Sunday, 20 May 2012

Lets do some Straight Talkin'

Evaluation For Self Directed Project
I started SDP by looking at what I had learned in CIC as I could directly link from one unit to the next in terms of the development of my practice. This helped me to identify some areas that I would consider when working through SDP as well as what presented itself during the course of the unit.  This mainly involved, but is not limited to: considering aesthetics carefully, the ‘eye for line’, standing back to visualise what the audience sees and thinking about what I am adding to a costume; will I enhance it?  This has come into practice when mapping out the bodice pattern, and during the decoration tutorials especially.
Although ballet has been a prescriptive choice for SDP there have been many opportunities for me to direct my own learning. I have written a long blog post about learning from performance and explained that just before the start of the unit I went to see my first ballet: Swan Lake. In the duration of the unit I have been to see as many live performances in relation to dance/ballet as possible. This has greatly enhanced my grasp of the context of my work, in addition to the screenings we have watched.  I have watched extra performances on DVD and purchased relevant books. For the POP essay, I chose a title that incorporated the discipline and the research undertaken into the history of ballet for that essay has added yet another dimension to my studies in this unit.
Keeping up to date with my blog and critically evaluating my work along the way has led me to pinpoint re-occurring thoughts and ideas. As a result this is solidifying my model of working, and defining  the path in terms of my work and what I aspire to achieve as I move into the last year of my degree and onwards.
To take this a bit further I have learned the need to be really honest about the level of my work and to constantly assess whether it is good enough for a professional standard. I know I am working towards the ‘high’ end of costume for performance, i.e. ballet, opera and bespoke garments. This unit has pushed the skills needed for this and I am moving into third year with an improved and refined skillset.
I am looking to continue into this area of costume for EMP and between now and then I will continue to study the construction of ballet costumes and deepen my understanding of the context of the subject. I plan to construct several more romantic tutus using alternative fabrics and shaped panels for the skirt. Draft and make another two bodices, including one ‘peasant’ example and create more sleeves and decorative samples. This should mean that by the time I undertake EMP, not only will the skills and techniques still be fresh in my mind, I will also have improved my standard of work. I will also continue to go and watch a variety of live performance related to ballet and dance, which will benefit not only my understanding of the costume but also as a genre of performance that I am involved in, meaning that I have a better understanding of the needs of future clients.
Finally, I am going to apply for work experience at the Royal Opera House, as this would give me first-hand experience of all that I have learnt in the unit and may even open up possible opportunities on completion of my degree.
In conclusion, I feel this unit has resulted in defining my practice as a costumier, by identifying through critical evaluation where my developing skillset is best suited. It has introduced me to a new genre of performance and given me a good basic grounding into the context of that genre and the specialist skills required to construct the appropriate professional standard costumes. I can now continue to build upon those practices in my own time, having gained a passion for the subject and I will continue to develop in preparation for EMP where I will learn more advanced skills specific to the specialist costumes required in ballet so that I am ready to progress to the professional environment thereafter.

No comments:

Post a Comment