I left for a short time my fashion designs on one side to make a charity project. Wait a minute, I explain all now…
The director Pierre Noguéras, who is a friend, directs each year a film for the association Laurette Fugain fighting against leukaemia and blood diseases (information about life donations – blood, blood platelets, bone marrow, umbilical cord blood, plasma, organs, help to medical research, comfort actions for sick patients and their close relatives) which president is Stéphanie Fugain.
For the film of this year shooted partly in the south of France, Pierre needed wings such as the ones of Leonardo Da Vinci to direct its scenario. In fact, the hero of the film draws its dreams on paper sheets which come to life. He thus finds himself in one of his flying dreams.
I jumped on the occasion to bring him my help.
How to refuse to make these steampunk wings? Impossible for me.
A challenge? Yes, because I am more into the fashion field than into costume design.
An interesting project? Oooh yes. An artistic and technical project because I had to make researches and to adapt them to the wings to make.
But above all the occasion to bring my help to an association, to do a good deed for a noble cause.
Photos of the shooting by Sylvain Renault :
I discovered a lot of people who made wings for Manga events or other Comicons. Demon wings, dragon wings, round wings, set or articulated wings. Real inventiveness and science jewels. I have practically all read about the subject on the web.
I have discovered a pro of wing making Alexis Noriega (The Crooked Feather), who make wings for herself and for various events, shows and customs orders. This young lady is a self-taught person (wow). She is a real artist. She started making wings and feathers for fun but soon get into it and loved the materials, the possibilities they offer. Patience, imagination and reflection brought their result! She proposes tutorials on her YouTube channel to help other people who want to build their own wings. Many thanks to her!
To build my wings and the curve of the top of the wings, I make use of her tutorial to make steampunk wings.
For the actor Nicolas Motet Aka Alexander Wood (French musicals Oliver Twist, Grease) to be able to flap the wings, I had to find a tip because the wings of Alexis are set at the back on a wood back and only spread upward thanks to pistons. With my husband, we made some brainstorming and he suggested me to put elastics at the back. Very clever idea which works perfectly!
My wings are made from wood and are set. The different elements of the skeletal structure of the wings are linked with nuts. The fabric is made from light cotton that I tainted to give it a parchment look and is set with staples (wall stapler). I chose to add adjustable straps crossed on the front for a good support and straps for the hands to activate the flap of the wings.
Here is a slide show of the different steps of the building.
I would like to particularly thank Pierre to trust in me for this project, Stéphanie Fugain for her kindness and good mood, the Laurette Fugain Association who deserves all our sustain for its permanent actions since 2002, my beloved husband who helped me for the building of these wings and to find the appropriate solutions to make them, as well as all the people present on the shooting with whom we had a great moment both artistically and friendly.
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