COSTUMES – THE CURIOUS ATTIRE OF A HYBRID WORLD

A fitting tribute to the power of the human imagination, the costumes of KURIOS™ – Cabinet of Curiosities are the result of a visual exploration of the beginnings of science, of the discoveries and inventions that led to the industrial revolution of the 19th Century – from the steam locomotive to electrical power to electromagnetic waves. They embody and celebrate the advancements of science, but in an imaginary, parallel world. While the visual references may seem self-evident, the show’s curious yet familiar characters and costumes transport the audience to a time suspended somewhere between past and future, in an alternate reality, as if science had evolved without the internal combustion engine and as if the golden age of the steam engine had continued on, uninterrupted.

Hybrid forms and oversized shapes
The costumes of the Visitors from another world (Mr. Microcosmos, Klara and Nico) are the result of unusual blends and odd associations: e.g. the attire of the Seeker Assistants (the Kurios) – oddball half-human, half-mechanical characters built from scraps and recycled parts by their ingenuous andingenious creator.

Costume Designer Philippe Guillotel explored unusual shapes that have affinities with the Bauhaus costumes or of Alfred Jarry’s Father Ubu to create startling and often amusing characters.

Mr. Microcosmos – The “bigger is better” ethos that drives the retro-futuristic aesthetic of the show is on the opposite side of the spectrum of the miniaturization that characterizes the electronic era. A case in point is the costume of the potbellied Mr. Microcosmos. “He’s like a mechanical Obelix [from the Franco- Belgian cartoon characters Asterix & Obelix], but instead of holding a tiny dog in his arms, he lugs around a small lady in his belly wherever he goes, and he’s hardly aware of it,” says Guillotel.

Mr. Microcosmos carries Mademoiselle Lili, his intuitive counterpart, inside his costume using a sling not unlike a baby carrier. Antanina Satsura, the artist who plays Mademoiselle Lili, is 3.3 feet tall and weighs 39 pounds. She lives inside her host’s overcoat. Through the door in Mr. Microcosmos’ belly, we can see the furnished interior of Mademoiselle Lili’s quarters, which include an armchair as well as other essentials of a Victorian home. At the beginning of the show, an extension of Mr. Microcosmos’ coat unfolds into a locomotive out of which emerge a swarm of travelers from the 19th Century.

Nico the Accordion Man – Nico’s accordion costume allows him to bend very low or stand straight up so he can be at eye level with absolutely everyone. His pants are folded like a piece of origami from an unwoven textile (like the material normally used in shoe lining) and are inspired by the early photography camera darkrooms.

Klara the telegraph of the invisible –Klara wears an antenna skirt made of hula-hoop-type rings. By swirling around and pointing her apparatus in various directions, she can receive invisible electromagnetic waves. Her hoop skirt is inspired by Fritz Lang’s Metropolis and is shaped like early parabolic antennas. The print on her leotard evokes electrical circuits and connections.

TRANSFORMED BASIC MATERIALS

Philippe Guillotel chose five or six main materials that he used extensively and in all possible forms. For example, certain parts of the Travelers’ costumes and the top part of the Accordion Man’s costume are made from a stretch material to which metal foil was added. This comfortable and washable material makes it easy to create very realistic faux leather. The images on the metalized polyester jersey fabric are actually photos that were printed using a technique called sublimation, which sets the images in the fibers of the material.

3D printing was also used to create volumes that seem heavy but are in fact as light as they are tough and durable. This technique was used, for instance, to build the yoke held by the artists who carry the clouds. The clouds per se are made of thermally molded pieces of Plastazote (polyethylene foam).

COSTUME CLOSE-UPS

• During the Cradle duo act, the costumes worn by the two “mechanical dancers” that emerge from the box like Fabergé jewels evoke a pair of wax dolls. The cut is inspired by early sportswear and vintage circus costumes. The materials, however, are quite modern and highly sophisticated (velour effects and faux leather appliqués in gold).

• The costumes in the acro-net act are an allusion to the way film director Georges Méliès imagined Martians; hence the scales as well as the fin and fishtail.

• The rola-bola specialist wears a translucent aqua-colored overcoat. The fabric is reminiscent of the first plastics such as Bakelite and Rhodoid.

• Mr. Microcosmos’ belly alone weighs a little over twenty pounds and has its own independent systems for lighting and ventilation.

• More than a hundred costumes were created to dress the cast.

• All costume elements that come in contact with the artists’ skin are washed every night. Two people spend 2 hours every day, 6 days a week, for a total of 24 hours a week, doing the laundry.

The set design of KURIOS™ – Cabinet of Curiosities puts the spectator in a well-defined place: the curio cabinet of a Seeker filled with unusual objects collected on his travels. Set in what could be called a retro-future, the scenic environment makes several references to the beginning of the industrial revolution during the 19th Century without being tied to that period. “It’s like Jules Verne meets Thomas Edison in an alternate reality, out of time.” explains Set Designer Stéphane Roy.

