The Armor Primary Function: Isinxibo Somdlalo Weqonga by Samantha Chijona Garcia and Vladimir Cuenca

The Armor Primary Function: Isinxibo Somdlalo Weqonga by Samantha Chijona Garcia and Vladimir Cuenca is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2020 Ibhaso Lesilivere le-A' Design Award in Uyilo loBugcisa beQonga, iSitayile kunye neMiboniso Competition Category.

IsilivereUbugcisa beQonga· 2020

The Armor Primary Function: Isinxibo Somdlalo Weqonga

by Samantha Chijona Garcia and Vladimir Cuenca

Client: Jazz Martinez Gamboa

Ibhaso Lesilivere le-A' Design Award Winner in Ubugcisa beQonga Category

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The Design

About The Armor Primary Function: Isinxibo Somdlalo Weqonga

Book Text: I-Armor sisinxibo somdlalo weqonga esenzelwe umlinganiswa uRichard III kumdlalo weqonga wombhali uShakespeare. Esi sinxibo senziwe ngezinto ezisetyenzisiweyo naziphinda-phindiweyo. Imigca yentsimbi ithungelwe kwibhatyi ye-twill, ngelixa i-gaiters zesikhumba ezidibeneyo zenza ubume obahlukileyo obudityaniswe ngemitya yesikhumba nezikhonkxwane. Iglavu yamakhonkco entsimbi ivala imikhono, ize iminqwazi ye-velvet enolwelo lweenkanyezi zentsimbi isebenze njengesigcina-ntloko. Ezi ndawo zintandathu zinokongezwa okanye zisuswe njengoko umlinganiswa etshintsha ngexesha lomdlalo. Uyilo lubonisa kokubini ukumkani kunye nomntu obuthathaka ongaphakathi kwakhe.

The Recognition

About the Ibhaso Lesilivere le-A' Design Award

The Armor Primary Function: Isinxibo Somdlalo Weqonga ngumphumeleli weIbhaso Lesilivere le-A' Design Award, ukuqatshelwa okuhlonitshwayo ngokungaqhelekanga okunikwa imiyilo yomgangatho ophezulu, entle nechukumisayo. Abaphumeleleyo beSilivere ziimveliso ezikhazimlayo kakhulu nezidala kakhulu ezibonisa ubungcali obuphawulekayo, italente nobukrelekrele babayili bazo. The Armor Primary Function: Isinxibo Somdlalo Weqonga iyathenjwa ukuba ibe ngumsebenzi omhle womzekelo, onobungcali obuphawulekayo nezinto ezintsha ezinzulu. Lo myilo uphumeleleyo weIbhaso Lesilivere le-A' Design Award yimveliso ebonakalayo kakhulu, ethandwayo enceda kwaye inyusa imida yobugcisa, inzululwazi, uyilo kunye nobuchwephesha. The Armor Primary Function: Isinxibo Somdlalo Weqonga yimveliso enomona omkhulu kuyo evusa iinqwenelo, izisa iimvakalelo ezintle kwaye ivuselela ukumangaliswa nokumangala.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: This armor, made with fully recycled materials, mixes metallic corset nerves referring to the classic western armor, topped by a butcher's chainmail glove that evokes the bloodthirsty of the character with leather leggings overlapping layers denoting the various faces assumed by the character during the plot. From a modernist vision in terms of fabric, overlapping and weaving of pieces the structure refers to the vulnerability of the King and the man who lives at the same time in Richard III.
Dimensions & Packaging: Armor- 45cmx30cmx55cm
Helmet- diameter:57cm High: 23cm
Tags: Costume design, Shakespeare, Richard III, Armor, theater, cuban designer, Samantha Chijona Design, schijonag.
Production Technology: The armor is compound by 6 pieces. 1: The metal structure, it is metal lines sewn on a twill weave jerkin jacket, 2: the leather armor, leather gaiters overlapping forms an independent structure that joins the rest of the set with leather straps closed by buckles, 3: The metal glove, a chainmail glove closes the cuff to give the sleeve a shot, 4: The helmet,
a velvet hat lined with metal strips works as an armor helmet 5: The pants, a black twill pants and finally 6: Black leather boots to the knees.
Design Challenge: The development of the piece became a challenge, I wanted to do something great for the character but working in Cuba is always difficult due to the lack of resources, so while researching, I also located materials. Looking in an antique warehouse I found these old pieces of unused corsets bones and leather leggings and decided to use them. With only one month to prepare the entire theater play with more than 16 characters we were detained in this armor for a week, assembling, testing and sewing piece by piece in search of achieving an attractive but useful result.
Research: My research flew over two essential aspects, the historical and the technical. After having studied for years Western and Japanese armors, the challenge of creating one was wonderful. I had to solve how I should use the historical engineering structures in those garments with the modern materials I had in hand. I read and compiled images and information, of the western armor, I appropriated the metal and the order of the parts while from the Japanese I took overlays of leather pieces sewn with cord. The result was a very visual and modern armor that keeps its basic function, protection.
Inspiration: Having studied for years structures that we use when dressing and that have protected and distancing ourselves from the real world I choose one of my favorite, the armor. I took advantage of the study of Western and Japanese war pieces and modernized it with the use of materials and disused pieces. The text of Shakespeare's play emphasizes the two faces and the physical problem of the character I used it as inspiration to separate and show the two parts of Richard III.
Project Duration: The project started in June 2018 in Havana, Cuba and ended in September 2018 in Havana, Cuba.
Operation Flow: The piece is compound by 6 small parts, the main three, armor jacket, pant and boots are easy to put, also it has another leather structure which should be placed with buckles while the hat and the glove are closed by an elastic piece. the interaction between the actor and the piece is determined for the modular form of the main piece, the person can take off the leather part, the helmet, the glove and keep only the base jacket, pants and boots, in the same way he can add more pieces throught the evolution of the character inside the theater play.
Patents: Copyrights belong to Chijona, Samantha, 2018
Team Members: Designer and Creative Director: Samantha Chijona
Designer: Vladimir Cuenca
Image Credits: Image 1,2,3,4,5: Samantha Chijona Photographer/ Samantha Chijona Designer /Richard III/ The Armor /Model: Maria Gabriela Sanchez, 2018