Snow Queen as inspiration for set of textiles for theatrical purposes

Artistic acts like designing scenography require creativity but can be made only based
on knowledge of three solid factors: history of scenography, meaning of the story and
possibilities of used materials.
Snow Queen is one of Andersens tales which was made from the beginning till the
end in the writers imagination. Heart moving story about little girl looking for her friend
through cold distant land, had special meaning for Andersen. Characters of the story were
based on real people he met in his life, furthermore he uses one of his favorite motive: man
being saved by a woman. This story is full of hidden meanings and symbols, has specific
characteristics which can be found in old legends. This is why this tale has always been
extraordinary source for inspirations in all fields of art, but the most spectacular one are those
which take place on the theater stage. Complex storyline and extensive descriptions of the
landscape leave open way for artist to create icy and mysterious world.
History of scenography as old as history of the theatre. Different artistic trends made
fundamental impacts in its evolution and modern form. Nowadays, they use two kinds of
artistic expressions in scenography design: symbolic and minimalist form or decorative one
which picture the exact sceneries in storyline. In fact, the most important task for designer is
creating the mood of a story and desired emotions. Using textile means for making
scenography was one of the first ideas made by artists. Thanks to its flexibility, lightness and
variety all of the famous stage designers like Dalia Mataitiene or Tadeusz Kantor were able to
build new world thanks to scenography.
In my project textiles were used as background for further artwork. Combined with
everyday objects painted with silver color and covered with sequins turned into big theatrical
installation. With proper using of lights and filter made illusion of white sparkling snow and
ice and took. Going into more abstract form let the viewer see different elements of arctic
landscapes and fairy elements like castle of a Snow Queen.