Costumes that tell multispecies stories: Critique of Sympoiesis: A Bio-Inspired Dance Performance | Intellect Skip to content
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Volume 8, Issue 2
  • ISSN: 2052-4013
  • E-ISSN: 2052-4021

Abstract

This research report critiques the multispecies (human and other-than-human) connections created by the costumes in . Focusing on individuals from three kingdoms: (Protista), (Plantae) and (Animalia), the performance aimed to share the story of their entanglement. This report unwinds the research and outcome, demonstrating how the other-than-human species’ interdisciplinary research guided the conception of the costumes, choreography and set design. The research has been framed here in the theoretical context of ‘costume agency’, ‘response-ability’ and ‘care’, showing how the concepts infused the design and making process. I reflect on the ethical questions raised while working towards an ecological vision of costume, in terms of both making and designing. Through this article, I argue that creating a space for multispecies stories onstage will require a change in the way we study, design and make costumes.

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2023-12-27
2024-05-03
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