The Nightingale: A Steampunk Fairytale

Using tools and techniques learned in the Costume Design class, this presentation showcases the final product of a complete set of costume designs for the fairytale The Nightingale by Hans Christian Anderson. The goal of this project was to challenge myself by combining East and West in my own interpretation of the tale’s theme of the mechanical versus nature. The steampunk aesthetic was chosen due to the heavy nature of the dependence on mechanical objects, as well as the story’s innate style of chinoiserie. These designs were conceived through many stages of research, such as; historical, emotional, and pop-culture. After making initial sketches, final renderings of the characters were drawn, traced onto new paper, watercolored, and then finalized with pencil and ink. The resulting product was taken to the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival, where it competed with a few dozen other competitors in both realized and unrealized costume designs. For this presentation, Joanne Kirckof received a Creative Works Best Presentation Award for 2014