Fashioning A Body of Work: Map by Years
An exhibition of costumes that was mounted in 2018 in the Theatre Centre’s Gallery during the run of Map by Years, a concert featuring 4 of Peggy Baker’s solos.
Curator’s Statement by Caroline O’Brien, 2018
Theatrical costume design is an integral part of any character played on the stage and contributes significantly to how an audience understands the scene. Design for dance takes costuming to a new level, considering movement in a way that other performing arts do not address, permitting a range of motion that is beyond the reach of mere mortals. In its visceral and material existence, the costume becomes the only tangible record of the performance; the pristine surface exists in sharp contrast to the stains of sweat and makeup embedded in the layers, illuminating the signs of a maker’s and a performer’s work.
The main narrative of this exhibition uses dressmakers’ stands to show finished costumes on display, as a way to emphasize the comprehensive design process with stages in the birth of each costume according to the style of each designer. It follows a number of pieces from inception and initial design through cutting, sewing and after-life. This opportunity to showcase a collaborative process through different designers includes renderings, photographs, and archival documentation in addition to the garments themselves.
The exhibition offers elements of a creative process and the craft and making aspects that are often withheld from the audience’s purview. It offers new perspectives on the development and construction of singular and traditional dressmaking techniques and the skills required to fashion them. Using a combination of visual and prose narratives, the exhibition is intended to deepen and broaden the viewer’s understanding of the creative and technical aspects of creating dance costumes. The objects on view illustrate a valuable contribution to Canadian theatrical dance history.
The Arc of a Solo Career
During the arc of her solo career, Ms. Baker has always demonstrated a deep appreciation for her collaborators, and has paid particular attention to the costumes employed in her solo works. Now, as she maps the years with a beautiful array of dance, she has chosen to offer a retrospective of some of the singular works through some of their designers: Susan Macpherson, Denis Lavoie, Jane Townsend, and Caroline O’Brien.
Designing one-of-a-kind can often involve unconventional methods: Non Coupable (Susan Macpherson) employs singular dressmaking techniques to fashion a distinctive costume; Brute (Jane Townsend) takes Picasso’s Guernica, which is then cut up and applied to a child’s doll in order to situate the key images; In a Landscape (Jane Townsend) is inspired by a ball of rubber bands; Strand (Caroline O’Brien) is the creation of a woman spending an afternoon at home, the bias cut chiffon and silk-satin slip representing a simple day-ensemble; Sylvan Quartet (Caroline O’Brien) utilizes two layered fabrics, cut on the bias, draped on Ms. Baker’s form in a process that took several hours, before it was then flattened on the table and fashioned into a wearable garment; loin, très loin (Denis Lavoie) illustrates a combination of textures and forms in unique combination; and Unfold (Caroline O’Brien) combines several distinctive costume pieces to form variations on a theme.
