Costumes as palimpsests: Accumulation of narratives through reuse of costumes in film and theatre

Abstract

Palimpsest is a term traditionally associated with parchment manuscripts, referring to a writing surface on which the original text has been overwritten. As demonstrated by the famous Archimedes Palimpsest, despite the reuse of the parchment, it retains traces of its previous texts. This article argues that the term palimpsest can also describe costumes used in performance. This article seeks to investigate questions such as, what happens when a costume is taken out of one narrative and placed into another? If a costume is inscribed with narrative, like a palimpsest, does the original narrative remain, clinging to the fabric like ink on parchment? Drawing on Dillon and Colwell, the costume’s life cycle is a palimpsestic process through which the costume becomes layered as a material object and as a carrier of narrative meaning. These layers can be seen through the survival of the memory attached to the costume. The forms of survival for these memories are demonstrated by using theoretical frameworks proposed by Sampson and Pearce for analysing objects connected with meaning through memory. By exploring how the past survives through memory in the form of material culture, associated narratives, or individual memory, this article reveals how the palimpsest layers of a costume can be seen. As a result, costumes can continue to accumulate meaning even after they cease to be reused. The exploration of costumes as palimpsests reveals the remarkable ability of costumes to transform physically and metaphorically to reflect multiple narratives.