THE SILK WEAVER

Above you can see the culmination of my work at Fire Station Creative as a part of their Graduate Incubator Project, which is being showcased in their 'New Graduates' Exhibition in July 2021. This project is a hypothetical design for a site specific theatre adaptation of Liz Trenow's 'The Silk Weaver', exploring the silk weaving industry and how we view artists and craftsmen both in the 18th century and now. This project was inspired by the #SAVETHEARTS movement that took place during the COVID-19 Pandemic, which sought to protect the Arts Industry in the United Kingdom. 'The Silk Weaver' discusses issues surrounding Textile Workers Rights and Protests, how we value creatives and technical practitioners, Immigration, Xenophobia and Class Division in the 18th Century. However, many of the themes it discusses are just as relevant now as they were then.

My adaptation draws visual parallels between then and now to question what we can learn from history. The costume design is a mixture of contemporary and historical styles, with the modern clothing underneath and historical layers built on top, to ease transition. This hypothetical project is designed to be staged in Christ Church in Spitalfields. The set design is minimalistic to allow for ease of transition between the two opposing worlds: the wealthy merchants and the impoverished weavers.  The Set displays protest posters, depicting placards used by textile workers throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, a 1760s inspired loom (which can be used by actors as a platform) and also costume rails for actors to change into different costumes on stage (blending contemporary and historical silhouettes). 

​