Dried flowers and light

 Some images of experiments of using roses which i dried. I wired them to a mesh base which i tried to shape to the typical large skirts of the early 1800's. I also played with light looking at how the flowers look in the light from different extreme angles.

Exploring

 Some images of my experiments in reponse to the play and space. The first one is a rose made of crepe paper. I also did a carnation to see what they would look like aesthetically. They were a representation of the original which could have a number of connotations depending how i put them into context.












The next image is a sketch of an image that was inspired by the play. At the end of the play Camille's heart is broken, her life and love is shattered. So the shattering rose is a representation of that. Being red it could also eb commenting on the TB she died of and how it shattere her life as well. Some of my inspiration for this also came from Cornelia Parker and her exploding shed.

 This image is an initial sketch of how i could bring the two elements of the play and story together with the Glasshouse. I was inspired by the shape of the crinoline and it's resemblance to architecture and a bell cloche. So i looked at how the glass tiles of the architecture would fit into the crinoline. I also wanted to see what it would sayabout Camille.

 This image is a further development of the previous one. I did some further reserach into the fashion of the early 1800's which is when Camille was around. The dress was based on a design for a wedding dress which is the kind of oppulance that i believe Camille would have had on a daily basis. This images is showing how her life and riches were disintergrating around her. How she is like a hot house plant in her exotic desirability and how in the end her delicate nature was her undoing. The plants are begining to consume her so nature is taking over and death is creeping up on her.


After some more thought and experimentation with dried flowers the body of Camille could be made from dried flowers or flowers in the process of wilting and drying. So again it's telling of her fragitily and decay.

 These are some tulip petals that had molted which i wanted to play with to see how they could be presented. This images shows how they could be used to maybe cover something almost like scales.
The next image is just looking at how they behave when suspended since i suspended them to dry them anyway.

Victorian's science and exotic plant collecting

 The Camellia House where my istallation is being put on was built during the early Victorian era and the story of Camille also took place during the early victorian era. This is a period in history that was full of explorers bringing back new and exotic species of plants which were subjected to rigorous study. I wanted to look at the structure in various flowers in the same way that the victorians did so i cut some roses, carnations and tulips in half. The structure of the rose reminded me of the many layers of Petticoats that the women used to wear before the crinoline was invented.

Whiate Card Model

 Images of my basic white card model just to give me an idea of the space and how everything is going to relate to it. The space gives the audience a number of choices in how they can explore the space because it's divided into the four flower beds. These four flower beds act as screen as well dividing the space and making it full of the potential for discovery.