Foraminifera Costume

This was my first major design task in school so far, posing both great challenges and providing invaluable experience. As a second year student I was tasked with designing and creating a dance costume inspired by the foraminifera; a single celled aquatic organism thought to be the first life found in the impact crater of the meteor that killed the dinosaurs 66 million years ago. This solo performance was part of a larger, exploratory dance piece in collaboration with Rock Bottom Movement, which I believe produced some of the most whimsical and out-of-the-box costumes I have had the pleasure of contributing to. 

Directly following the high energy section symbolizing the meteorite and the death that followed, the foraminifera was a sign of hope and healing for the planet after such destruction, and I wanted to represent this life with both texture and movement. I remade a hoop skirt from an old clown costume in the desired colour, and lined it with various trims and embellishments to mimic a coral reef to achieve dramatic movement following the dancer. Fringe lining the circumference of the hoop added another layer of movement to the costume. This piece also contrasted the bright colours of the previous dances by opting for a neutral beige colour palette, also matching the foraminifera.