Design and Production of Stage Art _ On the Use of Hairstyles and Decorative Materials of Stage Characters

In the creation of hairstyles and the decoration of stage figures, the use of materials has its unique charm. The material is a specific substance, such as artificial wigs and oxtail hair used to make the head, and personalized materials created by designers. With the development of drama and the diversification of people's aesthetic habits, sometimes the performance of stage character design needs more abundant materials. The texture, color, shape, expressive force and visual impact of various materials, as well as the designer's rich design vocabulary, can bring different psychological reactions and physiological effects to the audience. Exploring the consciousness of materials and thinking about the diversity of materials in creation have become the inspiration for designers to create hairstyles and decorations for stage figures.

First, the definition of hairstyle and the decoration of stage characters.

Hairstyles, headdresses and hats play an important role in shaping the overall character image, and are an important part of the stage character image. It can not only decorate and beautify the characters, but also be an important basis for investigating the historical period of drama. The conception and modeling of the hairstyles and decorations of the stage characters are helpful to reveal the identity, status and age of the characters, highlight their personalities, show the social environment at that time, form a specific drama situation, and even create a corresponding artistic atmosphere to reflect the passage of drama time and show a specific drama space. Therefore, hairstyle and decoration are very expressive links in the image of stage characters, not dispensable. Especially in today's diversified drama aesthetic environment, it is particularly important.

The stage figures referred to by the author include the images played by actors or models in drama, song and dance, stage display, acrobatic circus and fashion show, among which the related drama figures are not discussed in this paper. There have been many explanations about "hairstyle". The author only explains hairstyle according to Modern Chinese Dictionary: hairstyle refers to the style of hair combing, that is, the hairstyle style of the images played by actors and models. Decoration in this paper refers to the head decoration of specific stage figures, including hair ornaments and hats.

1. Material is the material carrier of hairstyle and decoration.

Material is the material carrier of the hairstyle and decoration of stage characters, the material basis of embodying the design concept and the objective object of stage modeling design and production. Nowadays, the hairstyles and decorative materials of stage figures are constantly expanding, and the application of materials is no longer limited to conventional materials. In the past, the glittering headdress materials on the stage were only limited materials such as metal and simulated rhinestones. Now the stylists of stage figures can choose high-tech LED lights to make headdresses, showing the shining effect. With the development of modern industry and the continuous progress of science and technology, the types of materials are more abundant.

A material that conforms to the theme of drama and can bring strong visual impact and artistic shock not only fascinates many designers, but also deeply touches the hearts of the audience. Materials often play an important role in shaping characters on the stage. To some extent, good material is the necessary premise and important foundation for the successful design of stage characters.

For example, in Jade Bird (figure 1, figure 2), the hair styles and decorative shapes of "night" and "light" are treated by designer Zhao as "night" black and "light" transparent. She made a wig in the shape of a castle with artificial hair, fixed it on the actor's head, and expressed the image of "night" with the visual symbols of the night castle. Designers choose transparent plastic pipes as special materials to make "light" hair accessories. In this work, the shape of the material is processed into a sharp and steep geometric shape, which looks like a dazzling lightning. The luster of plastic pipe well explains the image of "light".

As the material carrier of hairstyle and stage figure decoration, the position of the material itself is very important. Materials are closely related to designers' creative ideas and artistic expressions. There are often cases where there is a perfect design scheme but no supporting materials, and the final effect is not satisfactory. Without material carrier, the designer's wonderful artistic creation is out of the question.

Second, the material is the design element of hairstyle and decoration.

Material is not only the material carrier of hairstyle and decoration, but also the design concept is expressed and conveyed through material, which is expressive, integrated with the design spirit and has the vital signs of the role. For designers, materials and decoration involve all aspects of drama stipulation.

Hairstyles and decorative materials of stage figures are inseparable from design. On the one hand, materials greatly affect the expressions and artistic effects of hairstyles and decorations. On the other hand, if the hairstyles and decorative materials of stage figures with artistic characteristics are not fully expressed and used, and are not properly configured, the design will shine brilliantly, and the design and materials will complement each other. On the contrary, it will get twice the result with half the effort, which will make the materials lose the opportunity of expression and only reflect their abstract and rigid rational functions.

