Battlefor theWinds

Theoretical Project2012

Weymouth Beach

Breathe

January-July2012

Weymouth Beach

Much Ado

About

Nothing

March-October

2012

AUB Studio Theatre

Much Ado About Nothing completed a sold-out run in October 2012, show-casing the work of the Arts University Bournemouth’s Acting department. Eleanor designed and realised the set, costumes, and concept of the performance, transporting the Shakespearian comedy into the realms of British Raj India circa 1919. India circa 1919. The transposed context of this well-loved play complimented the text’s narrative with its saturation of similar themes: love, passion, war, and above all: honour.Taking advantage of the exotic setting, Eleanor emphasized the immersive element of the performance, successfully transporting the audience to the balmy successfully transporting the audience to the balmy India of a bygone-era, through sights, sounds, smells, and even tastes of India.The set was designed ‘in-the-round’ with the audience surrounding a central courtyard setting on two levels, looking onto a main playing area of a water-well, washing lines, and a pump. The well was an important and versatile set-piece, which transformed through-out and versatile set-piece, which transformed through-out the play from a simple washing well, to a wedding platform, and even representing the river Ganges.

As the audience entered, guided by tea-lights and incense from the cold British night into a steaming Indian oasis, the action of the character-play was already happening around them. On-lookers would find themselves a seat on the steps of the courtyard to a soundtrack of live traditional Indian music, whilst the maids hung-up the beautifully sheer sheets of the maids hung-up the beautifully sheer sheets of washing on a zig-zag of rope cutting through the auditorium on subtle pulleys.

Through-out the play, the washing would be raised, lowered, and utilised for many purposes without ever affecting any of the sightlines. The sheets acted as a screen for Benedick to hide behind when eavesdropping, became a tent for Borachio and Conrade to conspire inside, and one even became a Sari to disguise a character in drag. character in drag. Colour was an incredibly important factor in designing the show. The simple design of the deep blue set was based on the tradition to paint the houses as such in the Rajasthani district of Jodhpur, with the belief that the vibrant blue kept the mosquitoes away. The costumes were each carefully made and selected so that the colours each perfectly contrasted selected so that the colours each perfectly contrasted with the set, being of the same deep tone, just in warmer hues of oranges and reds.This truly was an immersive production, from the costumed Front of House Staff, to the Indian food served at the bar, culminating in an uplifting and humorous dance-number at the end.

-Linda Kirkman,

SceneOne

Brimstone&

Treacle

January-April2011

AUB Studio Theatre

The following designs were for a theoretical

production of Dennis Potter’s Brimstone and

Treacle during Eleanor’s first year of university.

There was only one specification to the brief and

that was that it had to be staged within the

University’s Studio Theatre.

Due to the claustrophobia of the piece and theDue to the claustrophobia of the piece and the

interesting juxtaposition between realism and

the supernatural, if the set hadn’t been

constrained by the brief, the initial idea would

have been to make the piece site-specific,

staging the play in the Bates’ family house, a

1930s two-storey house in the middle of a

London suburb. London suburb.

However, as it had to be situated in the theatre,

the design instead brought the house into the

studio, building a perfect façade with a front

path and garden which the audience would

enter though.

The designs were still striving to be as

immersive as possible in order to maximise immersive as possible in order to maximise

the horror of the piece, the intention was for

the audience to feel like voyeurs, like they

were watching the despicable acts in front of

them, not as an audience member, but as a guest

in the family’s house, and yet were sitting-back

and not doing anything to help the characters.

This feeling was enhanced by how the audience inhabited the set space. Entering the theatre, they were made to walk-up the garden path towards what looked like an ordinary house- the absurdity of this visual contrast with the theatre setting tying-in with Dennis Potter’s signature use of the supernatural and breakssignature use of the supernatural and breaks from realism. The audience had to ring the doorbell in order for the usher to let them in, they were then lead through the hall and into the living room, which may have already been glimpsed through the net curtains on the large bay window at the front of the house façade. The audience then had to find a seat in an arm-chair or sofa, which were placed at an uncomfortably steep gradient to ensure that the legs of the audience were off the ground, giving them the illusion that escape was harder

Stalker

Room

April-June

2011

Performance

Installation

London

‘Stalker Room’ was a performance installation

built and conceived by Eleanor Bull at Central

Saint Martin’s School of Art and Design, London.

The room was an interactive experience, where

the audience found their way around the room,

finding out more and more about the subject as

they went on, opening draws, looking at secret they went on, opening draws, looking at secret

passages, watching the television.

The concept behind the piece was based on the

theme of Obsession, stemming from the study of

the Book of Sand by Jorge Luis Borges. Eleanor

spent months following a victim, taking photos,

making notes, and collecting memorabilia,

researching the psychological issues behind the researching the psychological issues behind the

obsession of stalking.

The results of this ‘stalking’ were then used to

generate the visuals for the room. As you open

the door to a seemingly normal looking room,

you are greeted by darkness. Only after you step

into the void does a single bulb flash on,

illuminating the grotesque collage enveloping

you. As you peer closer you realize the photos you. As you peer closer you realize the photos

are all of the same girl, at different stages

throughout her life. Anyone else who appears in

the photos has a large red cross scratched over

their face. Suddenly you see it’s not just photos,

there are school certificates, childhood

drawings, even old passports.

You look above you to see a spiders’ web of string

covering the ceiling, it has polaroids dangling

from it documenting the girl’s age at the time of

the photo.

On your left there are two racks of at least 40

hooks all dressed with keys. As you pick up each

key the face of the victim stares back at you key the face of the victim stares back at you

from the key-fob, each key is labeled for a

different location in the girl’s life.

In front of you there is a filing cabinet with an old

desk fan on top of it. Also on it is a copy of

“Lolita” and some 3D cut-outs of long-range

photos taken of the girl. Even more chillingly,

there is a book-safe containing a floppy disk andthere is a book-safe containing a floppy disk and

two camcorder tapes, each labeled with the girl’s

name: “Candice”.

You open the top drawer of the filing cabinet and

notice that a red bra is hanging from it. Within

the draw are rows upon rows of small glass pots,

each containing artifacts relating to the victim

, each neatly labeled. “Candice’s Gum”, , each neatly labeled. “Candice’s Gum”,

“Candice’s Knickers”, “Candice’s Cotton-buds”,

“Candice’s used razor-blades” etc.

You close that drawer and open the bottom draw,

it is filled with files. Each file contains pictures

of nude girls with the victim’s face taped over

the original.

Suddenly the lights black out, and you hear the

fuzz of white noise. You turn around to discover a

tv in the corner of the room, every 30 seconds it tv in the corner of the room, every 30 seconds it

turns from black to grey and shows a few seconds

of footage; Candice shaving her legs, Candice

doing laundry, Candice getting dressed. All shot at

long-range.

The lights flash on again, and you see a trap door

in the wooden floor, sordid photos are spilling

out from a secret compartment beneath the floor.out from a secret compartment beneath the floor.

To your right you see a shelf covered in

discolored lace and rose petals. There is a

magnifying glass, a box of journals, a small knife.

There are also lots of frames. Two frames

contain severed fingernails, each categorized by

hand and finger. One frame contains

hair samples. One frame contains used oboe hair samples. One frame contains used oboe

reeds..

The lights flash off again, making it difficult to

find the door, but you wait for the tv to flash up

its next lot of stalking footage, and use its light

to escape.

For legal reasons it must be emphasized that

Eleanor had the consent of the woman that was Eleanor had the consent of the woman that was

stalked