Sarah Kueper

“The Crystal Coffin” - The Evil Wizard

The evil wizard character wears a leather dragon-creature mask constructed by hand stitching with a saddle stitch to give it a surgical and organic look. The leather is tooled with lizard like scales and beveling. The deep purple cotton tabard is tattered at the hem and is covered by a black wool cloak. The wet felted wool mantle over the shoulders and the felt ropes blend the mask into the cloak and acid dyed cotton veil.

“This collection of four costumes tells the re-written story of the Brothers Grimm Fairytale “The Glass Coffin”. Costumes and clothing tell stories through visually representing an individual’s personality, history, and identity. My goal as an artist and maker is to create wearable art pieces that tell stories. My work is inspired by nature, fairytales, historical fashions, and fantastical worlds. These costumes reflect the importance of storytelling, as well as the empowerment of women in the fairytale genre, which I seek to emphasize through my work. The re-written story rejects gender stereotypes and shifts the focus to the value of friendship and family, the triumph of love over evil, and the empowerment of women. This collection is made with hand and machine sewing techniques, wet felting, acid dyes, leather and metal work. I chose to use natural materials such as cotton, linen, silk, wool, and leather to reflect the time period of the story which is set in the 18th century.The evil wizard character wears a leather dragon-creature mask, reflecting their creature-like form and cruel disposition. The mask is hand stitched with a saddle stitch to give it a surgical and organic look. The leather is also tooled with lizard like scales and beveling to give it depth. The deep purple tabard reflects their power, while the tattered hem reveals the conditions they have lived in as an exile in the woods. A black wool cloak covers their form, further distorting their humanoid image as it blends into the mask. The wet felted wool mantle over their shoulders and the felt ropes blend the colours of the surrounding forest with their form, making them part of the environment. The costume blends the forest with the creature, reflecting the curse they have placed on the forest and the power they have over the environment.”