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Caliban - The Tempest

 

This costume I made and designed for a seemingly straightforward project based on the tempest. We were instructed to design costumes for each of the characters in Shakespeare's play and make the one we thought most worth making. This is the project where we learned to make character / scene breakdowns. 

 

The way I interpreted the Tempest for this project was more as a comedy than as a problem play. Taking inspiration from modern society, I visualised the voyage as being on a royal yacht, the jesters being replaced by popular comedians etc. The character I enjoyed piecing together the most was Gonzalo who became David Attenborough. Attenborough would be part of this voyage as a documentary maker, and would be thrilled to encounter a creature like Caliban.  

 

 

The idea of making the costume from a wetsuit came quite out of the blue while looking at images of giant tortoises with their thick sandy skin. Caliban often gives the impression of being human in nature so you can imagine that he has grown a skin that has turned him into his surroundings after years of neglect. Because he lived on the island long before the other characters he should look like he's been absorbed into it. 

Gonzalo's journal, Island

Gonzalo's journal, Island

Gonzalo's journal, Island

The wetsuit is covered in barnacles made from latex, using a mold made from barnacles found on Brighton Pier.

The other shells (also found on Brighton Pier) have holes drilled in them so they could be sewn directly onto it. They had to be varnished to make them look like they were fresh from the sea.

The seaweed is a combination of PVA, food colouring, sand and tissue paper covered in latex.

Literally all of the yellow dots were hand painted using acrylic paint in a variety of shades. Puff paint was used to create the rocky grey effects underneath. 

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