Any discussion of bad costume is therefore a discussion on how costumes are judged to behave in line with expectations, whether agreed or implicit. Yet, I want to suggest that bad costumes can reveal the work of costume that may have otherwise been unseen or dismissed as frivolous. Bad costumes can offer a method for investigating how costumes are judged, understood, and politicised.

This afterword for Tanja Beer’s book Ecoscenography reflects on the notion of ‘celebration’ as replacing ‘production’ in scenographic work cycles. The question I now ask is not why ecologically grounded scenographic practice should be embraced, but rather how.

Whether the fit of a hat or the flow of a dress, these costumed relations can alter an individual's performance. Athletes know this same relationship. To perform in a certain way again and again, requires a bodily preparation that is inclusive of the clothes worn.

Foreward for Scenography and Art History introducing how to approach scenography as a crafting of borders. I always feel that scenography works best at a border. If you arrive to this book as an art historian, border thinking is one key for unlocking its potential for art history. Indeed, I encourage you to think of scenography as the crafting of borders.