James Mayhew's designs for Britten's Noye's Fludde - in pictures

My image for the Cheltenham festival brochure was inspired by medieval carvings and imagery from inside Tewkesbury Abbey, where the performances of Noye's Fludde will take place. I also wanted something clear and easy to see, even if reproduced very small.
Photograph: James Mayhew/Cheltenham festivals

The director and I have chose to represent the animals in several ways. All the imagery has its beginnings in medieval carvings and illumination, a nod to the source of the opera's text, a mystery play. But because of the volume of children involved - 200 to be precise - we realised that height and variety was essential. Photograph: James Mayhew/Cheltenham Festival

Noyes Fludde
Photograph: pr

There are three levels of animals. Masks for rodents... Photograph: James Mayhew/Cheltenham Festival

James Mayhew's designs for Cheltenham festival's Noye's Fludde, july 2013 Photograph: James Mayhew/Cheltenham festival
Photograph: James Mayhew/Cheltenham festival/PR

... Mid-sized animals (wolves; hares) are cut-outs, that will be held upon sticks ... Photograph: James Mayhew/Cheltenham Festival

Noyes Fludde Photograph: pr

... while larger animals are painted on banners, all carried by children singing the Kyrie eleison. This is to give variety and height to the performance, and also to allow me to create things on a larger scale. The Abbey is vast and 200 children in masks would just not register. Photograph: James Mayhew/Cheltenham Festival

I hope the banners and cut out animals will create a wonderful festive pageant. My designs are inspired by the medieval images that abound in the Abbey.
Photograph: James Mayhew/Cheltenham festival/PR

I have not ever painted on fabric before, this is new territory for me. Actually the whole project is new and exciting in so many ways. Lots of experimenting is going on, with paints and inks and a heck of a lot of sequins (for the peacock!). Photograph: James Mayhew/Cheltenham Festival

Those children carrying images of either form, will be dressed in green; they represent their animal, but also the natural world. For that is what needs to be saved, and the environmental message is very obvious in the opera. Photograph: James Mayhew/Cheltenham Festival

And with the words, "Heare are lions, leopardes in", Noah's son Sem welcomes the first animals into the ark. Whereas I have had to squeeze them into the boot of my car - not quite an ark - for them to be safely delivered to Cheltenham. There, makers and painters and school children joined me to finish off flocks of birds. Photograph: pr

Because the Abbey is so vast, there will be an avatar of God, gliding around the audience, about two metres high. This has been created on gold fabric, and I've designed it to resemble an icon or fresco, to fit the setting. In the story, God is both a destroyer of sinners and a kindly supporter of Noah, whom he calls "my darling dear". In line with these two sides - malevolent and benevolent - I have painted two gigantic faces. Photograph: James Mayhew/Cheltenham Festival

I have chosen to add sea creatures during the storm sequence, even though they are not listed in the libretto. The images are all based on medieval illuminations and ancient maps. Photograph: James Mayhew/Cheltenham festival/PR

This was the final piece of the designs I made - the winds and the storm, here drying on our windswept washing line. It used gallons of paint; there was no time to go shopping for fabric paints (in any case they are too expensive); I resorted to emulsion and acrylic ink... It was next too impossible to paint it anywhere but outside. It was appropriately stormy, with strong winds and heavy showers, flipping paints and brushes around and staining the lawn blue. The fabric, meanwhile, sucks the life out the colours. This is truly the most windswept and stormy piece of art I've ever created. I hope that energy is preserved and comes across in the performances!' Photograph: James Mayhew/Cheltenham Festival