance requires each contributor (performer, costume designer, workman) to take part and ideate
on how the costume can tell a message. This often involves learning how a performer might remove costume
components in unexpected ways. When a performer is
communicating their vision for a costume, it’s not always
apparent how the costume will be perceived from all
angles. Because burlesque or cabaret-style performing
reveals the human body, rotating and controlling what
the audience will see impacts all angles of the costume
being designed. The importance of how a garment
looks on the inside may not be applicable for all areas
of burlesque or even costume design, but keeping this
in mind when designing costumes can complicate common methods of construction.
My work developing costumes for burlesque performers broadened my horizons as my understanding and
affinity for the qualities of cloth flourished and grew. I
began letting the textile dictate the placement of the
grainline on the garment pattern pieces I was developing. I moved from limited, simple garment form and
construction I had been trained in to developing increasingly complex 3D patterns for clothing. This shift

7

in approach to garment design and construction was
significant. It afforded me a malleability that I had not
encountered in the fashion industry. I found every reason to involve this new way of working into my design
process. Nurturing this process, I inadvertently began
to develop a type of co-designing. This was especially
the case as I developed costumes for a local Vancouver burlesque troupe, Pandora and the Locksmiths. An
adaptive, collaborative approach to garment design
and construction is almost implicit in the context of burlesque as this type of garment development requires a
much higher number of fittings compared to streetwear
or lower valued clothing items. My work as a designer
in both theatre and burlesque has broadened the way
I approach my design process: rather than an isolated
act I have come to see and acknowledge how my work
can interact with a community of stage performers.
As a workman and a designer, the material-led research
practices explored throughout this thesis informed
each artifact through the building of new knowledge
in digital and manual applications of textiles. Through
costume design for a theatrical performance, the explorations documented use planning, prototyping, observing, and reflecting as a process of developing updates
to inform each iteration (Collins, 2010). The research is
intended for costume designers, fashion designers, and
interdisciplinary designers.

As a big influence on the language and philosophy,
David Pye outlines in The Nature and Art of Workmanship, the
following quotations and definitions will help define the key
language included in this thesis (2002).

Grainlines: The way a pattern piece is aligned on the warp
threads, or selvage, determines the mechanical stretch
the textile will endure when assuming a three-dimensional form. The rotation of a grainline can make a
significant difference on some types of fabrics.

“In practice the designer hopes the workmanship will be good, but the workman decides
where it shall be good or not. On the workman’s decision depends a great part of the
quality of our environment” (Pye, 2002, p. 17).

Internal Structure: An overall shape for a garment. This
structure is not seen from the outside of the garment,
and may be concealed inside a lining layer. The
structure is commonly used in costume design technique to establish shaping.

Blocks/Slopers: A basic pattern created for a specific body
type that is used as a building block or foundation that can be manipulated or changed through
pattern design and dart manipulation. The pattern
pieces that make up a sloper usually consist of a
front, back, side/arm, and top/bottom, depending on
the complexity of the end garment type.
Co-creation: As described by Walmsley, “co-creation is ultimately messy, raw, incomplete, contingent and context-dependent. Successful co-creation involves trust,
respect, collaboration, playfulness and exchange; it
takes participants on an adventurous journey and
deepens their engagement with theatre” (2013).
Co-design: Designers play a key role in the process of designing with a team of contributors; designers provide
expert knowledge, prototyping, and facilitate production (Sanders & Stappers, 2016, p. 24).
Draping: Achieved by taking textiles and applying them directly to a three-dimensional form or body to create
the components that get sewn together in a garment.
Dress form: A three dimensional form of a model used for
fitting clothing.

9

Muslin: A lightweight, unbleached cotton textile that is used
to make development patterns. This fabric can be
sewn together to achieve a prototype design.
Neo-Burlesque: A form of striptease inspired by American
Burlesque. The neo-burlesque movement values comedy, theatrical extravagance, and using stage performance to express storytelling through conception of
dance, music, costumes and lighting.
Pattern Piece: A piece of paper that is the basis of a garment design. The shape of the pattern can be created from a variety of methods depending on the level
of communication needed to execute the design.
Warp + Weft: In woven textiles, the horizontal and vertical
thread structure are identified by these terms. Warp
threads run lengthwise (the white 100% cotton thread
seen in the weaving samples). Weft threads run horizontally (the reflective threads used in the weaving
samples).
Workman: A person who creates, or builds a physical artifact. Instead of using the term seamstress, workman is
used throughout this document.

How can engagement, visualization tools, and
handworkmanship promote thinking beyond
traditional modes of garment design?

Traditional garment creation has a deep history of
craft, quality workmanship, and culture. As the collective
skills of weaving, sewing, and draping are being
challenged through societal influences of consumerism
and the roles of clothing, this research seeks to blend
traditional garment design processes with emerging
visualization tools to order to support manual making
skills. Through seeing the final silhouette true to the
3-dimensional shape, a custom textile was created
with both manual and digital applications on a digital
jacquard loom. By bringing in other designers’ perspectives, design philosophies, and digital visualization
tools, a series of artifacts were created to support a
proposed theatrical production, Future Human.