(A) the use of natural characteristics of the material itself

Hairstyles and the natural appearance of decorative materials for stage figures generally refer to the comprehensive feeling of texture, texture and color. Texture includes visual texture and tactile texture. Different materials have different physical properties, so they have different natural characteristics, such as smooth metal and rough sand. Natural appearance mainly refers to a general feeling formed by the surface texture and structure of materials. Different materials will inevitably create different styles. Only when designers are familiar with and good at using the properties and characteristics of various materials can they express their design works more accurately.

For example, in the Indian drama Portrait of Dong performed in China in 2008 (Figure 3), the headdress and hat of the characters in the play are made of metal, shells, beads and wool. Designers boldly use colors of different materials to create colorful figures with a strong sense of national decoration.

Every material has a form for the designer's senses to perceive and imagine, and it is closely related to performance. In the whole design process, designers often get rid of conventional thinking habits and pay attention to the natural appearance of the material itself, so that the whole material can be better used through reasonable use, modification or reasonable treatment of its surface. By changing the surface effect of the fabric itself, a new visual form is created, which not only enriches the layering of the material, but also makes the plain material reproduce its strange brilliance.

Figures 4, 5 and 6 make some useful attempts in the application of materials. Figure 4 shows Lin Ying's headdress made of wool. The headdress was faithful to the original historical features of ancient Rome at that time in style and structure. Designers use the soft texture of wool to properly reflect the curl of Europa hair. Figure 5 also shows the headdress of ancient Rome. Zhang Zhuo chose paper rope with high hardness as the production material. This material is characterized by roughness, and the headdress made of it has clear texture, bright lines and the tension of sculpture. The two headdresses of the same period present different works because of the different materials chosen by the producers. The sixth picture is Hu? Students take the headdress made by Terracotta Warriors unearthed in China as a model, and the designer brushes a layer of latex on the surface of the headdress, which makes the texture effect highlight the sense of time, history and life.

Figure 7 shows aristophanes's famous play Birds at the Greek National Opera House. Because it is an opera ballet, the headdress and decoration of the actors are made of lighter materials, which is convenient for the actors to dance. Designers choose extremely thin metal sheets to make headdresses, which make the gold foil shine under the illumination of stage lights. Here, the texture of the headdress material creates a brand-new visual effect for the role and enhances the visual impact of the stage characters.

Figure 8 shows the ancient Egyptian headdress made in Yue Feng. The designer chose the metal sequins with strong modern feeling as the production material, and copied and pasted the sequins infinitely. The dislocation of modern materials and ancient styles, the mix of fashion and retro, express the designer's brand-new interpretation of ancient hairstyles.

In order to find the texture she wanted, Wang Haiying broke many glass bottles. She used glass fragments as the material to make the crown and glued them together (Figure 9). The crystal clear texture of the glass makes this molded figure more mysterious.

Using and changing the hairstyles of stage characters and the texture of decorative materials can not only show the different shapes of stage characters' hairstyles and decorations, but also make the artistic expression of stage characters present various visual effects. Different textures can make people feel different aesthetic implications.

(B) the re-creation of materials

The color of hairstyle and decoration and its various visual effects are realized and conveyed through the material basis as a medium. Designers need to exert their creativity by refining and sublimating materials, endow ordinary materials with a new sense of appearance and a clear and unique mutation connotation, enhance the appeal and expressiveness of materials, and reshape the new external sense of materials. At present, the design of stage characters has started from the deformation of materials, breaking the conventional design and configuration, and conceiving a suitable theme style according to different factors such as the texture and nature of materials, fully mobilizing the characteristics and dramatic tension of materials, thus vividly expressing the characters. In order to explain this problem more clearly, the author wants to give the following examples to illustrate.

Figure 10 is the modeling photo of the fairy queen in A Midsummer Night's Dream. Song Lin chose blue-purple crepe paper as the embodiment material of Xianhou's hairstyle, and rolled it into rolls of different sizes, which overlapped, copied and piled up to create a new texture effect. The thick curly hair reflected Xianhou's slightly neurotic side. The decorative design of hairstyle draws lessons from the elements of Chinese shadow play, and it is cut into pieces with rose crepe paper to make Hou Xian's headdress. The reformed crepe paper has feather-like softness. Long hair accessories have a strong sense of decoration, showing the arrogance and arrogance of the fairy queen.

