Parker Spear – Reimagining Figaro for Patterns of Performance

I believe that costume design plays a vital role in an actor’s performance, which is what drew me initially to the Patterns of Performance competition. I knew I wanted to choose an opera for my project because the nature of opera costumes followed closely with the kind of design I am interested in. I wanted to create a costume that emits the aura of the 18th century through intentional design. I believe that a costume historian has the distinct task to cast a light on how relevant history is to us in our modern age.

Following along with this theory, I chose to reimagine the character of Figaro from The Marriage of Figaro, with an innovative take on the easily recognisable character. This decision was also in part due to Mozart and his modern take (towards the end of the 18th century) on a classic story. His rendition of Le Nozze di Figaro was a story of love, deception, and forgiveness, and it was noted by figures like Napoleon Bonaparte that Mozart’s opera was simply a ‘sympathetic statement on the social climate’ of the time. The beauty I found in Mozart’s attempt at Le Nozze di Figaro was his aim to unmask society by flipping the inner workings of society upside-down. His opera was so powerful because he presented it to the very people he meant to unmask, during a time when society was on the brink of the French Revolution.

My process work began first with researching the social climate of the 18th century and the class divide between the aristocracy and the bourgeoisie. I believe that careful design starts first with thorough research into the chosen period. I knew I would not be able to emulate an aura of 18th century design without first understanding the mindset of the time.

My design work began with the patterns from The Cut of Men’s Clothes from Norah Waugh’s book, and modified the patterns slightly to fit my design for Figaro. For this competition, I wanted to experiment with modern technology including the use of resin as well as the use of a 3D pen. My research into 18th century class division took me to a detailed look at the lavish embellishments of the French style and how this compared to what the lower class was wearing.

I used Susan North’s 18th-Century Detail to look at the close-up images of the elaborate trims and buttons present in menswear. This gave me the idea to recreate my buttons using the 18th century method of creating spangles. I have also been at work screen printing with foil to recreate fabric from an 18th century archive. In the same vein, my idea for using a 3D pen to create my fabric is to recreate a 3D version of 18th century fabrics. As a way to bring the 18th century back to life in a modern lens. I have also experimented with natural dying to create a sense of opulence and decay, which embodied the class divides of the century.