Image 1:

Muslin prototype of the Future Human shoulder structure, 2019

Context

In my preliminary research for this thesis, I spoke with
theatre designers, directors, and producers regarding
alternative approaches to the design process. I found
myself fixated on an interview I had with a highly
accomplished Canadian costume designer, Susan
Benson, who started her career and education in
London, England. As I came to know more about her
career and her contribution to Canadian costume
design, I realized that her opinion on character illustrations were much different from my own. Everything
she said about design theory, attention to detail, and
textiles was consistent with my own practice, and yet
her perspective and attitude towards the role and
importance of illustration struck a discord. Primarily, this
was because illustration (and my capacity to do so)
had never played a fundamental role in my own work.
This accomplished theatre designer’s perspective worried me. While I am sure it was not intended, it made me
feel less of a designer, and somehow inadequate. The
contrast between our approaches to costume design
made me think about how important traditional methods of communication, such as hand-painted illustrations, strongly reflect the common practices of the mid
20th century. Comparing my own process to this accomplished designer, I realized there were many funda-

12

Character/Era
Research

Initial
Design Meeting

Final Design
Meeting

Dress
Rehearsal

Opening
Night

2D
3D
Wear-testing
and critique from
Production Team

Full-Colour
Character Sketches
with fabric swatches

Design
Concept

Initial
Design
Sketches

Final
Design
Sketches

Diagram 1: Traditional Theatre Production

mental differences between the way we each took on
costume design, which reflected our environments and
lived experiences. At some point in our visit, she made
the observation that it was obvious that I was not a
graduate of a costume design program but rather that
I had received a degree in fashion design where “technology-focused projects are found across all years”
(KPU).
As I reflect on how alternative approaches to costume
design can be tackled, it is clear that this conversation
and perspective on my own training foreshadowed two
important aspects of my Masters research: engagement with visualization tools. As an alternative mode of
communication via a costume illustration, digital applications of video projection, 3D scanning, 3D printing,

13

Prototyping

Muslin or final fabric
created for initial
Actor fitting

Proposed
Final
Garment

Final
Garment
Design

Finalized garment
ready for dress-rehearsals
and discovery

and Photoshop for garment design helps shift towards
thinking about computers and digital technologies
as not just tools for designers to document our work
towards, but “a place where they have become our
creative partner in designing, making, and using what
we produce” (Wujec, 2017). Not every designer can
work fluidly between digital and physical worlds, but as
technology advances, many designers are finding ways
to integrate digital technology into their practice. The
advances in visual technology, like computer-aided
pattern drafting and vector graphics throughout the
20th and early 21st century have had a large impact
on the clothing industry (Ramirez, 2014, p. 64). New
computer-aided technology and innovation is evident
in every phase of the production processes here in
2019. In garment trade software, such as Optitex,

14

virtually sewn garments are animated on custom-built
3D avatars, providing a useful means of garment
visualization. By giving the designer and/or pattern
maker a visual representation of a prototype garment
before it is even cut, the understanding in relationship
to a 3D form can be experienced much sooner in the
production process. This visualization of the 3D product
enables design teams to observe, reflect, and identify
challenging grainline placements, construction complications, or unwanted fit issues before it is cut into a
textile. While 3D tools (such as Optitex, Clo, Tuka 3D,
Marvelous Designer, Bronzewear) strive to parallel reality and enable 3D rendering of form and textile drape,
they usually only serve as limited representations of fit
and material qualities. In reality, textiles vary tremendously in weight, and hand from one weave, knit, or dye
lot to the next. Programs have yet to tackle this effectively, but have gotten quite close to becoming a viable tool in the textile industry. The malleability of textiles
makes visual technology challenging when catering to
a wide range of designers, textiles, and functions (Wujec, 2017). With these limitations in mind I have been
interested in finding alternative ways to apply and use
visual tools to bridge with traditional garment creation
skills.

15

Digital Tools
for Costuming

In the early stages of my Masters studies I began
looking at and exploring costume design in relation to
projection and light.
Theatre and live performances increasingly deploy
video projections, wireless technology, and computerized follow spots. “The ‘digital’ is so embedded, it has
become invisible” (Blake, p. viii). The drive to integrate
emerging technology necessitates a closer look at how
costumes work and function in a broader ecology that
includes the set and projection design (Blake, 2014).
For live performance, lighting and projection designers
enrich the visual experience for the audience by using
visual projections onto performers, performer’s costumes,
and the space inhabited by the performers and/or
the audience (Freshwater, 2009, p. 14). As technology
advances and changes the look of the performance
space, the way a costume designer, like myself, can
ideate potential garments for the stage does not necessarily support exclusivity to traditional modes used
in the 20th century. Reviewing and analyzing previous
work in wearable technology by designers like Jodi
Sperling, Kaus Obermaier, Robert Lepage,and Mourad
Merzouki inspired me to think of the human body as a
canvas for projection design.
Image 2: Ruthe and I testing space and projection angles in the Cultch Theatre, 2018

Diagram 2: Projection Explorations

In my initial research, I decided to take on a series of
theatre tests to help me identify preferable material
requirements and technical parameters a garment specifically designed for lighting/projections might possess.
These tests included one projector on white costume
in a white room, two projectors on a black and white
costume in a white room, two projectors on a structural
costume in a white room, one projector on three different costumes in a black room, and three projectors on
two dancers inside of white fringe set pieces in a black
room. Each of these tests explored different aspects of
technology, movement, projection design, and lighting
to help inform the final textile development.
Image 3-6: Ruthe working with the cape at the Cultch Theatre, 2018

Mimicking the flatness and expansiveness of a projector
screen, the first garment prototype was a cape constructed of a draped semi-sheer material. The cape
was designed so that the ‘arms’ of the performer extended past their natural arm span, thereby extending
the silhouette. A long rod was stitched into the shoulder
area of the cape. By holding on to this rod the performer is able to manipulate the material. When the arms
and the rods are fully extended, a large projectable
surface is created that is approximately 200 cm across
by 145 cm tall. The garment uses the performer’s body,
pole extensions, and the textile to disguise the human
form.

Image 7-8: Ruthe working with fabric at the Cultch Theatre, 2018.