In this parallel reality, it is the steam engine and not the internal combustion engine that reigns supreme. The set evokes the start of the industrialization era, but as if science and technology had evolved differently and progress had taken on a more human dimension.

An alternate poetic reality
The performance space is dominated by two structures called “cabinets;” one explores the topic of sound and the other, the topic of electricity. Built by the Seeker using scraps and pieces collected over time, the two large towers also serve a “wave sensors” made from miscellaneous components such as gramophones, old typewriters, electrical bulbs and turbines. In actual fact, these objects were salvaged from junkyards then dismantled, amalgamated, given a patina and joined together using tubes and pipes.

The two cabinets are attached to the main arch – another wave sensor – that dominates the stage. The opening at the centre, at the back of the stage, evokes the mouth of a railroad tunnel through a mountain; it is mainly through this opening that artists move in and out of the spotlight and that equipment and props are taken on and off the stage.

The show is a tribute to imagination and curiosity. This makeshift mechanical world celebrates the coming together of pre-existing objects. “All these objects – the bugle, the typewriter – come with their own history and it is from their association that a new meaning emerges,” says Roy. “Further proof that the who is greater than the sum of its parts.”

The Mechanical Hand
A huge steampunk-inspired mechanical hand appears during the show either as a character or as a performance structure. Operated by two artists using a pedal and gear mechanism, the all-fiberglass hand is an automaton built from various parts that look like wood, metal, marble and iron. In the Set Designer’s mind, the Seeker built the hand with rare objects collected on his travels: a wooden finger found in Sienna during the Renaissance, a nail picked up in a Greek temple, and so on. The mechanical hand is a paragon of the DIY (do it yourself) ethos and evokes the richness and the materials from the era of the greatest scientific discoveries. It is on this hand that the contortion act and the “Hands Continent” scene unfold.

Autonomous structures
For greater emphasis on the performance, every act in the show is presented on an independent structure – a module or a promontory – integrated into the set design. The stage was lowered 14 inches and a bank was installed all around the stage (the bank is a 23-inches-wide raised walkway on which two rails are installed for transporting various props).

Presented on their separate, distinct structures, the acts in the show represent the curios that jump to life inside the Seeker’s workshop. During the Cradle duo act, for instance, a giant leather chest opens up to reveal, encased in sumptuous Moroccan cushions, two characters that look like mechanical dolls. Another example: the aerial straps artists perform on a gigantic “drop of mercury” made entirely of fiberglass and covered in silver leaf.

A “real” imitation wooden floor
Building the stage floor presented a real technical challenge. To create the impression of a real wooden floor, a 3D finish was produced. Silicone was poured onto century-old planks of wood to produce a mold into which varnish was poured. A total of 26 coats of paint and clear varnish were applied alternately to give the wood its rich finish.

Set Design Close-ups

• The train in the “Chaos Synchro” act extends out from Mr. Microcosmos’ costume over a distance of 62 feet. The train’s structure is all aluminum and the outer shell is made out of a mostly vinyl canvas. Fiberglass mosquito screen was used for the windows.

• Standing 11.5 feet tall, the Seeker’s chair is decorated with recycled pieces of metal.

• The hot-air balloon used in the “Hands Continent” scene is made of fabric and has a built-in blower system. It serves as a projection screen 14 feet in diameter. The gondola is made of metal and tulle.

• The turbine at the back of the stage behind which the musicians are installed is made of thermally molded plastic over a metal structure.

• The tarpaulin at the back of the stage is made of 2231 square inches of fabric that was given a patina.

• The stage floor is composed of 160 independent panels.

• To make the Accordion Man’s attire, the costume-maker spent an entire week sewing inside the costume.

• Rima Hadchiti, the artist who plays Mini Lili, is 3.3 feet tall and weighs 41 pounds. She is one of the 10 smallest people in the world.

• The mechanical hand weighs 750 pounds and measures 15 feet by 6.8 feet.

• More than a hundred costumes were created to dress the cast of KURIOS.

• There are 426 props in the show, the most of any production in Cirque du Soleil’s history.
• Some 65 trucks transport close to 2,000 tons of equipment for KURIOS™ – Cabinet of Curiosities.

• The 122 tour members come from 27 different countries. Some have been touring with Cirque du Soleil for more than 15 years.

• This is the first time that Cirque du Soleil presents a welcoming act on top of the big top before the show starts. When weather permits, 3 artists climb up the big top and greet the guests from above while playing music and acting. Guests get a taste of the KURIOS experience as soon as they enter the site.

• It took the team of props makers approximately 250 hours to build Mr. Microcosmos’ round belly.

• All performers are responsible for applying their own makeup for every show, which can take them between 40 minutes to two hours.