EVA BJÖRG HARÐARDÓTTIR
Leikmynda- og búningahönnuður

Yesterday I went to a very interesting talk at the New London Theatre where puppetry Director Jimmy Grimes talked about the development of the play War Horse from original concept, through workshops to first performances. I went to see the play earlier this week and was absolutely amazed by the work of Handspring Company who made the full size horse puppets. What I found most interesting is how important it is to give the puppets breath to bring them to life. It is the kind o

“The body of the performer in space draws together all elements of scenographic practice. “Bodies in space” impiles not only the relations between bodies on stage but also between the stage and the audience. However, just as close analysis reveals that “space is never empty”, our readings of the body are complex and multi-layered (Theatre and performance design 2010 p. 231). We have had four very interesting sessions with Sophie Jump where we have been working with the idea o

After having thought a lot about where I want to take my individual project, my instinct is to design a site-specific version of the play Peer Gynt. I would like to do a speculative design proposal for a site-specific performance based on the play where the audience is lead through different spaces and is active participant in the performance. I want to play with elements such as puppetry, scale, video and sound. I still have not found a place where I would like the performan

We had a very interesting session today with the artist Leni Dothan where she talked about her work. She has been working with what she calls “time expansion”, an expansion of time and space within the linear timeline of the history of art. She has also been researching topics like taboos, heterotopia and nonphysical heterotopia.

I think I can say that my interest in immersive and site-specific theatre began when worked on a project lead by Gerry Pilgrim in my BA theatre design course. There we were supposed to design a proposal of a site-specific performance based on a short story, which should take place at Battersea Arts Centre. I really enjoyed this project and realised that this was something that I wanted to look further into. But what is the difference between immersive and site-specific theatr

Today, I went to a very interesting knitting and stitching show at Alexandra Palace. There did some textile artists showcase their work; from 3D crochet to surface embroidery, patchwork and quilting to intricate crochet. I was especially found of Kate Jenkins‘ work, croacheded and stiched fish, which she calles Kate's Plaice, The Stitchmongers.

It can be very intimidating to have a script in your hands and an empty piece of paper in front of you. Where do I start when designing for theatre? How do I communicate my ideas? On Wednesday and Thursday last week we had two sessions with Sophie Charalambous. where she gave us some good advice on how to start when you feel like you have nothing in your head. We did a little practice where we were supposed to pick two scenes from the play and think about the transaction. Som

We have been given the play Peer Gynt by Henrik Ibsen to work with during Unit 1. Peer Gynt is a complex story with many and quick scene changes. The main theme through the play is Peer’s constant search for his identity and himself. Ibsen wrote the play in deliberate disregard of the limitations that the conventional stagecraft of the 19th century imposed on drama as it was never meant to be staged when it was first written. Its forty scenes move fast in time and space and b

In this blog I will outline the rationale and development of my studies in MA Theatre Design at Wimbledon College of Art. I will talk about my approach to theory and practice, my inspiration, research and studio work. My overall aims for this course are to develop further my designing skills, especially my drawing- and model-making skills in order to express my ideas as clear as possible. I hope to get the opportunity to also get training in model-making techniques as well as