(Archive) Venus

Costume Design as an Extension of the Body

The custom-made costumes play a central role in “Venus”, acting as an extension of the dancers' bodies. Each costume is carefully crafted to not only support movement but also visually enhance the theme of transformation. As the dancers perform, their bodies are distorted and reshaped while continuously shifting between human and hybrid forms. The costumes, and the use of textile, amplify the sense of metamorphosis, pulling viewers into a world where nothing is as it seems.

WovenBodies

Woven Bodies is a tactile, textile project centered around the human skin. A never-ending research into textile expression; what are the existing possibilities when translating the qualities of the human skin into textiles? For Woven Bodies Bart Hess researched and explored a multitude of techniques, both digital and analog. Techniques such as stitching, quilting and embroidery, which were then applied on a large scale digital print on textile. The print is a still from a choreography based on the intertwining of human bodies, created by choreographer Sedrig Verwoert. A moving mass of skin and bodies, emphasised by a considerable amount of delicately placed stitches, embroidered patterns and other textile techniques.