Grendel

I love challenges, especially ones that take me out of my comfort zone into a place of exploration and wonder.

Constance Hoffman and I met in LA when I heard she was thinking about costuming an opera using Felt. Feeling empowered after the collaborations with Cirque du Soleil, I was intrigued to learn more about her opera vision. (After lining the premier decks of two cruise ships with my handmade Felt, an opera sounded manageable!) We brainstormed the concepts and after a few weeks concluded the time/ cost/ benefit ratio for handmade Felt in that quantity was not the best approach. I suggested a hand-finishing technique I had discovered using wool felt yardage that would be indistinguishable from the audience and take less time and money.

A few weeks later she asked – “Can you make Felt that emulates ice?” And if I could, would I be interested in creating fabric for the costume of one of the leads – Queen Wealtheow – the Ice Queen? She sent me a sketch and photos of glaciers and ice and I went to work. 30 samples later we had established a common vocabulary of color and texture and the project was on. She found a square inch of “ice” in my samples that I expanded into a dress based on a collaborative system for working remotely (without zoom or FaceTime). We were both thrilled with the results.

Shortly thereafter, she reached out again. She was having trouble sourcing a textile that matched her vision for the Dragon, and time was running out before opening. “Can you create a fabric that evokes the qualities of molten lava and fire?“ Since our visual vocabulary was now calibrated, it took only 3 samples. The resulting series of Felt (used for dresses, and the set) remains one of the wildest, most complex combinations of techniques and fibers I have ever invented. The resulting textiles and garments speak for themselves.

“I have not had a chance to tell you until now how utterly beautiful the dragon fabric is. It is exactly what I had hoped our collaboration would. result in- a mysterious, vibrant, dragon-souled work of art. Thanks to you. And thank you for your wonderful mixture of enthusiasm, intuition, determination, and skill- I. have rarely felt my design in such good hands before. You and your staff are amazing.”

Constance Hoffman via email