Jamie Hewlett’s Monkey drawings
Friday, 22 June 2007
Jamie Hewlett, of Gorillaz and Tank Girl fame, has created the art and costume design for a new production of a Chinese “circus opera” to be staged as part of the Manchester International Festival, which starts next week. It’s called Monkey: Journey to the West and features music by Damon Albarn.
Dazed & Confused has an interview with Hewlett this month, in which it’s revealed that the production begins with “a large screen animation of an egg rolling down a hill” in time with Albarn’s score, after which a screen lifts to reveal “a bamboo forest, with actors dressed as monkeys leaping from branch to branch”. Sounds excellent.
The magazine also carries these rather good images, which are Hewlett’s concept drawings and won’t actually be seen in the production.
Click thumbnails to enlarge.
All images copyright Jamie Hewlett
No. 1 — July 5th, 2007 at 8:37 pm
I love Hewlett’s Monkey images, and just want to go to see the opera now. I’ts so frustrating not knowing if and when it will do the rounds.
Stotty