At this early stage, I was particularly interested in exploring visual elements projected onto the human
body. A white cape prototype became my means of
considering this. Earlier in my burlesque costume research I experimented with cape designs for performers in a variety of contexts. The cape construction is
similar to performers like Loie Fuller’s 1891 serpentine
dance. More interestingly, Loie Fuller also used theatrical lighting effects in combination with her silk costume
design as a performance technique (Magical Motion
Museum, 2012). I spent my time ideating garment form
possibilities that might play with the relationship between projections and the body. I found that projection
design on material can be rapidly tested by getting
a performer (sometimes myself) inside the costume and
moving around in it. Rapid prototyping with my simple
white garment, a video projector, and a video camera
allowed me to consider a range of possibilities. From
very early on I played with mimicking the flatness and
expansiveness of a projector screen. The capes were
an ideal simple garment for doing this; I was able to

make full use of the drape and hang of each textile I
observed. I quickly realized that the performer’s arm
extensions, the textile qualities, and gravity all played
a role on the projection design and visual mapping
onto the cape-costume. The fluidity I achieved in these
early projection tests provided me with a similar effect
as Jodi Sperling’s ‘Book of Clouds’ where she utilizes
projection design, textiles, and a dancing performer
(2017).
Drape, opacity, and range of movement within a theatre space were perimeters that helped direct how I
began to test the garment design. In my second phase
of projection and light explorations I moved to testing a range of powerful handheld projectors. Moving
outside of my studio to a local theatre space enabled
me to gain new perspective. I began to understand
how the brightness, or lumens, can react to a performer, costume, and a black box theatre. My explorations
of cape/projection interactions in Vancouver’s Cultch
Theatre helped illuminate my discoveries.
Thinking as both a projection designer and costume
designer and working with the additional support of
the Cultch’s projector technician gave me new insights
such as:
-In this larger space the brightness and visual
quality of the imagery had a much bigger
impact.
-The brightness of the projector defines what
types of textiles are suitable for the saturation of
the projection design.

Image 9: Cultch Theatre Technician and I discussing projection angles. 2018

-When a textile is moving, it adds an improvisational rawness to the projection and in turn the
performance.
-When the imagery projected is dark, the performer is less visible and merges with the projection, becoming almost invisible.
-The brightness and darkness of the projection
space and how the projection reacts with the
background surface is important to consider.
My explorations in this space and the unexpected help
from others that it afforded suggested strong collaboration is a necessary component to visually understand how costumes interact with projection designs.
This initial research into costume-projection interactions,
and testing of different types of equipment, allowed me
to realize that the detail I was seeking in a final costume concept would require a better understanding
of a real world theatre context - a theatre production.
It was clear that I would need to move away from my
predominantly solo explorations and into a collaborative relationship. As a garment designer the complexity
of projection visual literacy, modes of musical expression, and choreography were beyond my skill set.

Image 10: Me testing the projection at the Cultch Theatre, 2018

Collaboration:
“Successful co-creation involves trust,
respect, collaboration, playfulness and
exchange; it takes participants on an
adventurous journey” (Walmsey, 2013).

Performative networks are made up of individuals on
stage and behind, as well as the entire audience, all of
which are part of a larger social network (McConachie,
2013, p. 69).
“Whatever their size, networks are relatively stable groupings of similar kinds of
people, with varying dynamics of inclusion
and exclusion, that constrain and enable
sociality, identity, construction, and other
social practices before, during, and after
a performance” (McConachie, 2013, p.
70).

Diagram 3:

Roles & Contributions through the prototyping process.

The energy and creativity of my initial thesis work had
sparked the interest of a group of local theatre designers, producers, and performers with whom I shared
discussions of philosophy and projection design.
Reciprocally, my projection-light explorations also made
me notice how much I enjoyed working with others and
how, in many senses, I have been gravitating towards
design work that involves collaboration or even cocreation rather than working solo for quite some time.
I wondered how I might enable this more frequently. I
decided to team up with other theatre designers to

help conceptualize and test ideas for an original
theatre production: Sean Bayntun (Composer/Keyboard
Player), Sean Bletcher (Sound Operator), Lyndsey Britten
(Dancer/Choreographer), Meg Carscience (Projection
Designer/Operator), Brad Danyluk (Sound Designer),
Sidney Hryciuk (Dancer), Daniel Ruiz (Drummer/Percussion).
“Good collaboration is getting on the same
page; speaking the same language, creating
touchstones in the ideas of the play and finding a common vocabulary all help us create
a new and complete world onstage” (Robin,
2011).
I already knew that working with others impacts my own
design process, often allowing me to be more focused
on the visual language and the bigger picture. This
perspective aligns with educator and author of Visual
Literacy for Theatre Ming Chen’s observations of semiotic functionality that exist in collective theatre making
(2015). By using this concept of a co-designing working environment, this can be achieved by working with
a group of theatre designers on a collective performance. Also referred to as Polyphonic Dynamics, this
process involves collaboration and the applications of
non-traditional theatre production (Chen, et all, 2010,
p. 115). To begin this process I created an interconnected production schedule see diagra 3. My intent
was to enable space for each designer to work directly
in the performance space while outlining a prototyping
and testing process. Each design segment within the
creative team was to have an opportunity for both
individual reflective revisions as well as collaborative
Image 11:

Setup, inside of the performance space. 2018

Image 12:

Sound and set design breakout session, 2018

Image 13:

Dance and set design breakout session, 2018

Image 14:
Building the
stage design, 2018

Image 16:

Image 15:

Stages installed in the
space, 2018

Second sound and set breakout session, 2018

critiquing across design responsibilities and expertise
(lighting, sound, movement, set, projections).
Enabling different members of the production team to
contribute to the development of a costume design
expands the traditional approach of the singular costume designer working primarily through an illustration
process to something arguably far more dynamic and
risky. The more I investigated theatre design, the more
I realized the impact a live performance can have on
an audience. I began to think about the relation between the stage and the audience. Traditional theatre
tends to use seating and stage layouts that facilitate
large gatherings of people and also inherently privilege the separation of the audience and the performer
(Freshwater, 2009, p.18).

Image 17:

Aodin Hand-held projector used for test performances. 2018

Image 18:

Second Dance and set design breakout session, 2018.

