A project of the set design and the costumes for the movie based on the novel
The project is based on the novel "The dancer" written by Olga Tokarczuk. It is about a 60-years-old lonely woman who decides to get her childhood dream and make a dance theater. To make that happen, she buys an abandoned house on the outskirts of a village and gives it a new life. She also wants to prove to her father that he was so wrong about her passion. Thanks to her strong determination and full engagement she overcomes all adversities, especially her weakness and misunderstanding of her neighbors.
Does it give her happiness? Or maybe the actions just obscure a feeling of wasting life - the feeling that it is much too late? These were the questions I had after reading the novel the first time.
For me, the story of The Dancer is about sleeping through. When you open your eyes and immediately know that nothing can help you but, anyway, you try to make up the lost ground. This is a disturbing story about a woman, the dreams and passing of human life. I see it in cold, a bit dull colors except for the scenes, where The Dancer shows up in her theater. When she dances, all the problems disappear.
The project was made in Film Set Design Studio [prof. Janusz Sosnowski and dr Zofia Lubińska] and Film Costume Design Studio [dr Jagna Janicka] at the Faculty of Stage Design of the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, 2020
Inspirations for the mood
The abadoned house
Visualisations of locations
The main character's room
The dance hall without and with decorations
Below you can see the chosen costumes I've designed for The Dancer and the other characters.
Thank you!
