Making Costumes and Magic

As sentimental as it may be, magic is what interests me the most. The magic of making clothes reminded me of a Grimm fairy tale in which twelve brothers are transformed into swans, and their sister must weave shirts for them from nettles so that they can become human again. It is a moment when something beyond the material can return into the material. Here are four aspects of magic that I experience while handmaking props and costumes:

Magic 1 – Memories I Never Experienced

My first performance (Adaptation) was inspired by the dances of Gyimes. I remember how, as a child, when I put on the traditional Gyimes costume, my posture transformed, as if I had grown up there and then, in the place and time where those clothes belonged. Perhaps this experience initiated my decision to crochet the costumes for the performance. I wanted to create the feeling of everyday existence in the world of Adaptation, before that world even existed. A new production always becomes a parallel universe, where we exist even if not all of our actions are visible in the presented piece.

Magic 2 – Thinking and Preserving Action

Creating a performance is always accompanied by a long process of dreaming, contemplating, and “weaving reality.” In each of my performances, as well as in the Irene Plaque: Dollhouse performance, I wanted to make the act of creation, the thoughts and meditations behind it, something tangible. Dance does not remain, it is always ephemeral, existing only in the moment. But these garments can be touched and preserved.

Magic 3 – Overcoming Myself

Because of the permanence of the material, my mistakes and my clumsiness become visible and seem intentional. This allows my actions to be read even after they have already happened. I think of this as a way of overcoming myself. It may seem contradictory that I overcome myself precisely through the limitations of what I am able to do, but this is how it feels. I surrender to my limitations. I can call whatever guides my imperfections God, the subconscious, or magic, but either way, it opens up a new aspect of reality that I do not often access.

Magic 4 – Preserving Desire 

There is a magical practice in the Japanese tradition of folding one thousand origami cranes (senbazuru), where the act of patiently creating the cranes carries a wish and is believed to bring it into reality. This is the fourth aspect of magic that attracts me to making things. Also since desire’s nature is to never fulfill it self I finde it asspecially amezing that it can become a creation. For Softloneliness, I crocheted a blanket with the wish of meeting my love. I have not met them yet, but the blanket itself became something beautiful: a meaningful object and an imprint of my lonely contemplations.

Part of the props of the solo oiece are also a crocheted plate, a microphone, and a vibrator.

For Softloneliness 2, I crocheted around cups and cookies, creating objects that we could suck out from inside the crochet forms.

For Dollhouse, I crocheted and knitted with elastic material, creating pieces that allowed us to play with pulling against each other. I also used very soft materials that allowed us to slide easily.

For Sentimental, I am creating white angel costumes from elastic material. The work balances between the ideas of being tied down, being held in a soft embrace, being heavenly white, and remaining earthly and imperfect.