The Raven Girl Back Detail
My inspiration for the design was spurned through reading The Raven Girl by Audrey Niffenegger. I was captivated by the sequence in the book that describes the traumatic surgical procedure that the Raven Girl undergoes in order to get her wings. This led me to pursue the idea of broken and damaged skin textures, focusing in particular on bruising and plucked skin textures. The Raven Girl is neither human or bird and this is an idea I was keen to play on in the design, I enjoyed the narrative that was created through my choice of fabrics, dye and print work. The fabrication of unusual textiles in the feathers using wire wool and copper enhances the prosthetic quality of the procedures the Raven Girl undergoes. I wanted to create something unconventionally beautiful that expressed the fragility of the Raven Girl subtly using a refined colour theme that was in keeping with the dark gothic fantasy world that was created for the premiere of Wayne McGregor’s Raven Girl by the Royal Ballet. Features felted wire wool feathers, embroidery and appliqué
Raven Girl Front - Textured Leotard and Feathered Collar
The dye and print work is intended to replicate the bruising that is often a result of trauma or injury. To create this textile I used a combination of print and dye work, layered to create a depth of texture within the Lycra.
Feathered Collar
Wire wool feathers were created by felting wool through a metal rolling device which are threaded with a copper wire and then set alight to create a variety of blue, black and grey tones.
Detail of Print and Dye work
Detail of ‘Scar’
Textile fabrication on minx net using plaster tape, threadwork, painting and embroidery.
Raven Feather Collar
Metal feathers made by felting wire wool through sheet bending rolls. Copper wire is threaded through the centre and then the set alight to create tonal shading.