Through Engelbert Humperdinck’s opera Hansel & Gretel, I explored Gretel’s journey as a reflection of poverty, neglect, and resilience. My design interprets the opera’s fairytale setting as a psychological landscape of childhood trauma, imagination, and survival.
The work draws parallels between the story’s symbolism, the witch’s house of food, forced labour, and abandonment, and real-world issues such as child neglect, domestic violence, and poverty. My research was informed by true crime cases, refugee children’s artwork, and studies on paracosm, the fantasy worlds children create as a coping mechanism for trauma.
Gretel’s costume serves as both armour and narrative: quilted illustrations trace her emotional journey, while muted greys evoke her domestic environment and bright colours express her mental escape. The transformation of her hood and crochet details embodies her retreat into an alternate reality, both a defence and a creative rebirth.
Influences include Louise Bourgeois’s Cells series, inspiring the costume’s cage-like quilting; Francis Bacon’s chaotic studio, informing the parents’ world; and Stéphane Blanquet’s monstrous yet childlike visuals, shaping the fantastical creatures of the forest. Future collaborations could extend this vision with Julian Crouch’s expertise in large-scale puppetry using upcycled materials.
This project aims to raise awareness of child neglect and the resilience of imagination through costume and performance, transforming a grim fairytale into a powerful reflection on mental health and emotional survival.
Costume designed by Chiara Hodgson
Photography by Huaiyi Du
