LIMITED EXHIBITION AT THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF LONDON

This was a collaborative project which combined Costume design/making and production arts to reinterpret a painting within the National Gallery - ‘The Banquet of Cleopatra’ by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo - to a moving image.

Cleopatra and Mark Antony became the focus of our reproduction with a central theme of cultural representation, blending old and new traditions. As the Designer, with Egyptian Heritage i wanted Cleopatra's costume to reflect her in culturally appropriate dress, establishing her status and pride in her Egyptian identity. Although Tiepolo's painting is named after Cleopatra, it is unclear who the main protagonist is or if Cleopatra is even a part of it. We wanted our version to be more culturally faithful so that the viewer could instantly identify Cleopatra as a powerful Egyptian queen. Our setting also provides visual clues: the pyramid shapes, the hieroglyphs, the colour scheme and the statue of Ramses. This banquet is a display of Cleopatra's wealth and dominance, so it should be an environment that suitably reflects her power.