For example, Helena (figure 1 1) is an infatuated girl. She is confused and rational, brave and loyal, which naturally makes the audience feel pity. Song Lin chose red to show the characters' persistence in love. The headdress is made of crepe paper, but it has been treated with different textures. The flat package on the top of the head emphasizes that the hair is not messy, and there are curly hair on both sides of the cheeks. Using the strong contrast of hair texture effect, it shows the inherent contradiction of the characters.

In A Midsummer Night's Dream, the intervention of Elf Poker (figure 12) made the two protagonists lose themselves and once confused their lovers. Yin Ling uses a variety of transparent watercolors to smudge copy paper, resulting in the effect of mutual penetration between colors, and uses this material to express poker hairstyles. The designer spliced the clown elements of western style with the smudge of oriental color to create the funny side of poker. Designers change the original colors and patterns of materials through rendering, thus forming vivid images and increasing visual impact.

With the development of modern art, the liberation of designers' creative ideas, and the cross-border influence between various arts, the original irrelevant or even contradictory material elements have changed from mutual infiltration to mutual integration, resulting in new highlights. This is the case with "transboundary" material elements.

In addition to the above, there is also a characteristic fashion show (also known as the runway show) image. Fashion show is the stage art closest to life. Fashion not only plays an important guiding role in people's life, but also plays an important role in hairstyle and decorative modeling, which can help convey design ideas and creative intentions. Junichi Watanabe, a cutting-edge Japanese designer, has always loved "top kung fu". In his fashion shows in recent years, the model's headdress has always been the focus of attention. The picture 13 shows the designer's hair accessories in the spring and summer fashion show of 20 10. He chose black and white cloth to wrap the model's head, creating shapes like clay pots and curved ventilation pipes. These hair accessories are exaggerated in form, towering in shape and strong in color contrast. This extremely tense expression has a little architectural meaning and makes people unforgettable. It is not so much a headdress as a soft sculpture or installation art ... This season, Junichi Watanabe's clothing color is locked in black, white and gray, and the style emphasizes the waist, showing a female vase-like figure curve, which is simple and avant-garde. Black and white eye shadow and the overall shape complement each other.

In the autumn/winter fashion show in 2008-2009, Junichi Watanabe made a surreal display of hair accessories (figure 14). The model's face and the whole head are wrapped in gray tulle, which contains geometric figures of different structures, which are piled up at will to highlight the sculptural three-dimensional effect. The designer boldly "virtual" the model's face with grey yarn, making its fashion style more subtle and unified.

In the spring and summer fashion show of 2009, Junichi Watanabe asked the models to perform with huge flowers and plants on their backs (Figure 15). Straw, dried flowers, and all kinds of rustic cloth poured into the audience's eyes, seemingly random, but actually carefully designed. This complicated headdress design just conveys the fashionable theme of the season-leisure and pastoral style.

Throughout Watanabe's elegant fashion hairstyle design, his creation is constantly innovating in materials, conveying the designer's keen insight into fashion and unique understanding of female lines. He integrated the concept of architectural aesthetics into the creation of hair accessories and their fashion works, making his creation always unique.

To sum up, due to the influence of various social factors, as a design element of hair style and decoration, the development of materials has gone through a process from simple to complex, from single to multiple, from mutual isolation to mutual penetration, from two-dimensional plane to three-dimensional. Now the material elements are more diverse, the content is more diverse, the form is more novel and the connotation is richer. They have become an important link in the hairstyle and decoration design of stage characters.

Third, the ideographic function of materials.

As far as materials are concerned, it is rich in connotation. However, these intrinsic values are often not so easy to find. For designers of stage figures, it is not enough to only pay attention to the surface of materials. They often look farther and deeper, can see the new features and internal ideographic functions of materials, and can reasonably transform and excavate materials. After transformation, the material can show the original visual effect. How to explore the new characteristics and ideographic functions of materials has always been the pursuit of designers.

The Swiss Silent Troupe's Magic Unlimited (Figure 16) is obsessed with using various objects and materials to create abstract graphics, simple costumes and expressive images, and have a silent dialogue with the audience. Surprise, surprise, magic and novelty are the main components of their impromptu works. The actor's headdress is a luminous LED tube, which enlarges the actor's head and shows their rich imagination and expressive force.

