Eleanor Ellis

Project Descriptions

Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren

Through this project I aimed to capture the magical realism of Pippi's story for children's theatre, exploring elements of the story to develop a new design for this iconic children's book character, whilst staying true to her characterisation. I researched traditional Swedish folk dress and textiles as the core of my design, including patchworked and hand embroidered motifs, as well as taking influences from existing children's theatre. The project as a whole utilises textiles to create a tactile and multi-sensory experience for its young audience. 

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

For this project I have reimagined the story as a ballet performance, I wanted to develop Dorian's Portrait into its own character, bringing it to the forefront of the storytelling as a constant, unsettling presence on stage. I looked into the history of nature as a tool for queer storytelling, and have utilised this within the design, Dorian's Portrait is inspired by natural decay, as a visual representation of how his malice consumes him from the inside out. This effect was created by shirring patchworks of fabric made from the textiles of other characters within my design, visualising how he takes a piece of each person he interacts with, and breaking this down by dyeing and fraying the patchwork. I also took influence from queer fashion, throughout history and today, particularly Dandyism.