We were lucky to catch up with Kaelen Novak recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Kaelen, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

My current research into incorporating motion capture into costumes for live performance and creating a link between the physical world of live performance and the virtual or digital one in a variety of ways has been one of my most meaningful projects I have worked on.

I began pursuing it in the summer of 2021 through an interest in utilizing computer programs for patterning and draping costumes and that exploration lead to ways to have a variety of programs talk to one another to allow a physical costume to interact or influence a virtual one in a variety of ways, be that through VR, projections, projection mapping or other ways. While none of the programs were things I developed, discovering and connecting the various programs together in a cohesive and usable way has been incredibly fulfilling and a joy to teach about and expose to other students and creatives who see creating for live performance in a whole different way due to that experience.

Kaelen, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Kaelen Novak, a recent MFA graduate from the University of Iowa in Theatre Design concentrating in Costumes and Scenery, along with research into emerging technologies and their use in live performance. Prior to graduate school, I was an Integrative Biology major who enjoyed costume designing for theatre as a hobby, though that hobby quickly became a career and a passion which I wanted to pursue more fully, hence the jump to graduate school.

While my main focuses in my career are theatrical costume and scenic design, I also blur the lines in scenic and clothing based experiences through my exploration into digital costuming, virtual reality, installation design, fashion and fashion shows, and experimental live performance projects that cross boundaries into other artistic disciplines. These projects all center around the collective live performance or exhibit experience with an audience, but can take place in a theatre, a gallery, the outside world or the virtual one. This willingness not only to break traditional molds but also seek to create bridges between them to better all my interests has set me apart along my journey, and earned me recognition at a variety of levels for my expertise and research.

More specifics into various fields can be elaborated upon, but given my wide variety of works, I will leave that up to you on how much you’d like to know about theatre, research, photography, fashion, creation, etc. All my works are available at kaelennovak.myportfolio.com, with more coming in the upcoming days.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

In my opinion, society could best support artists by supporting them openly. Having come prior to graduate school from Louisiana, which is a state that unfortunately does not support many artistic endeavors or provide grants or the ability to do larger scale projects to benefit a city or town, and moving to Iowa City, a wonderful mecca of art and music and writing and artistic support through grants, city festivals, organizational spotlights and opportunities, and a general feeling of interest in all kinds of art, I have found that shift overly inspiring and confidence boosting. While not all of my projects may be supported, be that monetarily or publicly, the fact that the support exists does wonders for both emerging and career creatives and artists when it comes to both producing and showcasing work. It becomes this community that feeds itself by inspiring and supporting others, helping boost the voices and teach those who otherwise would not have the resources to start to do work or continue to do it.

If more cities, states or even countries provided this level of support, recognition and funding to the arts, I feel like not only would artists benefit, but the communities that they have around them would too through exposure to murals, music, theatre and live performances, art galleries and sales, and a general understanding and appreciation for art. One of the things I have noticed in my travels are which cities appreciate and support art and which say they do but rarely do so, and it has been one of my guiding forces on where I choose to work and create and where I do not wish to go because that support system is lacking.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My main goal, especially through my research but even through my creative exploration of style and craft, has been to be able to inspire and provide a platform for those who may not have traditionally or societally had the ability to pursue or learn about the things I do. Be that providing opportunities for college undergraduates who have been interested in costuming but never had ability to try it out, to teaching classes and providing the skills to allow high schoolers to start a resume that they would not have been able to have otherwise due to a lack of school funding or parental support, my ability to pay my skills and experience forward has been a major driving force in my creative journey. My favorite part about teaching and collaborating is providing that spark and opportunity to allow someone else to thrive, something that was hard for me to come by without sacrificing things along my journey.   

Contact Info:

• Website: kaelennovak.myportfolio.com
• Instagram: @kaelen.novak

Image Credits
Kaelen Novak