Performative approaches in designing costumes: ergonomics in immersion and storytelling

Abstract

The case studies explore experimental practices and approaches to design based on costumes that lead to the characters’ construction and of the plot itself and thus contribute to the immersion of performers and spectators into corresponding fictions. Semiotics and somatics gather in a visual vocabulary based on textiles, colors and garment shapes that tell stories, taking spectators to plausible universes or situations contextualized scenically. Participatory design is considered, with costumes as working tools for performers and directors. User-centered design processes that include the moving body as the mill of a costume’s definition promote a staging under construction that turns the plot into a metaphor of the costumes’ facets. This brings new symbolic and theoretical frameworks for both performing and designing. Thus, ergonomics is central in the creative process, implying original designs for these staging practices with no preliminary grounds and that rely on costumes as triggers for acting.