As can be seen from the above examples, through the special treatment and unique creativity of materials, the design inspiration and production concept can be embodied, and the vividness of images and the distinctiveness of roles can be highlighted in the distinctive artistic style and visual effect.

Contemporary designers often pay great attention to the hairstyles and decorative materials of stage figures. In their view, materials are the driving force of their creative desire and inspiration and the fundamental driving force of their unremitting efforts. American stage designer George? Teodora designed by Xiping was inspired by the effect of glassware under fluorescent lamp when visiting the museum. The designer decided to use this material for Teodora's stage performance, and it was the enlarged glassware that finally appeared on the stage, thus becoming the "most magical scenery" he had designed. Materials can also trigger and touch designers' creative inspiration and arouse their creative passion and desire. The hairstyles and decorative materials of stage figures are lifeless, but in the eyes of artists, they are vivid, dynamic and distinctive.

As mentioned above, materials are rich in connotation, which determines that different artists use materials differently. For an excellent designer, he does not stick to the existing natural characteristics of materials, nor does he bother to use these materials in a well-known place in a conventional way and according to established rules. On the contrary, they have keen artistic insight and judgment, can dig out the connotation and value of the material itself to the maximum extent, and make full use of this "hidden value" to make wonderful innovations. Because of the creative use of materials, most of them can obviously increase the artistic appeal of works and give people a stage visual image with great imagination and visual impact.

In addition, the metaphorical value of the material itself undoubtedly provides a "living soil" for designers to further creatively conceive and design people's hairstyles and decorations. Like American stage designer George? Xiping said: "You should use the existing materials in this world to achieve spiritual expression and create an atmosphere in another world. By mixing metal, wood, glass and stone, it goes to pure spirit or vanity. " It shows the designer's pursuit of material image expression.

Yang Fei's design of the characters' tone in A Midsummer Night's Dream stems from her own feelings about dreams-light in the dark. Wang Xian (photo 17) is a tree spirit in her mind. The designer mixed branches, cloth and cotton to reflect the texture effect of bark. The metal color sprayed on the outside of the work is a bit mysterious. Designers integrate many different feelings contained in materials into the hairstyle and decorative modeling of characters, which embodies the value of materials and makes the modeling and stage theme complement each other.

We can't ignore the influence of the audience's aesthetic level on the ideographic function of materials. In ancient times, due to the weak economic foundation and relatively low productivity, people's artistic appreciation and aesthetic level were not high, so the understanding and utilization of materials were at a relatively primary stage, mainly focusing on the understanding of the surface of materials, and less on the premise of mastering the natural appearance of materials, continuing to explore their intrinsic value and connotation, so the ideographic function of materials was not fully understood. Nowadays, with the improvement of productivity and the continuous accumulation of social material wealth, people's lives are getting richer and richer. Accordingly, its artistic appreciation and aesthetic level are constantly improving, and its mastery of materials is at a higher level. On the basis of understanding the natural characteristics of materials, it devotes itself to exploring the intrinsic value of materials and emphasizes the ideographic function of materials. It modifies, processes and blends the materials to a certain extent through its own imagination, and gives full play to the ideographic function hidden inside the materials, so as to make the best use of the materials and better meet the needs of the theme.

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The expressive force and visual impact of different materials in texture, color, modeling and texture can bring different psychological reactions and physiological effects to the audience, enrich the designers' design vocabulary and increase their awareness of exploring various means of expression in drama creation. The contrasting colors, realistic and exaggerated figures and symbols with obvious symbolic significance produced by the re-creation of materials satisfy people's thirst for information and their feelings for artistic beauty to a certain extent. Through the use of representative materials, visual puns and meaningful design creation, popular culture can often be upgraded to the category of beauty, so that hairstyles and decorations are no longer dispensable technical applications, but carriers of artistic beauty, so that people can see the magical creativity of materials and even show their ordinary lives so kindly and full of artistic charm. The use of materials in character modeling not only brings visual and psychological impact, but also reconstructs aesthetics while deconstructing absolute realism, expresses the designer's creative intention and enriches the drama vocabulary.

References:

Pan Jianhua. A New Theory on Clothing Material Design for Performing Arts [J]. Drama Art, 20 10( 1).

[2] Liu Xinglin. Archie. Freye's visual drama [J]. Drama, 2009(2).

Author: Department of Stage Art, Central Academy of Drama.

(Editor: Cao Ning)