After in-depth research on severe injuries, Shannon Burnett recreated a type of metal brace that may be surgically implanted to hold together a completely shattered jaw. With gelatin prosthetics and scrap metal, Shannon applied this makeup piece to Julia Duffy's face for her role in Dance Repertory Theatre's performance of the narrows by Ray Eliot Schwartz.
Comments from Designer, Shannon Burnett:
I chose the metallic appliance because I wanted a diverse cross section of injuries at varied points in the healing process. The metal piece is an artistic representation of a stabilizing device used when the jawbone is shattered. Sarah Mosher and I ran across it while looking through military field hospital case studies.
The actual piece is made of metal scraps from around the scene shop. Like so many craft projects, I had an idea of what I wanted and then let the available resources design it for me. Metal closures, broaches, nuts and washers worked together to create a highly textured piece that sat close enough to the face not to get caught on anything, but interesting enough to hold its own artistically. It sat on a gelatin piece sculpted to cradle the appliance and provide a flat and flexible background to adhere to the skin.
The best thing about working on the narrows was the unique opportunity that the choreographer (Ray Schwartz) gave us all. From the moment I walked onto the project I became a part of the process. I was encouraged to think outside the box and to challenge myself as well as the dancers. Each one of us contributed some intensely personal part of ourselves to the project and it was an honor to make art with everyone involved.
During the process I learned a number of new techniques: how to work with a new product, when to bend the rules, and how to make a project my own. I learned about my own shortcomings, how to meet them head on, and how to come out the other side victorious.