Due to being in a frantic rush to submit the book draft blog post by 11pm I was quite brief and unclear with my annotation so it may not make a lot of sense. I thought I would debrief on the idea and intention I have for the draft.
I am quite intrigued by interestingly abstract layouts that are rather minimalistic. I came across a book about one of Maison Martin Marigela’s exhibitions which really captivated me with its way of communicating Margiela’s work.
Thus I wanted to communicate my project in a similar way- the book being an intriguing, almost abstract story, rather than a ‘look book’. Each image being as appealing as the one prior to it. I wanted my book cover to be very simple, I believe a pure white canvas with text applied in a strategic and though out manner has an effective outcome- something about all the white blank space almost reminds me of a mental institution (unsure why, maybe I’m a bit delusional).
I intend to make the book of A5 scale, and wish to make the cover out of hard card paper with the book pages to be of quite thick ,coarse textured paper- so that the images have a more matte, canvas finish as opposed to a lustorous aesthetic. The way I wish to join all the pages is through heat binding (if that is the correct technical name for the process? But basically Im referring to the method one sees on most hard cover books).
I’m undecided as to how many poster I wish to produce. But one or a few of them will simply portray what my exploration has been about. I may include other posters which depict the prototype garments- this is still in the process of examination.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Book & Poster Draft/Ideas
BOOK DRAFT -FEW MOCK UP PAGES
This page (above) is showing an idea for a layout of a page that will include tech drawings, fabric and colour explorations (current images are not ones I plan to use- dont have them yet so these images are just used to get an idea of the intention)
Possible layout and image mock ups. images are in reverse order.
POSSIBLE POSTER IMAGE EXPLORATION
Some explorations of the poster image(s). Unsure as of yet on the scale and quantity of the posters I intend to develop.
This page (above) is showing an idea for a layout of a page that will include tech drawings, fabric and colour explorations (current images are not ones I plan to use- dont have them yet so these images are just used to get an idea of the intention)
Possible layout and image mock ups. images are in reverse order.The master and page numbers have not been added. Just to get a sense of the layout- images are not necessarily the ones that will defiantly be used. Still more pages to be explored, these are just a few samples. I intend the book to be of A5 scale.
POSSIBLE BOOK COVER OPTIONS
The intention is a very minimalist aesthetic. The use of alot of white space. No images just text. Shadowing the styles of Martin Margiela.
POSSIBLE POSTER IMAGE EXPLORATION
Some explorations of the poster image(s). Unsure as of yet on the scale and quantity of the posters I intend to develop.
Monday, May 31, 2010
To elongate...
(work by Jean Paul Gould)
An exploration of the neck and shoulders in their raw, vulnerable state. Contrasted with my intention to manipulate, alter and disguise the natural form of these body parts, through different shapes and silhouettes.
In further examining the power of the bare flesh one could say that even though such imagery brings upon sensual and erotic connotations without clothing, there are no hierarchy, just an even nakedness.
An exploration of the neck and shoulders in their raw, vulnerable state. Contrasted with my intention to manipulate, alter and disguise the natural form of these body parts, through different shapes and silhouettes.
In further examining the power of the bare flesh one could say that even though such imagery brings upon sensual and erotic connotations without clothing, there are no hierarchy, just an even nakedness.
'A group of naked people-humiliated in a prison, ecstatic in an orgy-become
anonymous and speechless.Even in our dreams and daydreams, in memories, in
friendship and in love, clothing is never absent.Nakedness is an
exceptional state (Lauwart 2006, p.173).'
Friday, May 14, 2010
Foam Fanatic
In continuation of exploring the neck and shoulders I was looking into making very structural pieces out of foam and covering the foam with fabric, signifying stretch fabrics ability to stretch over a surface area. I had this particular shape in mind as influenced by the flaring epaulets of Thai dancers. I’ve found working on the stand to mould and create shapes is what I am particularly drawn to; the nature of improvisation is quite intriguing. Currently just working on developing the right shape for the piece but am interested in exploring different shapes I could mould using lingerie foam.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Work in progress...
Salvidor Dali- Woman with head of roses.
With the swimsuit I wanted to incorporate elements of outerwear into the swimsuit i.e. shoulder pads. Thus I intended to exaggerate the shoulders and alter the natural appearance of the body. In continuation of this idea I wanted to split the swimsuit in half. Demonstrating stretch fabrics ability to drape and form fit the body’s contours. One half is left to look like a normal swimsuit whilst the other half is constructed by multiple pieces of the swimsuit that have been joined together and draped on one side of the body. Hiding the body’s contours vs. moulding them.The image of Salvidor Dali’s painting-‘woman in a head of roses’ is to me reminiscent of this projected idea. The surrealists pursued to experiment with the body in the pursuit of a range of psychological, sociological and sexual concerns; which I intend to shadow.
“Surrealism is based on the belief in the superior reality of certain forms of previously neglected association, in the omnipotence of dream, in the disinterested play of thought. It tends to ruin once and for all other psychic mechanisms and to substitute itself for them in solving the principal problems of life.”(Fashion & Surrealism by Francois Baudot)
(Salvidor Dali image from
Friday, April 30, 2010
Fetish; The Neck & Shoulders.
I am interested in exploring the way different aspects/mechanisms can alter the proportion of the body. How we as humans are constantly attempting to hide or extenuate features of our body. I’m fascinated in how different eras in time & culture are cultivated by different areas of the body-in this particular case the attraction to the neck and shoulders- and different cultural fetishes within the way those parts of the body appear. Keywords such as ‘exaggerate’, ‘lengthen’, ‘extend’.
