Artist Statement

Madison

9th Grade

The Queen Of Hearts Wonderland Character Costume Designs

These pieces were created for a competition I entered through my Performing Arts elective. The Drama Teachers Association of California (DTASC) occurs each fall competing in a wide variety of categories. For the costume and make up category I had to research and draw five designs for characters from Alice and Wonderland and create one fully realized costume for one of them, I chose the Queen of Hearts. I had to write a two page concept paper, expressing my interpretation of the play and my concept. I will summarize what I wrote in the concept paper otherwise we’ll be here all day! I wanted to stay authentic to the time period in which the book was written (1865) and when the play was originally produced (1886). I researched the clothing styles of the period, Victorian, and because Wonderland was so timeless I let myself have a little freedom between those two time periods. I researched what inspired Lewis Carroll as well as his illustrator, Sir John Tenniel and drew on this to influence my designs. My concept was to have the above-ground world characters’ costumes, be made of normal fabrics while they were in the normal world but once anyone went ‘down the rabbit hole’ and into Wonderland the costumes would be made of recyclable and trashy alternative materials to emphasize the craziness of that world and to create a clear distinction between the two worlds. This wasn’t unfamiliar territory for me as I had made clothing out of recycled materials in the past for Earth Day Trashion Shows at my elementary school.

I took some inspiration from the costumes by Colleen Atwood in Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland as well as the original Alice in Wonderland illustrations by Sir John Tenniel.  For the Queen of Hearts, Lewis Carroll and Tenniel were inspired by historical figures such as french Queen, Margaret of Anjou and Queen Victoria. I researched these people in depth to and used them to influence and add to my design. I answered many detailed questions for the designs of each character. I had a detailed answer for each of them and I knew my designs and the characters inside and out and why I made the choices I did. 

To create the Queen of Hearts dress I used recyclable and trashy materials. I went to a store called ReDiscover to buy recyclables by the pound.  I created a crinoline (hoop skirt) using some wire hanger , tubing, and a hula-hoop. I covered it in a papery red material. I cut it into strips to make it lay the way I wanted it to and then decorated it with chains and hearts and other materials. I used a more flexible material to create the bodice so that the wearer could move. I used wire hangers and some decorative materials to create the head dress. I used a bamboo stick, some clear red plastic, a piece of a trophy, and some gold spray paint to create the staff. Though it doesn’t look like it, the dress can actually move quite easily and is a bit heavy to wear, but manageable. 

In the end I got an honorable mention and sixth place at DTASC, one place down from a trophy.