Bacchae (Exit Exam)

The following costume is the main feature of my exit examination. The project centres around the role of a female character, Agave, in the Greek tragedy ‘The Bacchae’. Agave is King Pentheus’ mother and she commits the unconceivable by tearing apart her own son’s limbs following a spell of insanity placed on her by the God Dionysus. To contrast the matriarchal side of Agave with her animalistic aspect, I chose to go with a mixture of faux leather and chiffon so that there would be an edgy effect added to the sheerness. This combination of fabrics was challenging to master however the final result turned out to be quite worthwhile. One of the most essential elements in the making of this costume was the fabric manipulation applied to the chiffon skirt. I first applied a coating of paint before creating the feather stamps that you can see. As a last decorative touch, I created 270 red coloured feather fabrics that were merged with the beads. I am delighted with the final result as this project took up many hours of hard work but the end result is stunning.