hélène vergnes

opera

Usually I create mood boards by assembling various pictures, art references, photography and texts which inspire me. It can take days of thorough research to refine my thoughts, to establish connections and concepts, to start a narrative process that can be proposed to the director or the choreographer. And then I draw, to get away from an iconography which might narrow the design. For certain projects, I start with a material, or even its feel. My hands know what they’re looking for, before I can really express it. Sometimes a fabric surprises me - like a colour which imposes itself. Some finds are not rational, they have to be part of the ritual. I believe in those impulsive choices within the artistic process. They remind me of the sacred part of theatre making.