Images from The Snow Queen - playing at the Sherman Cymru theatre in Cardiff until January 10th 2009
The Snow Queen /
the ongoing obsession /
I cant help taking pictures of light through windows. Anything glowing. It's an ongoing obsession.
Designs that never happened 01 /
Designs that never happened
Some designs never see the light of day, I was asked to pitch a design for the set for Lily Allen's chat show on BBC 3 - sadly it never happened but I had a great time designing her a giant dollshouse covered in drawings, filled with iluminated 80's ghetto blasters, graffiti, carousel horses, oversized computer windows and a kitchen for unsigned bands to play in... Giant letters spelling out her name filled the TV studio, with an audience on sofas in the garden...
photos /
Some random pictures from old folders... beds today...
Here comes the Snow Queen /
Storyboard for the Snow Queen at the Sherman Cymru - opens next week. Production photos to follow...
Lola /
Recent work on the production of Lola for Trestle Theatre Company - a play about the life of Lola Montez, the amazing faux-Spanish dancer of the 19th Century
Another load of pictures from the coking plant /
This space is inspiring MANY set designs....
Zollwerein III /
Textures from the Coking Plant
Reminds me of paintings by Antoni Tapies....
Zollwerein II /
We took a tour of the most AMAZING derelict coking plant - a world heritage site in Essen - currently, this is where I work!
Zollwerein /
I am working on an installation in an old Slat Factory at the Ruhr Triennale for Theatre Rites - here are some of the pictures of the process... Lighting by Anna Watson, design by Lou Wilson... throwing haze through a deserted factory...
The Cunning Little Vixen /
Here are some pictures from a recent design - The Cunning Little Vixen at the Royal College of Music.
smile, life's too short /
Thank you to the man who was busking on the tube at South Kensington who was playing uplifting tunes and had a small green sign telling us all to 'smile, life's too short'. I did. And felt a lot better.
drawing /
some costume sketches for the Cunning Little Vixen, inspiration taken from old photos, take a look at the Magnum Photos website and see the work of Josef Koudelka... his images of festivals in Moravia, Czechoslovakia are fantastic
the cunning little vixen /
Am in rehearsal for a production of The Cunning Little Vixen at the moment - here are some images from a shoot I set up this week to provide promotional images for the show. The photographer is Chloe Pearson, the beauty in the photos is musician Anna Phoebe...
pink sky thinking /
stressful week.... here are some blue sky/pink cloud calming pictures. phew.
paris /
Just got back from a trip to see my brother in Paris
collected these colours and shapes, particularly like the wall garden...
how to tell the monsters from the misfits /
This play has just opened at The Door at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, playing until the 17th May.
Here are some pics of my designs... starting with some of the storyboard in the model.
The direction is by Lorne Campbell, lighting is by Jon Clark.
boring spaces, interesting... /
I do have a bit of a fascination for boring spaces, railway stations, offices - recreating them onstage can be satisfying in some way... Sitting at Birmingham New Street station on the way home last night caught my eye. I have recently been inspired by the photographs of Richard Ross, and his book Architecture of Authority - I looked at his work for my designs for How To Tell The Monsters From The Misfits by Paul Lucas at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre.The play was set partially in a police station and at various crime scenes - I had to find a solution to creating a municipal, police station environment, that could also evolve into a variety of other locations. I will post some pictures of the show when I have sorted them out.
One designer/artist who eplores real, sometimes mundane spaces with great success is Anna Viebrock - her work is very inspiring to me. She recreates real spaces on stage, creating a wonderful context for theatre...
I am moving from one project to another this week, How To Tell The Monsters From The Misfits has just opened and I am firming up my designs for The Cunning Little Vixen, which will be performed at the Royal College of Music this June.
long time no see /
I havent added a post for so long. Life has been both overwhelming and busy (plus I keep forgetting to take my camera out and about with me)
However, I have some new projects coming up and plenty of ideas flowing so my aim is to start adding images again....
More to follow....
process /
Some images of a recent project - Nine the Musical, directed by Jo Davies and lit by Anna Watson. Here is the idea (photoshopped collage, the model, and two production shots. An empty, white tiled forms the environment in which the piece unfolds, allowing for a mind space of the protagonist, Guido Contini and the women in his life. I really recommend watching 8 1/2, by Fellini which this musical is based on - truly one of my favourite films - makes the musical rather tame in comparison, I have to say!
