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Anchor 2

FLIGHT

Conceptual 2023
Role I Set and Costume Designer 

Librettist I April De Angelis
Composer I Jonathan Dove
Director I Christian Hey
Venue I Donald Gordon Theatre, Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff (End stage proscenium arch)
The opera has both comedic and serious moments as the story of the refugee who lives in the airport - inspired by the true-life story of an Iranian refugee who spent 18 years at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris - unfolds around the various characters who are stuck in the terminal. Written for an ensemble cast of 10 singers, features a dynamic airport setting and scintillating orchestral writing, including a thrilling aeroplane take-off.
The preliminary concept was to contrast the power of nature with that of mechanics, such as a plane. Knowing that a plane's wings are what allows it to fly, their geometry was to be the main focus, varying in size and position at different heights. When the storm in the opera hits, the ones hanging will be lowered to show nature's power and how it can literally ground such incredible machinery. However, this concept was thought to conflict with some of the opera's other major themes.

Eventually, the design concept was to divide the airport into three main areas.
DESIGN PROCESS (Please click the arrows to follow)
  • The Terminal Space - where everyone becomes trapped,​
  • The Control Tower - a vantage point for the controller over everyone, with live screening of the other spaces on each monitor,
  • The Refugee's World - this awkwardly shaped space serves as an in-between void for the other spaces, emphasising the refugee's sense of belonging nowhere and to no one. In an actual airport setting, this could be the long hallways that passengers pass through without stopping. Aesthetically, I needed it to make an equally strong statement, so the red and white floor geometry was inspired by the 'Do Not Cross' barrier tape.

In addition, the outside world is a glass-enclosed space that only shows action and the passing of time. Such space represents the desire to leave an airport and board a flight but the inability to do so until permitted, particularly when a storm hits, as in the opera. During the storm, this space can effectively transmit the chaos that is happening outside by way of rain, wind and haze. Then, during the other big moment in the opera, when a plane lands, a massive plane wing breaks through the glass and hangs over the terminal.
The costume research done during the design process shows a lot about the inspiration for each character, and in the case of the majority of them, they are very realistic based on their journey through the opera, such as travellers, workers. However I wanted to give the costumes of two particular characters a little more significance;
  • The Controller - A Godlike figure who watches over everyone. The two flaps that descend from the back resemble the plane's wing control, emphasising power, whereas the geometrical elements, that resembled the set, demonstrate that she belonged in the space.
  • The Refugee - Designed to have a layered look with mismatched clothes, as if he's gathered them from passengers or left behinds.
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