Through an initial design meeting, the inspiration for the
production didn’t have a definitive theme, but rather
was based on ideas from author Yuval Noah Hararri’s books Sapiens, Homo Deus, and 21 Questions for
the 21st Century. A historical overview of humankind,
projected possibilities of the future of humanity, consumption, mortality, and physical appearance inspired
all segments of the design team. When building out a
theatre production, many aspects of the performance
are defined by the format of the stage. Based on past
experience I surmised that this was the first thing that
the sound designer, musician, set designer and costume
designers in my production could collaboratively explore. Interestingly, the first things came to the fore was
an interest in working with a theatre in a round stage
formation. The opportunity to work in the round and
ideally a small space sparked the interest of the entire
design team I had collected. With this in mind, I sought
out a theatre space in a local community center, the

Moberly Center for Arts and Culture. This became the
site for our production meetings, rehearsal space, and
the shared meals before each rehearsal or gathering.

Image 19: Stage set-up for test performance. Aug 31, 2018

The experience provided me with opportunity to think
about the role of costume design as an element of a
collaborative process. Working with a group of designers helped me expand my assumptions of projections on
a costume design by thinking about an entire production, choreography, music, set, and lighting. Rather than
applying the usual conventions and ways of developing and communicating costume design through illustration or photos, I found myself conceiving and sharing
my ideas in more messy, raw, and incomplete ways. I
used physical prototypes. My work was contingent on
the other members of the group and context-dependent. Our individual expertise and the places we gathered to work together had an effect on how we worked.
The design team worked together to rehearse and test
ideas in a performance space. After a series of brainstorming sessions each segment came together to test
their intentions through a collaborative dress rehearsal-style prototyping session.
The music design was created with a quadraphonic
sound setup, complicating the sound set up for the
space. Conventional sound design divides the music
into two channels, left and right. The composition created for the test performance used five channels: front,
back, left, right, and subwoofer. This collective decision
to shape the space with music affected the design
team’s collaborative vision.

Image 20:

Stage set-up for test performance, Aug 31, 2018

In the collaborative setting I had established, I realized
that visual cues and spoken ways of communicating
were not always commonly understood the same from
designer to designer. The way each of us approached
producing our initial prototypes of set pieces, musical
sketches, choreography, and videos for the test performance necessitated smaller breakout brainstorming
sessions. I learned that the choreographer and I had
very similar ways of developing ideas through the use
of raw designs that gradually helped us develop an
overall concept. The music designer in contrast needed
an overall concept first, which they then developed into
more finite details through storyboarding and developing a timeline.
Aspects that motivated each of us creatively was also
interesting. By increasing the complexity of the musical
composition and the sound performance, the sound
designer and composer became more engaged with
the physical space. This in turn impacted the work of
the choreographer. The sound designer and composer
were interested in how the quadraphonic sound design
could be used to attract an audience’s attention. The
ability to have sound travel around the room impacted
the rest of the creative team. Each of us had to move
from seat to seat in order to understand the audience
perspective and consider how to design for this, whether that be via light, costume, gesture. The creative team
became an audience. We sat, reflected, and considered how to work with this new unanticipated sound
element - how might our collective work jointly respond
with our individual work.

Image 21:

Projection testing with dancers and set design. 2018.

The experience of working collaboratively in a theatre
space, with a team of designers to create prototypes,
was incredibly inspiring. The reality of analyzing my own
work with a collective’s deep considerations is something that could be part of a theatrical production
process. This type of exploring was a great way to utilize rapid prototyping and test overall concepts. In my
case, as costume designer, I realized that the white material I had been working with was not bright or reflective enough regardless of the theatre space. This detail
highlighted the need for more material exploration. The
success of bringing a team of designers together to
create an initial design concept in a theatre space led
me to my next stage of material research using a range
of visualization tools.

Image 22/23:

Photos from the Test performance on Aug 31, 2018.

Digital Tools for Costuming

In my final explorations I sought to investigate diverse
textile possibilities through the construction of a single
design element for burlesque performance: a detachable shoulder extension accessory/unit/module. This
section describes and discusses this body of work.
The lack of visibility of projected imagery in the performance made me realize that there was opportunity to
consider and develop more detailed costume elements.
The rapid pace of the prototyping process resulted in
low complexity garment design. The body being more
visible defined a need to expand my knowledge of alternate textiles, which subsequently necessitated adaptations in workmanship; for example, considering weave
and yarn structures in garment design.
Image 24:

3D scan of Shoulder Structure. 2019

Earlier projection explorations with handheld projectors
made it clear to me that the distinction between light
and dark can be enhanced with textile development
like 3M Scotchlite Reflective Material Fabric, or reflective yarns. Reflective textiles like 3M Scotchlite Reflective
Material are commonly seen in safety and athletic wear
garments, but not frequently in costume design. At this
time, this material is still quite scarce and not readily
available in small quantities. The proximity and quality
of the light source is also a large factor when utilizing
this technology (Kemp, 2016).

Image 25: Process photo: shoulder structure design. 2018

Material like 3M Scotchlite textiles diffuse light differently than mirrors, sequins, and crystals. From my experience as a costume designer, shiny surfaces like watch
faces, eyeglass lenses, and metallic buttons can act
as distractions on stage as they can reflect a bright
beam of light back into the audience and away from
the stage. In a burlesques design context, however, the
refraction of light and “sparkle” is used as a key visual
tool. By using a complex surface texture of Swarovski
rhinestones, sequin fabric, or lamé, each surface utilizes
the reflection of light in relation to movements. By using
reflection of light as a way to draw attention to the
specific performer or action on stage, this type of performance inspired each of the artifacts detailed below.
I found the desire to alter the shoulder silhouette as a
means to represent a form that was neither male nor female by researching fashion designer like Thierry Mugler,
Helmut Lang, and Serkan Cura. I decided to use a
garment reference that I could dismantle and adjust
as a means to understand each individual component
needed for the final artifact. The garment reference was
created not from an illustration, but was constructed
much like a sculptor.

