Costume designer Patricia Toovey created two costumes for "The Phoenix." The first costume she began in 2020 is the 1800s-style hoop skirt. Patricia sewed this period costume on a machine from the 1800s. She engineered it to sway beautifully under linen ruffles and over a petite chemise. Patricia chose linen because it is ancient, and is one of the first fabrics. Linen is historically used to make shrouds. As it burns it gets black and grey. Yes, we did do tests to burn this lovely costume for dancer Abby Enson featured in "The Phoenix."
Patricia wanted the photographer's creative spirit's costume to also be of the period, a bit formal, but ragged. She chose to use an unusual fabric she found at a local thrift shop. It reminded me of netting, and though I originally told Patricia she was from the forest, in the end I discovered she in fact is from the sea.
Since the residency, I costumed one of my models and gone underwater to photograph and film her in the Salish Sea in the summer of 2022. It is in the natural world that the elements shape the piece.
Also, one of the photos, "In her shipwreck abandon . . ." will be featured in the Winter 2023 issue of
The Phoenix (The body no one can see)
The Phoenix (In my shipwreck abandon, wonder where to breathe, wonder where it is safe, wonder how long I can hold wonder, my breath finally a wonder)
