Looking Back, Looking Forward
The Irish Republic, Theatre, and Nationalistic Typography: Ireland's Colonial Past and the Search for New Identity
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Leon Butler
This paper considers Ireland's ongoing strange relationship with the printed word. Once at the forefront of the production of hand illustrated manuscripts that were so intricate to produce that a single page would take months to complete. A Gaelic typeface would have seemed the natural choice to represent a newly independent republic, but it was intended that in this modern republic to treasure the past but to draw on the future aesthetic that would sever this new modern republic as the Irish Theatre Revival had done in their sets, costumes, and playbills. Yeats later contributed to the formation of the new sense of national identity and would go on to Chair the Coinage Design Committee (1926-1928) and with it formalise Irelands National Visual Identity, again rejecting the Christian, Celtic in favour of a representation of modern rural Ireland again drawing on history but looking to the future.
The Importance of Scientific Illustration: An Analysis of the Development of Scientific Illustration Through Historical, Political, Sociological, and Technological Contexts in Slovenia
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Petra Cerne oven, Marija Nabernik
The speed of the technological development in our society has never been as fast as it is today. New technologies influence us on every level of our life, privately and professionally. Due to too much freely available data and its aggressive flood through diverse platforms, it is important that information is presented in a clear and understandable way. This applies to all disciplines, but it is especially important for areas of scientific research and education, where successfully presenting new discoveries, or clear and understandable explanation of concepts are of paramount importance. Clear information is also important for better policy making and for the advancement of democratic and social issues in society. Information design is an area of visual communication which interprets and explains texts, concepts, and processes through clear language, effective illustration and other visual communication tools. In the study, we focus on the importance of the scientific and technical illustration through historical, political, sociological and technological contexts and will explain it through research findings within the broader geographical area of present day Slovenia. Many excellent examples are historically linked to Austro-Hungarian Empire and to ex-Yugoslavia; they demonstrate the collaboration of specialised professions, the use of the state-of-the-art technologies, and the underlying vision to spread the knowledge. The research also offers some ideas and insights into future possibilities and plans for the interdisciplinary education of scientific illustrators.
Kabuki Salome: Oscar Wilde's Script Performed With Japanese Theatre Traditions
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Richard e Donnelly, Krysta Dennis
Designing Kabuki costumes and makeup for Oscar Wilde’s iconic play "Salome" presented many challenges to overcome, yet gave even more opportunities to be creative. This study explores how the Biblical tale was adapted to be designed and performed using Japanese Kabuki conventions. From making traditional-looking Samurai armor from unexpected materials to constructing time-honored Kabuki musician costumes from authentic Japanese fabrics, this production performed at the University of Notre Dame (Indiana, USA) challenged the actors as well as the designers. Although not a word of the script was changed, the actors performed their roles in elaborate headdresses and height-raising geta footwear, speaking in the distinctive voice of Kabuki actors. The design of the makeup gave both the actors and audience a clear understanding of the cast of characters. Salome’s “Dance of the Seven Veils” incorporated a centuries-old costume change technique used in Kabuki Theatre. This highly claimed production was successful in both design and performance.
