Izzy Gibbs I

Performance Costume student Izzy Gibbs's 'Mrs Bedonebyasyoudid' from Charles Kingsley's 'The Water Babies', the details from these costumes are fabulous, so much work and intricate detail, and when they are modeled they become walking, talking illustrations.

                        (above) Photograph by Emily Bates with make up and hair to full effect.

"In my interpretation of The Water Babies I decided to relocate the story to New York City in the 1960s. My research focused upon the excitement and experimentation of the decade, with the playful nature of designers such as Paco Rabanne and André Courréges massively inspiring my own work."

"I have incorporated my love for illustration into my costumes through my use of print, whilst creating accessories that emphasise and exaggerate character. My aim was to create a world that was far removed from Kingsley's English fairytale, embracing a slightly nightmarish quality with a twist of humour.
My reading of the character Mrs Bedonbyasyoudid, is an eccentric grandmother figure who has been under the water so long she has become a part of it. With algae growing up her fishnet stockings and fish swimming through her handbag, it is clear that she is in a world of her own. She carries a skeletal fish puppet made from bound wire, that is articulated so as to give realistic movement, it is also intended to cast shadows and add to the surreal nature of my performance." Izzy Gibbs