Alexandra Hepper
Theatre and Screen: Costume Design BA (Hons)
Wimbledon College of Art UAL
Specialisms: Costume Design - Stage Screen Dance / Textiles for Fashion / Sustainable Fashion/Textiles
Location: London, United Kingdom
Alexandra Hepper
First Name: Alexandra
Last Name: Hepper
Specialisms: Costume Design - Stage Screen Dance / Textiles for Fashion / Sustainable Fashion/Textiles
Sectors: Fashion/Textiles/Accessories / Fashion/Textiles/Accessories / Fashion/Textiles/Accessories
My Location: London, United Kingdom
University / College: Wimbledon College of Art UAL
Course / Program Title: Theatre and Screen: Costume Design BA (Hons)
About
Costume design graduate searching for work and experience in the costume and wardrobe departments for theatre, film and HETV.
Collaboration with the V&A Performance Festival 2024, choosing an item from the Film archive to re-imagine for a dance performance. Performed in the Raphael Gallery on 21st April 2024. I chose a film poster illustrated by Herdmann for the film Frau Im Mond (1929) directed by Fritz Lang. When watching the film I was captivated by the appearance of the pinstripe suits worn by many of the characters. The harsh chiaroscuro lighting of the black and white film and Expressionist style made the suits look particularly striking when they were creased up and moved about in. Having wanted to explore menswear and tailoring in my work, I began by designing around the idea of the pinstripe suit and how it can be exaggerated for a theatrical performance.
A stage adaptation of William Golding's Lord of the Flies, written and directed by Paige Thomas. My role was as costume designer and supervisor for the nine-cast show. I began by researching the history of school uniforms and the differences between state school vs public school uniforms, as social class is distinguished between some of the characters. Thomas set her adaptation in a dystopian 2043, during WW3. I looked at other near-future sci-fi examples of costuming, such as Blade Runner 2049, which had a similar polluted feel to the world that Thomas was creating through lighting and mist effects in our stage performance. I developed a khaki green, beige and monochrome colour palette to give a cohesive look on stage. My concept for the costumes developed around the idea of clothes of the future becoming more practical and utilitarian; with lots of pockets, zips, detachable trouser-shorts, muted colours as less toxic chemicals used for dyeing, clothing becoming more sustainable. I liked the idea that some of the boys may be wearing these seemingly practical clothing, that in the real wilderness, deserted on an island with no adults, their clothing is really of no help at all, and they gradually shed their layers throughout the play down to minimal white vests that had been soiled and muddied. Working with the actors, we experimented with how they could use their costumes as props as well as clothing, swinging the ties around or tying the jumpers in different ways, and it was cool to watch as it was different each time they performed.
Memory Police Promenade Performance
A site-specific, promenade performance - performed at Eel Pie Island, Twickenham. Researched, developed and created by a group of 7 - performers, theatre designers and costumiers. The performance was our interpretation of an extract from 'The Memory Police', a dystopian sci-fi novel by Yōko Ogawa. The extract we focused on, depicts the burning of books and the increasing control of the Memory Police, so themes of books, innocence, fire, smothering and oppression, feature in our performance. My role involved researching, designing and helping construct the 3 costumes, as well as helping with the admin and producing the marketing image for our performance. As the audience walk through the performance, they hear a tailored soundscape and monologue in their headphones, providing context to the performance narrative as they travel through.
A concept-driven, performance art take on the story of Othello, by Shakespeare. Interested in the psychologies of the characters, looking at how their interactions and relationships to one another, lead to their eventual downfall. This research inspired me to explore the textures, sensations and materials associated with 'cracking ceramics'. The costume I chose to make was for the character Desdemona. The film of my final costume in action, performer by Paige Thomas, can be found at https://youtu.be/clikB8hKqeI .