Cathy's Art Diary

Interesting iteration of this annual show at the National Theatre for this prize for stage design. I always enjoy this show with its little models of stage designs, costumes and sketches. I was interested to see how many of those on show were speculative designs. It showed how designers have to work, submitting ideas which might never be realised. I loved this costume by Kathy Udaondo for a play called “The Inseparables” which ties two   characters together in a clever way. I also liked this set design but I failed to note what it was or who it was by. It was interesting to read a biography of Lady Anya Sainsbury who instigated the award back in 1987. Closes June 2026

Lovely display at the Sam Wannamaker Theatre at the Globe of work by Rutgers BFA theatre designers from New Jersey, USA, who are currently in residence there. This is the third version of this show by costume and set design students in residence at the theatre where some design and create a cocktail hat that embodies a Shakespearean character which would work under candlelight. My favourite this time was for Julius Caesar by Isabella Deflice. My favourites though were by scenic and lighting design students who created small open boxes of a scenery design which, when you pressed a switch, produced a shadow on the back which was stunningly created from the scene in front. My favourite of these was for Twelfth Night by Benjamin Levie shown here complete with my finger. No end date given  

Fun exhibition in Covent Garden showcasing costumes from the Tina Turner Musical. Each of the six costumes reference a hit and was shown with a photograph of the costume in the show and the original outfit being worn by Tina Turner. I was amazed at how small the dresses were and assumed they might be reduced in size for the show but there is no indication of that in the commentary online so I maybe the actress playing the lead is tiny. The display marks six years of the show in the West End and was put on by the musical in partnership with Women’s Aid, who Tina Turner was a long-standing supporter of, to raise awareness and bring an end to domestic abuse. Closed 10 November 2024  

Fascinating interview at Charleston Farmhouse as part of the Charleston Festival with artist and set designer Es Devlin. The talk focused on her book “The Atlas of Es Devlin” which she described as an ‘active process’. She said writing it was about finding ‘fragments of self in a collaborative process’. The book outlines some of her major projects to date and the inspiration behind them and the interviewer, curator and writer Ekow Eshun, teased out the details of these pieces and particularly what it is like to collaborate with artists from other genres. She also talked about a work in progress based on short portrait sittings with strangers which will be shown 2m tall in an installation called “The Congregation “ to appear in the Autumn. It looks amazing.  

Charming exhibition at the National Theatre highlighting the 12 prize winners in this award for theatre design. The prize is open to graduating designers or those who demonstrate equivalent skills and experience. Each is represented by a display with examples of their work. This was mainly photographs but also included costumes and set models. I loved Biz Sutton’s striking red outfit for “The Duchess of Malfi” set in 1910 which envisaged redesigned the Duchess and Antonio as a chauffeur and his female client. I also liked this set design by Peiyao Wang for “The Exterminating Angel” based on the film by Luis Buñuel. I loved the use of the piano lid as the stage. My favourite piece was a puppet for a play based on “His Dark Materials” by Yijing Chen. It was effectively displayed appearing from around a corner of the display. Closed 30 March 2024  

Interesting exhibition at White Cube Mason’s Yard of work by American sculptor Isamu Noguchi who died in 1988. The work was in a variety of materials and came from throughout his career. They looked good in the space but I must admit they didn’t speak to me. However I was fascinated to learn that he had made more than 20 dance settings for the choreographer Martha Graham. There was a film running of her work “Dark Meadow” and the set pieces were in the show. They came to life when you realised how dancers were meant to interact with them. Closed 1 July 2023    

Disappointing exhibition at the National Theatre showing the best entries in this year’s Linbury Prize for young theatrical designers. I say disappointing as I usual enjoy this show, but this year the write up of the entrants were poor and didn’t always link the people well to the work they had done. Most of the displays were just photographs with not much explanation. There were however some small set models which I always like. I usually come away from the show having learned about performances I wish I’d seen but the only one this year was Hobson’s Choice set in a Sari shop. Closes 9 January 2023  

Innovative approach to an end of year show by the University of the Arts London shown in various vacant shop windows around London. I first discovered this at One New Change when wandering around the City where I found these lovely costumes from students studying at Wimbledon College of Arts. They were beautifully displayed with good commentaries on the students and their projects. In windows opposite were designs for video games and possibly film sets. These did not display so well in this format but it was still a great way for the students to show their work. A week or so later I found   more costumes in shops on the Strand which was a nice surprise. I did try to download a map but didn’t manage to get the link to work.