Brushstrokes of Horror
Assignment: Design an audience-interaction-based entertainment experience with two costumes integral to the experience.
Narrative: Kathy, a tour guide, takes you through the home of a famous painter turned serial killer. In the main gallery hang two self portraits: one painted after the loss of his wife and daughter, and one painted right before the murders began. The lights flicker and off. Suddenly Kathy is grabbed by a creature and dragged up the wall and pulled into the painting. You only hear screams over the audio-guide speaker. Blood drips from the canvas as Kathy’s painted and horrified eyes meet yours.
I used art related clothing as a base (paint-covered denim). I knew she would have to have a microphone to talk to her guide groups.
Because she wears a stunt vest, dri-fit shirt, and shorts underneath her uniform, I created baggy overalls and a shirt, sewn together to stay in place as she is lifted by the harness. A small velcro opening in the back allows her to connect to the stunt rig halfway through the show.
I knew I wanted to depict two versions of Jonathan, his human self and his demonic self. Since both were seen in painted portraits, I decided that having a very stylized design would help him stand out.
I wanted Jonathan’s portrait to reflect his level of malicious apathy. His cozy sweater contrasts with the bloody sleeves.
I wanted the portrait to seem rushed—a grieving artist would not spend time on detail. I gave myself a time limit of 20 minutes to create the portrait and used a stylized and painterly feel to force the rushed feeling.
I used crawling, elongated limbs, and skeletal frame toreinforce the feeling of emptiness, grief, and loss of humanity he felt after suffering such a great tragedy.
The finished concept.