Crab and fish cages

Walking along Portsmouth coast and saw all these amazing scary looking crab cages, the brutality of them are really inspiring

  

Making the model

Scaffolding next door

My neighbours are getting working done on their house and luckily for me I can study, close up, the scaffolding which goes up along their house...

Scaffolding designs

Costume and character designs...

Side elevation of main space section

Ground plan of cathedral

I had to work out this 1:300 scale ground plan into 1:50 - then make just a section of that 1:50 as it would be way way way to big if I made the whole thing!

Representation of women - Iranian revolution 1979

 Before the revolution women had gained a lot of rights through the Pahlavi era, however once Khomeini came into ruling taking Iran back to it's traditional values, women lost many of the rights they had just gained once the Islamic laws were put in place. I want to represent this within the opera by having the women in military uniform then their costume gradually becoming more Islamic. However, I need to consider the modern views of today and what does wearing a Burqa or Hejab mean to different people?

Does is always represent oppression as a forced way of dress for women? As it can also represent women in a positive light too - as many strong powerful women wear the hejab because they want to - either as a political statement of equality or because of religious beliefs. It is a very touchy subject and I need to think carefully about how I can communicate these ideas with a modern audience.

I need to develop these ideas still...