Image 26-27:

Process photos: flat pattern pieces, 2018

As a starting point for Future Human I created a set
of criteria that was created from working with the burlesque performer Ariel Helvetica. The use of the Future
Human shoulder design concept needed to be rigid
but lightweight for Ariel’s intended use and storage of
the costume. It needed to be an independent structure
that sat on but was not dependent on the human body
to create shape and depth. From the inception of my
idea for this costume silhouette, how the final costume
execution was achieved involved co-design fittings
which provided an opportunity for both designer/maker
and performer to inform limitations.
The process of creating a shoulder structure that sits
up and away from the body started with paper, masking tape, and a dress form. The stiffness of my first
paper prototype provided a silhouette that accomplished a visual presence and effect which was much
more interesting and effective than anything I had
previously sketched by hand. I have found my ability to
think about abstract shapes adapted to the body a
challenge. Considering a design that wraps around the
front body, the back body, and the arm in a two dimensional space does not come easily. This, interestingly, is
linked to the typical format of pattern making/manipulation that I frequently use and teach. This method, which
dominates the fast fashion garment trade, involves the
separation of components that make up a body: the
front of the body, the back of the body, and the arms
are all treated as independent unique shapes which
are then merged together through the sewing process.
It was only when I cut up the sculptural 3d shape into
a flattened pattern piece I could then identified where
the seams or structure could be reproduced.
Image 28:

Heavy cotton prototype, 2018

Once my final pattern piece was ‘draped’, then flattened, I manually traced the form onto a copy made
in paper. I used this paper copy to trace a replica
pattern in muslin. I later scanned this draped pattern
piece into Adobe Illustrator. In this format as a digital representation the shape was used to parallel my
manual/analogue pattern development on a digital
platform. There were noticeable differences between
the manual paper pattern and the plotted results of
the digitized scan. Ideally there would not have been
errors or inconsistencies, but as each mode was tested
for accuracy against the original paper pattern, the
manual pattern techniques proved to be much more
accurate. Using an iterative back and forth process
I was able to get both the digital and paper pattern to match in every specification. This back and
forth process took four updates to check the digital
scan against the paper pattern, as the object was
much larger than the scanning surface and some of
the points of measure were out of spec when reviewing. Once this was done the form was tested using five
different types of textiles (buckram, PVC, muslin, sequins,
Scotchlite) and also support structures (3D printed
supports, balsa wood supports, manila paper, Duralar)
which helped guide the scale and proportions of the
constructed three dimensional form.

Image 29-32:

Work-in-progress photos for sequin costume. 2018

31

Neo-Burlesque:
Neo-burlesque costumes often apply couture techniques in order to assure durability of garments in acts
which are performed numerous times, possibly for years.
When silhouettes require body modification via corseted waistlines or exaggerated shoulders, the modifications are better understood if the same human form
can be referenced for all points of measure. By using a
3D scan, a model, or a dress form, design lines can be
visualized directly onto the body being designed for.
To create clothing design with specific visual language
and performance functions the Future Human shoulder
design explores different design contexts through the
same design. Ariel Helvetica was immediately inspired
by the context of a Future Human that I was researching and wanted to include this idea in her own costume commission I was creating for her. As my client
already had a textile in mind for the co-design project
- tear drop style sequins - this material challenged my
assumptions of what would be suitable to execute my
Future Human design concept.
As I started to work with the sequin fabric, I immediately
learned that I needed to slow down my typical process
of building, because the sequins were too large to be
machine stitched. While the sequin surface provided
excellent light reflection, the soft base textile they were
connected to provided no structural shape capacity.
While working with the sequined fabric, the fabric required hand removal of each unneeded sequin to be
able to machine stitch for the final shape. This process
was laborious, but as I carefully removed each sequin I
felt confident in the accuracy of the cut fabric. As both
the workman as well as the designer, I had tested the
shapes and proportions of the final pattern pieces in
Image 32:

Work-in-progress photo of sequin costume, 2018

32

B

A

E

manila and three weights of muslin before it was cut in
the final sequin fabric. While I worked at creating this
shoulder structure, I started to think of the alternative
applications and construction techniques that this
design could offer to another type of theatrical performance.

C

F
G

D

Image 33:

Adobe Illustrator file of the skeleton structure, 2018

Internal Structure:
As noted earlier the sequin fabric I was working with
was soft and had no structure. The shoulder form I had
developed for Future Human sits away from the body of
the performer, resulting in the need to find a means to
hold the fabric up. Allowing revisions and modifications
throughout the building process gave the costume
components an opportunity to work together in an unexpected way. I decided to use 3D printing as a means
to build the skeleton-like structure, this rigidness allowed
movements and extensions to be considered. As the
learning curve of working from 2D to 3D on a digital
platform was a difficult shift, tactile props proved a vital
learning tool. This 3D application to the design process provided an alternative shift in workflow, providing
me with the idea of creating separate parts which are
hand sewn to the final garment.

Image 34: Buckram inter-lining, 2018

Image 35: Skeleton Framework, 2018

33

Building a file that can be 3D printed requires the
designer to consider the suitability of the equipment
and functionality of the result. In my case I chose to do
most of my designing of the structure I wanted to build
in a program of preference, Adobe Illustrator. It is easy
to become frustrated with adopting new technology or
workflows to an existing structure. Patience applied to
this part of the garment design process is important as
it enables the workman to identify smaller discrepancies.
While I am familiar and adept at using Illustrator this
choice still provided many obstacles when I began to
shift my drawn files to other applications - communicating between software is not an easy process, and this
slowed me down allowing me an opportunity to understand the 3D software as it pertained to my design
problem. My familiar skills, detailed traditional pattern
drafting, supported my workflow in this unfamiliar territory. My manual building strategies helped support my
work using a range of digital applications.
I first tested a ‘skeleton support structure’ which is hand
stitched inside of the shoulder structure out of craftgrade balsa wood strips. Once the areas that needed
support were identified, I created a paper pattern
of each final shape. Once cut and then sewn to the
updated shoulder structure, the balsa wood structure
material proved to be quite adaptable and easy to
build, providing adequate support to my shoulder form.
Once I re-created the wood structures into adobe
Illustrator, I started to recreate the support structure in
Cinema4D, a 3D drawing software,. I was interested in
comparing processes of working with a wood structure
and the 3D printing process as this was a new workflow
and consideration. Because I had created a physical
example of the 3D print, it became an important tool
Image 36:

Buckram inter-lining and sequins, 2018

34

by allowing me to be able to analyze the form I was
working on in a physical space.
I then moved to 3D printing the form in conjunction
with a Research Assistantship with Researcher Aaron
Oussoren in the Material Matters research facility. The
development of my 3D printed structure was further
inspired by conversations and problem solving that
these similar but different perspective to add to my
own workflow. The involvement of other makers through
the learning curve of working from 2D to 3D on a digital platform was overcome with the refinement of how
I, as an individual with my own set of skills, could use
the program. This 3D application to the design process
provided an alternative shift in workflow and sparked
further explorations. It enabled me to conceive and
achieve sculptural design concepts that I was not able
to execute before this introduction.

