Lydia Taylor: Death greets you as a friend
Artist Statement
I am a Mechanical Engineering student with an interest in theatre and costuming. I’ve always enjoyed picturing how characters would dress and portray themselves whether its in the dungeons and dragons campaign I’m in or the books I read. Taking inspiration from the painting, Death (1897) by Janis Rozentals, I created my interpretation of the character Death/The Narrator from the novel, Book Thief. In the painting, Death is a kind figure cloaked in white. This interpretation of Death fit well with the Book Thief, where Death is portrayed as a sympathetic narrator that does not enjoy their job and how they must ferry souls that were unjustly killed in a cruel war. The main focus of the costume is the cloak. The cloak was made using geometric methods, specifically through cutting triangles our of the rectangular pieces of fabric. The triangles were then sewn together to create the circular cloak. The original fabric selected was not enough to create the full cloak, so another fabric was selected to not only finish the garment, but also give it more texture and dimensions. Finally, the trim was selected and sewn to the garment and the neck hole was finished. The rest of the costume pieces were pulled from the costume stock rooms. The face of the actor wearing the costume will be partially covered by the lace shawl, to give the character a sense of mystery. I wanted the audience to feel at ease with the presence of Death, and see how remorseful Death is for the job that they do. Death itself should not be frightening, but the reasons that people are killed should be more important.
About the Project
- Title of Work: Death greets you as a friend
- Medium: One adult sized costume featuring a cape, dress, shoes, shawl, and necklace.
- Student's Name: Lydia Taylor
- Major: Mechanical Engineering
- Anticipated Graduation Date: May 2025
- Hometown: St. Louis, Missouri, United States
- Student's Mentor: Marc Vital
- Mentor's Department: Theatre
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