Other Work

Wearable Art. Makeup/Har Design. Interactive Performances. Dance Costume Commissions. Stylized Shoots. Textile Art. and other Crafty Things

Disposable Madonna

Designed and built by Abigail Mansfield Coleman

Plastic grocery bags, plastic trash bags, polyester thread, broken jewelry, scrap tulle

Made of plastic bags and broken jewelry, the piece is a representation of how female presenting people in today’s society are both idolized, and treated as though they are only here to be consumed and disposed of. The look is inspired by a 1962 dress designed by Coco Chanel and the sexual freedom expressed through fashion in the 1980s. With the ruffles and tiers and layered beads, the dress is also reminiscent of 1980s prom fashion with the swirls of ruffled plastic bags gathered and sewn down in a mesmerizing and chaotic pattern.

Made for Recycled Runway: A Sustainable Fashion Event - April 22, 2022

Modeled at April 22, 2022 event by Christina Sullivan

Photo model: Alice Conroy

Makeup/Hair Design: The Bacchae

The Bacchae is Grecian classic story of King Pentheus of Thebes. He rules with utmost order and control until the god Dionysus arrives and swiftly builds a following of wild and unrepressed revelers called “the Bacchae”. When Pentheus refuses to recognize Dionysus’s divinity and lineage, how long will a young, confident, and savage god show patience toward mortal arrogance? Kneehigh Theatre adapted Euripides’s Greek tragedy in this play with music about the reclamation of identity and the consequences of oppressive rule.

Using UV makeup and paint for a rave like look, the bacchant ensemble went from colorful, funky looks, to eerily glowing in the dark in one light cue. I enjoyed the collaborative element between makeup, costumes,, and lighting with this production.

Playwright: Carl Gross and Anna Murphy (Adapted by Emma Rice)

Director: Sarah Gazdowicz

Scenic: Kaelen Novak

Costume: Alastair Sigala Ramirez

Lighting: Bryon Winn

Makeup/Hair: Abigail Mansfield Coleman

Photos by R. Eric Stone & Miranda Meyer

Concrete Oasis

A project in conjunction with the Installations and Interactive Performance Class (December 2022), University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA

A projection and audio based interactive installation in fulfillment for a final project for Dan Fine. Created in collaboration with Kaelen Novak and Todd Rhoades. Created out of a desire for a space that could sustain an endless sense of calm and serenity in an elegant and simple framework, this interactive installation utilized Isadora, laser projectors, and a custom iPad interface through Touch OSC to allow audience members to tailor the audio-visual experience of the room. Four projected portals showcased the selected environment in a panorama while audio filled the cavernous space to create an all-encompassing experience – a serene oasis within the brutalist concrete structure.

Photos by Kaelen Novak & Abigail Mansfield Coleman