Image 37:

Skeleton Framework: Internal view, 2018

Image 38:

Process of 3D Printing Skeleton Structure, 2018

Reflective Fabric:

The 3m Scotchlite bonded reflective textile was purchased through Mood Textiles, a retailer in Los Angeles. Through my experience in athletic wear, I worked
with textile mills that created this reflective surface in
a variety of colours. As Arial was visiting Mood Textiles,
she asked if I wanted anything I couldn’t get in Vancouver. Instantly I thought of reflective fabric, and to my
delight they had an extensive selection where I picked
out a brown colour, something that reminded me of a
skin colour. This cotton backed material is easy to cut,
sew, and press. The accuracy of the cutting, sewing,
and shaping around an internal structure framework
required no adjustments or negative surface space as
the material is flat and thin. The colour is uncommon as
a reflective material yet the brightness of this material
under a flash of light is still quite bright.

Image 40:

3M Scotchlite Textile, photo with flash, 2018

36

Textile Design:
Prototyping the Future Human shoulder structure in a
range of textiles and construction techniques, as detailed in the sections above, lead me to develop a textile design concept. Moving from earlier rough sketches
on a muslin prototype I gradually developed a refined
pattern. I transposed my work from an analogue muslin
structure and hand drawn pattern to a digital format.
These final explorations that employ digital tools for
the creation of fabric have inspired a new workflow for
myself as costume designer.

Image 41: Projection on a dressform,
2019.

Image 42: Transferring projection 		
lines onto fabric, 2019.

Image 43: Transferred lines on fabric,
2019.

Image 44: Re-drawn textile design,
2019.

Many costume designers are faced with minimal choices when choosing local or durable materials/textiles
to create costumes. To overcome frequent scarcity of
reflective materials, I decided to take a closer look at
the production of the textile. Inspired by an available
tool (a TC2 digital jacquard loom), I was interested
in adapting weaving into an integral aspect of 3D
costume ideation and production process. Drawing
on collective long standing knowledge connected to
weaving cloth, traditional skills are needed to weave a
textile on a digital jacquard loom. The loom required
working with a technician, as well as learning how my
specific yarn would interact with the warp threads on
the loom. As the warp threads are made of a white
100% cotton fiber, I was curious to explore the possibility of working with natural fibers in combination with
a reflective thread structure as the ability to over-dye
the final fabric allowed more adjustability of the textile
for a garment context.

37

A sense of flatness created from computer files can be
limiting when only looking at a typical screen-based
workspaces. As a first attempt towards achieving a
custom textile design, I chose to explore virtual reality
as a way of working in the digital third dimension. My
first experience wearing a virtual reality headset, Oculus Rift, was quite unique and oddly familiar. My intentions going into the experience were far too idealistic;
I assumed drawing on a 3D scan of my base structure
seemed achievable through the tutorial videos I was
watching. The concept of eliminating the step of having to physically draw on the surface of a garment
design didn’t feel as accurate when working with the
hand joysticks. While experiencing virtual space, I
changed my expectations and started to think of other
applications that supported the costume designer. I
initially 3D scanned the shoulder structure created for
the Future Human concept on a dress form, then downloaded it into the SketchFab program that is linked to
Masterpiece VR. After troubleshooting and getting to
understand the option menus, I successfully downloaded a dress form into the virtual space. Once I realized
I could physically move my body around the dress form
in virtual space, it felt familiar but not quite fully in my
control. When I began to draw design lines directly to
the dress form I imported, I felt the need to focus on
silhouettes and bigger perspectives rather than small
details. I found it harder to focus on the fine details the
shoulder structure could produce. Preferring to understand how this garment might be perceived in a large
theatre space with the possibility of true lighting or
even projections, much of the textile design changed to
a manual method of textile design, reserving this virtual
space as a focus for future research.
Image 45:

Masterpiece VR screenshot, Emily Carr Campus, 2019

38

As Image 41 shows, the use of a video projector can
be used not only as a performable tool for garment
design, but a tool in textile design. The reference images and proportions I was wanting to recreate for the
textile design are based on the skeletal structure of the
human body. A handheld or short throw projector can
be used to identify scale, ordainment proportion, colour,
or even test moving pictures against a light coloured
prototype. As both designer and pattern builder, I was
able to conceptualize ideas with this tool immediately.
By referencing proportion and scale to the accurate
actor - in my case a dress form adjusted to the correct height - the video projector and hand drawing
was visually understood sooner, making transferring the
general proportions faster.
Image 46:

Hand drawn textile design, back, 2019

Image 47:

Hand drawn textile design, front, 2019

39

Image 48:

Hand drawn textile design, scales, back, 2019

Image 49:

Hand drawn textile design, scales, front, 2019

Image 50:

Flattened version of the textile design, 2019

40

Image 51: Final textile design template, 2019

41

Image 52-54: Dissecting the textile design into smaller components, 2019

Image 55: Scanned and digitized version of the textile design, 2019

42

Weave Testing:
While I was able to easily control and manipulate the
texture and surface of the textile, the scale and sizing
was more of a challenge when transferring the digital
file to a manual process. Each time I approached the
digital jacquard loom with a file, there seemed to be a
disconnect between the shape and proportions of the
threads woven, and the shape and proportions of the
square pixels.

