The Costumes of Syntactic Labyrinths

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The Story 

Syntactic Labyrinths is a Blauw Films science-fiction short film.

Humanity is forced to live underground, after a devastating solar-blast. They built an upside-down city, called Babylonia.

In a last attempt to safe-keep the collective knowledge of human kind, they build an archive. The digital archive is stored in The Library, a space ship with destination Andromeda Galaxy.

As of writing this blog, Syntactic Labyrinths is in ongoing production. We are currently in pre-production. This blog is about the worldbuilding techniques used to design the costumes.

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‍The Characters

The humans in Syntactic Labyrinths were not part of the original script. I drew the first series of storyboards back in 2019, and those did not include scenes on Earth.

When looking at that version of the script and storyboard, Leo realised an entire sequence was missing.

He rewrote the opening sequence. This time including shots on earth, the hometown of humans. Humans walking to work. Chatting to each other in the hallways of Babel. Working. Resting. Planning. Building The Library. Organising the archive. Collecting data.

To make the emptiness of space feel as vast and lonely as it is, you need something to compare it to. By introducing the eclectic energy of human kind on earth, you'll feel its absence when gone.

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World Building Questions‍

When reading the Syntactic Labyrinths script and drawing the storyboards, I had a bunch of questions about the costumes. This is what I asked Leo:

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Q: Exactly why is the hazmat suit necessary?

A: A solar-flare is the cause of the deadly UV-light and toxic air on Earth. The planet's climate is in havock.

Though humans are not directly outside, they still need some form of protection. Toxic air could penetrate anywhere. The humans are working in facilities close to the Earth surface. The closer to the surface, the more important the hazmat suit becomes.

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Q: Does the hazmat suit showcase rank or occupation?

A: There are no visible ranks in the world of Syntactic Labyrinths. Everyone is working towards a communal goal. Everyone knows exactly what their specific task is.

But we should still find a way to showcase expertise, interest or personality. Every human should feel like an individual. 

Think about what Syntactic Labyrinths is about. Costumes are a form of Syntax.

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Q: Are there natural materials available in this post-apocalyptic world?

A: I can imagine that natural materials are available, but extremely valuable and scarce. Humanity has developed farms in Babylonia, but it must be easier to develop synthetic fibres.

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The humans as a storytelling device have two functions:

1. Feel familiar and alive in contrast to the emptiness of deep space
2. Represent humanity as a group of individual minds, working together as one entity. 

For these reasons, the design of the hazmat suit consists of two key points. 

• All humans are wearing the same silhouette, most notable is the square headgear with square window. 
• The materials and colours of the hazmat are custom for every human, representing both task and taste. 

Over the years of design development, I’ve gotten most questions about the square headgear, as it looks completely impractical. It would absolutely be impractical, in real life. But to me and Leo, it was more important to express a type of design language that tells the story of humanity locked up in a single-way road towards building the Library. 

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The Costume Design

Based on all of the information above, I asked myself a couple of worldbuilding questions.

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Q: What type of materials could be suitable for the mass-produced hazmat suits?

A: Because of the lack of natural materials available, the humans of Babel have manufactured new synthetic fibres. Nylon as we know it does not protect against toxic fumes and Kevlar is too stiff and heavy to be worn comfortably. The new bio-fibre created is lightweight, durable and breathable in only one direction. 

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Q: How can humans display taste and culture while wearing the hazmat uniform?

A: Even though the hazmat suit is a uniform, culture is very highly regarded in the world of Syntactic Labyrinths. Humans feel the need to, and are allowed to express themselves through colour and patterns. Colours can reflect the energy a person would like to express, while patterns are symbols for belief systems. Since cultures as we know them have collapsed, humans have gathered around a common culture that is marked with respect and a sense of nostalgia for the Old World.

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Research and Design References

Designing these suits has not been a straightforward process. The details have changed quite a bit over the last few years. Ideas about the colours and textures have also developed as I continued research.

Balancing colour, texture and patterns in a group is not easy.

As reference, I like to look at the work of legendary costume designer Emi Wada.

She designed, among others, the costumes for Akira Kurosawa movies. In terms of colour and patterns, Kurosawa movies are hugely inspirational to me. She has mastered how to balance composition, character and colour. She knows how to add detail and personality, without overwhelming the image. 

Designing the patterns for the hazmats is still ongoing. The book Textiles of Japan has given me lots of inspiration. I love to look at the geometric, symbolic patterns woven into the textiles and the use of colour blocking. This beautiful coffee table book by Thomas Murray has the most gorgeous photographs of traditional Japanese textiles and garments. You can’t find high-quality image references like these on the internet.  

This Dictionary of Colour Combinations by Sanzo Wada is a designer’s must have. It's filled with surprising combinations. It has been an incredible tool for the design process. I try to associate shapes and colours with in-world meaning. I imagine the decisions that the humans in Babylonia make when it comes down to picking their suit.

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The shape language of Syntactic Labyrinths is heavily inspired by the Bauhaus movement. For example the work of Le Corbusier. This is where the designs for The Library, Babel and the square headgear are derived from. When thinking about the pattern designs, I keep these ideas about geometry in mind. These geometric shapes evoke a sense of man-made intervention. As Syntactic Labyrinths is set in a post-apocalyptic world, this feels very fitting. Inside Babylonia, only the man-made remains.

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Behind the Film’s Production

For those already familiar with Blauw Films, know we are a film studio with an open-source model. That means we share as much as possible of our behind the scenes, while the production is in development. We do this in the form of Blogs and stories, free downloads, and Learning content. This way, we can give back to the community, while promoting the film simultaneously. 

If you’re starting to get curious about where we’re going with Syntactic Labyrinths, I recommend you subscribe to our Newsletter, at the bottom of this page. Or just follow us on Instagram! 

Furthermore, we also sell art related to the films. For Syntactic Labyrinths, we’ve created a series of space-related art prints. The visuals are created with assets used in the film, printed on museum-grade fine arts paper. If you like outer space imagery, give the store a browse!

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Conclusion

I’m grateful for the ongoing creative process that is Syntactic Labyrinths. It allows me to explore these humans in every detail, and reflect on design decisions. I realise that this type of process is uncommon. I might not get another chance to ponder over designs like this ever again. Up until now, it has allowed me to learn a great deal about the creative process.

Like the humans in Syntactic Labyrinths, we as artists gather knowledge as we are building towards the final ship. Together we chip away at it, until we come to a construction that is ready for take off. If you're curious to see how we created these costumes in 3D, this blog is about the 3D costume design developments.

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