“Fashions great seduction is its mutability. Through the artifice of apparel, the less than perfect can camouflage perceived deficiencies and in some instances project an appeal beyond those gifted with characteristics accepted as ideal in their culture and time. However, while fashion is commonly thought to be driven by a constant cycle of aspiration and obsolesce, the ideal unclothed body paradoxically is believed to conform to some unchanging and universal standard. In fact, an examination of the nude in art reveals a constant if sometimes subtle shift in the ideal of physical beauty.” (Extreme Beauty: The Body Transformed)
One could say there is almost a mathematical formula to achieve certain desired changes in proportions of the neck and shoulders, such as;
-‘A triangulated shoulder line attenuates the neck’
-‘In all these cases, the shoulder plays an important role in suggesting the long neck through dress. Ironically, to achieve that attenuation, the neck itself is hidden almost as frequently as the shoulders. The camouflaged, elongated neck is conceptually reduced to the relationship of the head to the torso, so that the shoulders are inevitably implicated.’
-‘To create the impression of a longer neck through the gradual collapsing of the shoulders.’
-‘The broad shoulder created a V silhouette that appeared to narrow the hips’
All these changes in proportions are merely a way for humans to appear more ‘attractive’ and fulfil particular fetishes of that time or culture.
The word fetish is quite an interesting choice of words,
Fetish:
1. Object of obsession: -an object, idea or activity that somebody is irrationally obsessed with or attached to.
2. Object arousing sexual desire: -something that arouses sexual excitement in somebody.
“It raises the veil on a past, false ideality. From under this veil the secret of fashion steps forth: the fetishistic structure of desire. The fetish, which, according to Benjamin, underlies the sex appeal of the inorganic, is the heart of fashion. This is why fashion was the site at which the lifeless was animated, without having to bear the stigmata of life, at which the idea came to life, hand, flawless, complete and perfect like the marble of the antique statues, alive for the perfect moment of the illusion. Post fashion brings this fetishistic core to light: it exposes it. Margiela does this in a particularly drastic way; he shows how fashion brought the ideal to life, an ideal which, however, was as such located out of time, untouched, like the dummy, by the decline to which the flesh is subject. Time will not stand still, however, and the disfiguration of the ideal has inevitably to be followed by a refiguration.” (Fashion Zeitgeist-Tends & Cyles in the Fashion System- Barbera Vinken)
(all images from 'Extreme Beauty: The Body Transformed'- Harold Koda)
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Nanna dearest,,...
Elsa SchiaparelliThe act of decoration is merely the process of making something more ‘attractive’-however what to categorise as ‘attractive’ can be a debated topic. For this particular task I strayed in the field of predictability when it came to creating decorative elements that were ‘attractive’-such as something as cliché as rosettes.
Integrate- to join two or more objects or make something part of a larger whole, or be joined or made part of a larger whole. I am more interested in decorative techniques as a textile form as opposed to an application. But for the sake of experimentation I intended to incorporate both decorative and integrated methods of decoration for the nanna briefs.
Whilst investigating the ‘decorate or integrate nanna’ task I came to discover just how widely decoration is used. The simplest of garments can be made extravagant purely through decorative elements, not to say I am largely in favour of this but I am able to appreciate some decorative works and admire their beauty.
I recently have been quite interested in the work of surrealists and their theoretical views, in pursuing this research I stumbled upon a fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli who produced some of her best known works in collaboration with Salvador Dali. Her designs created in the art deco period had fascinating use of decoration which really inspired me for the nanna exercise. There was some kind of a minimalist sense conveyed ironically, as who would have categorised decoration with minimalism. . Her decorative elements also appeared as if they were strategically placed with precise calculation.
The term minimalism is also used to describe a trend in where the subject is reduced to its necessary elements; in this case ornamentations being about quality rather than quantity. Thus I decided to take this approach for my nanna briefs rather than ‘over decorating’ –I felt there would be a more refined beauty achieved.
Surprisingly I enjoyed the process of constructing the decorative nanna briefs. Whilst in class, I experimented with different ways of creating a textile surface through smocking and tucking. The process I found most effective was making textile out of a series of overlapping tucks travelling in different directions. It created an interesting texture and made one wonder and ask ‘how was this achieved?’. Thus I thought to continue this approach on my toile. I initially wanted the entire back piece to be made out of the tucks. I thought the best way to do this would be to get the fabric and then place the pattern and cut the piece out- in that chronological order. However I wasn’t aware of how much fabric it would actually take to fill the pattern piece. The fabric dramatically shrinked in size after the tucks were completed. Due to this being a tedious process and extremely time consuming I opted to incorporate the tucks into the side panels of the nanna, and thus make it a minor detail of the nanna.
Throughout this generic garment investigation I have learned that achieving your desired/intended result proves to be an immense challenge (for myself at least). Largely due to either the complexities of design or in most cases the behavior of the stretch fabric which is rather hard to predict and would require several toile’s before coming across anything close to perfection. Conversely I have learned to accept this and embrace it, as Salvador Dali says “Have no fear of perfection - you'll never reach it……………………Mistakes are almost always of a sacred nature. Never try to correct them. On the contrary: rationalize them, understand them thoroughly. After that, it will be possible for you to sublimate them. “
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