Image 56:

Photoshop file of textile design, 2019

A digital file has the potential to appear accurate to
size proportions of each thread visually represented in
artwork suitable for a digital jacquard loom. The TC2
loom’s software translates data from a black and white
image, which can be imported from a variety of different digital programs. In my case I found Photoshop
was the most successful in communicating the weave
structure I was creating. The ability to achieve photorealism is often a barrier when designing costumes. I
was able to conduct a series of tests to better understand the performance and malleability of a reflective
polyester thread. The software controls the TC2 loom
threddles and air compressor, and a manual operator
completes the production process. The blend of manual
and digital application forced me to consider every
square centimeter of material as each row of weaving indicated improvements and techniques to further
develop.
When weaving a custom textile with the TC2 digital
jacquard loom, the artwork creation can make the
largest impact on how the structure will be translated into a cloth. The proportions are based on one
pixel representing one single thread (880 total warp
threads). By creating a prototype, drawing a design

Image 57:

Weave testing, TC2 Loom, 2019

43

Image 59: Weave tests: Unbalanced, 2019

Image 58:

Weave tests: Checking the original design, 2019

concept, then transposing the artwork into a black and
white image, the original artwork of the textile posed a
problem in size, as it did not fit in the width of the 880
threads. Rather than adding more threads as a width
to the machine, the artwork was cut up into smaller segments and re-arranged to efficiently use the final width
of the weaving area (Image 70). Because I am using
reflective thread for my final design, each test done
without this thread type resulted in a different scale or
ratio from the original graphic design imported into the
program. The final textile’s specifications in both width
and depth did not transfer true to the original artwork.
To correct the modifications of the artwork imported
into the loom software, I reduced the warp length by
87% and stretched the weft width by 105%. The adaption of scale, combined with an angular textile structure,
required a large range of tests to explore different
weave structures to achieve a continuous textile, and
true portions. Each alteration to the weave structure,
yarn choice, and observation of machine changed the
result.

44

87% Warp
105% Weft

78% Warp
105% Weft

82% Warp
105% Weft

Image 60:

75% Warp
107% Weft
82% Warp
105% Weft

Weave testing yardage, 2019

82% Warp
105% Weft
75% Warp
105% Weft

75% Warp
103% Weft
82% Warp
105% Weft

45

Image 61-63: Constructing the textile components, 2019

Image 64:

Internal view of final garment, 2019

Image 65:

Work-in process, constructing the final textile, 2019

46

Image 66: Final garment design, photo without flash, 2019

Image 67: Final garment design, photo with flash, 2019

Image 68: Final garment design, photo with flash, 2019

47

Conclusion:

“In the context of providing material services
with less material production, visionary rather
than practical responses to materials and processes should not be ignored. The activities
and experimental designers can offer alternative value systems and new ways of approaching sustainability and material efficiency”
(Harrod, 2013).
The explorations documented and reflected on in the
sections above seek to blend a range of experiences,
research, and workmanship. My investment in this work
has been a means to think beyond the traditional
modes of communication and making within a costume
design context.
Image 69: Digital Jacquard Loom, Material Matters Research Center, 2019

48

Visualization tools and manual methods of making were
key to my dialogical engagement with digital technology. Adopting this iterative approach to costume
development allowed me to consider projection design possibilities in relation to the reflective capacity
and build of cloth (sequin, reflective, specially woven).
Another significant part of my work that allowed me to
reconsider my approach to the build of garment prototypes came through collaboration with others in both
theatre and research lab contexts. In the case of the
theatre scenario where I worked with a projection designer, choreographer, music designer, sound designer,
dancers, and musicians, I began to consider the needs
of the audience as an integral part of my prototyping.
In the research lab insight and work of others around
me led to consider the collaborators not just limited to
the design team, but the value in the interactions between technicians and workman.

Initial 2D
Research
Dance
Rehearsal

Initial
Design
Meeting

Design

Music
Rehearsal

Concept

Prototype
Dress
Rehearsal

Space
Rehearsal

Projection Design
for performance
Costumes

Rapid
Prototyping

Future
Human
Shoulder
Structure
Reverse
Projection
Sequins
Reflective

Ariel
(Performer)

Reflective
Custom
Textile

Jen
(Technician)

Aaron
(Technician)
3D Printing
& 3D Scan

Sean
(Technician)
Virtual
Reality

Digital
Loom

Future
Human
Proposed
Garment

Diagram 4:

Thesis Research Process Map.

Fittings

This mixed modal approach (analogue, digital) and
work with others has enabled me to step beyond traditional visualization techniques and challenge my skills
as both a maker and a designer. In The Nature and Art
of Workmanship David Pye described “designers have
only been able to exist by exploiting what workmen
have evolved or invented” (2002, p. 17). In the costume
work I have taken on since 2010 I have consistently
taken on both roles: that of a workman and that of a
designer. This is a fundamental part of my design process. Applying my own values of quality, patience, and
detail continuously brings my work back to my foundation by research old and new ways of making. My
design process has allowed me to challenge my assumptions about the technical and manual differences
in both experience and tacit knowledge.

