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Eirith

Grace Gilmour

Profile picture of Grace Gilmour

I'm a final year BA (Hons) Costume Design for performance student at the London Collage of Fashion, UAL. My practice is rooted in storytelling through costume, with a strong emphasis on character development, visual multi media research and conceptual thinking.

My design aesthetic blends experimentation with mixed media artistry; I enjoy working particularly on material innovation, texture and surface detail for its power to create narrative and identity in costume.

I'm a final year BA (Hons) Costume Design for performance student at the London Collage of Fashio...

My Project focuses on Celtic Goddesses, Goddesses of the Earth / Nature. A story of pain, rage, love and power. I am bringing these Goddesses back into the earth today, I want to show the power of life, death and rebirth that the earth holds, we are born of her and will return to her when we die. I explored the cycle of life and the power of nature, specifically focusing on Britain and its native biology.

It is a story of life and death, researching into the climate crisis and the destruction of landscape throughout Britain, but focusing more on its vibrancy and power.

 Eirith is a contemporary dance film featuring two goddesses, a passionate dance full of emotion depicting the rise of life and its love affair with death exploring the interconnection between these two fundamental forces. I want my audience to see the beauty and power of nature, by showing her as goddesses, particularly as historical (arguably more relatable goddesses) I want to create a performance that makes people think. By giving the earth these personalities, making her live, breathe and dance I am hoping to allow you to relate more to the earth on which we live and must protect.

I also want to show Earth's power, through dance and costume and my film location, the power that is eternal, for long after we have gone she will continue, the ancient burieal ground and surrounding landscape for the film will derve as a reminder to the everlasting natural world and the celtic people.

I have taken a material approach to this project, begining with dymanic designs and focusing on experimentation, reflection and revision that evolved throughout the project. My own experimentation driven approach allowed me to create new material methods like my stretch leather bark for dance and 3D printing by hand for power mesh. I also developed two fabric prints and used bio-dying and breaking down methods for costume design

Final work

This contemporary dance dress made for my character 'The Morrigan' embodies the spirit of death, created with leather, 3d printing and layered skirt.

The Morrigan

The Goddess of death, her contemporary dance costume designed and created by me features my own fabric print, hand drawn 3d printing and leatherwork for stretchwear. This character embodies natural death and decay with references to winter and the cycle of life

Danu the goddess of life, her green contemporary dance dress features blossoming flowers, handmade ribbon leaves and painted ruffles on the hem.

Danu

Danu, goddess of life, this costume, featuring my own fabric print and handmade leaves, encapsulates birth and life in nature expressing vibrancy, abundance and my love for British nature. This contemporary dance costume forms part of a duo with each representing either life or death within the natural organic world.

  • a compilation of images from Eirith showing the costumes in urban settings and in my dance film
  • Research and production sketchbook pages
  • Research and production sketchbook pages
  • Up close image of my leather fabrication with silicon maggot embroidery. The skirt is black organza, textured with puff binder and hand painted
  • Eirith costume details and film set
  • Up close image of my leather fabrication with silicon maggot embroidery. The skirt is black organza, textured with puff binder and hand painted

Research and process

  • Research and production sketchbook pages
  • Research and production sketchbook pages
  • Research and production sketchbook pages
  • Research and production sketchbook pages
  • Research and production sketchbook pages
  • 3d printing creation

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Eirith

My Project focuses on Celtic Goddesses, Goddesses of the Earth / Nature. A story of pain, rage, love and power. I am bringing these Goddesses back into the earth today, I want to show the power of life, death and rebirth that the earth holds, we are born of her and will return...

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