For one of my graduate projects I designed for a piece which I created called Twa Corbies.

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Twa Corbies is a piece of immersive storytelling theatre that is inspired by two Border Ballads: Twa Corbies and Isabel and the Elf Knight. We are told the story by Thomas the Rhymer, who sits in front of the fire and invites the audience into his tale. The audience sit around tables in a sixteenth century pub and are taken back in time to the Scottish Borders in the 1570s.

 

I have created my own story by blending these two ballads into a dark tale of magic, mystery and death. The plot follows Lady Isabel who is enchanted by the elf knight, Euphemia, who whisks her away in an attempt to kill Isabel. Isabel, lulls Euphemia to sleep and kills her with her own dagger. Euphemia's body is then left to the ravens, or corbies, to scavenge. 

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The costuming is historically inspired, diverting from accurate dress through textiles and exaggerated form. Each character has been assigned plants which reflect their traits. I used these plants to create abstract textiles and motifs using a variety of dyeing techniques. For example, Maude's gown is dyed with a deep red, I used shibori techniques to create shapes inspired by elder flowers and  embroidered over these floral motifs. Lady Isabel's gown has a panel made from a dyed silk velvet which has been embossed with stitchwort, one of her botanicals.

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