49

Character/Era
Character/Era
Research Research

Collective Collective
Design Meeting
Design Meeting

Final Design
Final Design
Meeting Meeting

Initial
Initial
Dress
Dress
Opening Opening
Design Testing
Design Testing
Rehearsal Rehearsal
Night
Night
(Final Design
(Final
Testing)
Design Testing)

Initial 2D Initial 2D
Research Research

Design
Design
Design
Design
Concept Concept
Concept Concept

Initial
Initial
2D Visuals 2D Visuals
Initial
Initial
Prototypes Prototypes

Final
Final
2D Visuals 2D Visuals

PrototypesPrototypes

Initial
Initial
Feedback Feedback
Revisions

Verbal

Verbal

Visual

Visual

Kinesthetic

Kinesthetic

Final
Final
Feedback Feedback

Revisions

Proposed Proposed
Final
Final
Garments Garments

Revised-Final
Revised-Final
Garments Garments

Final
Final
GarmentGarment
Design Design
Rapid
Rapid
Prototyping
Prototyping
Diagram 5: Untraditional Theatre Production

A Revised Design Process:
The community of designers and mentors made a larger
impact on my design process than anticipated. Upon
reflecting on the production process, the revised
design process as seen above seeks to capture more
of the nuances or verbal conversations that help guide
final outcomes.
Through my research, I found that collaboration in a
theatre design context is composed of good working
relationships that acknowledge and respect the opinions and perspectives of everyone involved. Many of

50

the collaborative conversations I tracked were informal
ones. The excitement and investment that each mentor,
designer, or technician offered up inspired my work. The
drive for me to create something that the other collective designers wanted to experience through a performance made the interactions between each other that
much more important. As my research concludes, the
possibilities for exploring reflective textile design in a
theatrical performance context has much more to offer
beyond this thesis research. This drive to look beyond
my typical role, how I create, or who I ask for advice
has inspired myself as a workman and a designer.

51

A Local Context:
Being a designer in Vancouver, a city with a limited
number of local fabric retailers and fabric options, has
forced me to contend with constraints that on one
hand limit my options while also driving me to take up
new approaches to making unique non-traditional textiles/textile applications.
Developing a custom textile shifted my approach to my
Future Human shoulder structure. The digital technology
and the community that uses it became my creative
partner. I began to use and adapt a variety of digital
visualization explorations to find my preferred workflow. As I worked with the textile design through a more
detailed prototyping process I became fascinated with
how the textile design itself impacts my work as a costume designer. The ability to create complex, unique
textiles on a digital jacquard loom was an opportunity
for myself as a costume designer who designs for stage
performance and light applications. It enabled me
to reconsider the 3-dimensional design possibilities by
using reflective surfaces to achieve more visibility of a
performer in a dark room. This discovery was not a result from strictly self-reflective analysis, but was shaped
by the conversations and co-creation designing I was
doing all throughout my thesis.
The ability to create textiles on a digital jacquard
loom is a rare opportunity.. The fact that I could weave
a custom textile which achieved every technical requirement changed how I thought about the design
process, moreover, I was able to change absolutely
every aspect of the cloth with this tool. The TC2 Loom
is not designed to create large amounts of material;
rather it is considered a prototyping machine. The production output through a prototyping machine could

52

be considered in local small productions where small
fabric yields are common. The complexity in design
should not just be limited to production processes that
de-skill or replace hand-workmanship, but can provide
workmanship that bridges historical practice with future
thinking.

Communicating & Developing Ideas
with others:

“She is very receptive to my creative vision for this
piece, and worked with me to achieve and innovate.
Being a performer I am always wanting to see new and
unique reveals on stage and we really executed that
with this costume” (Ariel Helvetica, 2019).
Working in a non-traditional design process has
given me the perspective of a new type of workflow in
a collaborative setting. Starting from conversations
early in the production process, finding ways my team
of designers seek to work, and what visualizations or
details are important can all help find ways of cocreating. Much of the research and development
created in this thesis follows a non-traditional path. As
I bridge my work back into a conventional context, I
realize that the way I have come to communicate can
still be achieved through a revised design process.
Finding ways to work with other designers outside of
the constraints of the traditional production schedule
has meant that I have been able to bring in the entire team as co-creators. My intention was not to find
ways of making things work faster, or yield efficiency, but
rather to uncover new ways of developing ideas from
other perspectives. Slowing down my own workflow has
helped me reconsider how I work and relate to other
designers.
53

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Image 70:

Weave testing, Reflective Thread. 2019

Harrod,Tanya (2013). Visionary Rather than Practical: Craft, Art
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Helvetica, Ariel (2019, March). Personal Interview.
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25(3), 20.
Sanders, E. B-N., & Stappers, P. J. (2012). Convivial toolbox: generative research for the front end of design. BIS
Sperling, Jodi (2017). Book of Clouds: Time Lapse Dance. Retrieved from: http://timelapsedance.com/videos/
Walmsley, B. (2013). Co-creating theatre: authentic engagement
or inter-legitimation? Cultural Trends, 22(2), pp 108118.
Wujec, Tom. (2017). The Future of Making. Melcher Media Inc.

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Appendix 1: Studio Explorations
Dancer:

Michelle Chia
Garment Design:

Birds flyingcreated with illustrator and
photoshop.
Projection Design:

Dancer:

Wrap blouse
Wrap Skirt
Kids Play tube altered to
become a hoop skirt
Oversized hat, painted white

Ariel Helvetica
Garment Design:

Earth Spinning
created in photoshop
Projection Design:

Traditional tutu (9layers)
Tutu overskirt with shapes

Video:
https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=EOC6o3aZ7Mk&t=1s

Dancer:

Ruthe Ordare

Ink/Fire
Water bubbles/Electricity

Garment Design:

5M x1M wide wraping textiles

Clouds
Projection Design: Created by
blending multiple projection’s
together from copyright free
videos.
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=mmhoUQt9q70&t=3s

56

Set design concepts:
Theatre in the round
with projection design,
2018

Unrestricted (Greater Vancouver Professional Theatre
Alliance and the BC Alliance for Arts + Culture)
collaboration Vancouver
Theatre Conference: June
2018

Live Performance Jornal:
Custom built stages for
test performance, 2018
Modular design is easy
to transport

Fringe curtain set design, 2018

Bard on the Beach
Arts Club
Musical Concerts

3D Printing with Cinema4D,
2018

https://demolitiondraftshop.wordpress.
com/2018/11/30/
fringe-tunnel/

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3D scanning, 2018

Digital Jacquard Loom, 2019

Sequins
Hand sewing + buckram
form. 2018

Reverse projector material +
Clear Plastic Sheeting, 2018

3M Scotchlite Reflective Material , 2018

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