Undergrad

BA Theatre and Screen: Technical Arts And Special Effects

University of the Arts London, 2014 - 2018

Overview

Year 1

Creation of a replica prop, 10x scale of a small object.
- technical drawing
- foam carving
- painting + finishing techniques
Creation of a theatre puppet based on a nursery rhyme, performed on stage at the UAL Wimbledon theatre.
- papier maché
- wooden mechanisms
- performance design + lighting
- lecture and workshopping from the West End’s The Lion King stage show puppeteers
- movement workshop by theatre professionals
- woodwork: creation of wooden callipers to be used in year 2 life sculpture project
- mig welding: creation of back iron for year 2 life sculpture project

Year 2

6 weeks sculpting from life with a nude model for the creation of a half-sized torso, taught by sculptors Alan Sly and Livia Turco. In-depth tuition of human anatomy and sculpting techniques. Measurements were taken by hand with no photographic references.
First introduction to moulding and casting techniques, taught by Martin Hanson and Simon Stringer.
- 2 part silicone moulds
- Plaster Casing
- Fiber Glassing
- Jesmonite
- Life Form silicone + Alginate
Introduction into prosthetics by Dan Martin.
- life casting
- old age facial prosthetics
- Monster clay
- encapsulated silicone running, airbrushing + pigments
- bald cap application
- flat plate wounds
First independently led conceptual project (detailed below).
- Art Direction
- Set Design
- Sourcing props
- Editing
- Member of a small design team in collaboration with WETA Workshop in New Zealand for the creation of a statue for Pukeahu War Memorial Park, Wellington. Funded by the British High Commission.
- 4 Weeks work experience with Madam Tussauds, awarded by high recommendation from Senior Lecturer Alan Sly.

Year 3

The Pygmalion Complex -
- carpentry
- laser cutting
- 3D printing (Fusion 360)
- Sculpting from reference photographs + measurements
- props making
- casting in resins
5,000 word essay
The Pygmalion Complex: Authorship of the Female Body in Cosmetic Surgery

The Pygmalion Complex

Final Major Project 2018

My final year project followed on from my Design and Make short film, wanting to expand genetic engineering as a creative concept with more detailed props and sculpture elements. The title, Pygmalion Complex, highlights the notion of ‘playing god’ and underpins the thematic tones of the project being inspired by greek mythology.

My dissertation followed similar reference points and was entitled The Pygmalion complex: Authorship of the female body in cosmetic surgery. My dissertation unpicked artistry involved in cosmetic surgery and the male gaze.

The Pygmalion Complex

Cosmetic Metamorphosis

blurring the line between art and science

Prop elements in this project were heavily influenced by my research into eugenics and the sudo-science of WWII regimes. The props imagined a world where children could be designed in a lab and the sculptural element was inspired by the Mengele twins.

Dystopia was at the forefront of this project, having always found scope in the cross over between science and art. The props I created are sudo artefacts for a modern curiosity cabinet of sorts with the tagline ‘beautifully grotesque’ fortifying my creative process.