Improvements on the Go

Me and my partner have discussed certain issues that could be addressed in our garments such as creating more volume on the shirt and allowing the trousers underneath to be seen more easily.

Print Choices

I developed some of my prints into textile samples to get a better idea of what would translate best on to the garment.

Creating the Form

Here I have now been translating my prints and ideas onto a silhouette. Me and my partner have decided to go for a more tailored look, with me concentrating on a shirt and her concentrating on the trousers. We established that I will be focusing on one print in particular and using the devoré layer underneath to create more volume.

Developing Designs

After my tutorial with Claire I wanted to try and make my chosen prints more textural in some way, i.e. focusing on different types of material that they might be printed on to such as devoré, also looking at the possibility of layering.

Here I've taken one of my original designs and broken it into 2 layers. The printed devoré layer which has the bone filament pattern printed onto it, and underneath, the transfer print of the layered squirrels. I initially really liked this idea, but however when constructed the overall look wasn't as strong as I'd hoped so I will just use devoré under the print to create texture and depth.

Print Focus

After my tutorial this week I told Karyn (Tutor/Head of year) that I wanted to focus entirely on print in this project. Which is great because honestly you couldn't force another grotty looking stitch sample out of me if you tried.

From my initial pictures (and paintings and drawings...) I've been developing prints in the CAD room on Photoshop which I'm going to focus on for 2 weeks. Also I've had a class with Kenny for using transfer prints on polyester. Hopefully after I've made a few CAD designs I can start looking developing these designs on to fabric.

Fashion Collaboration Project

On my textile course I have begun a fashion collaboration project working with one other student. The name of the project brief was transition so we decided to look at the evolutionary approach and we nipped off to the Natural history Museum. Afterwards I've just been developing my pictures into paintings and I'm looking forward to what this project will produce.

Reflective Statement

Using a blog as a theory method has been a useful way in which i can reflect on course learning. The connection between lectures and museum visits really helps me to define the theories and issues highlighted within all the topics. It also has helped me to interpret the resources we are given, by understanding and evaluating them in the lecture, visit and blog. The blog style has given me a better method in which to summaries what i have learned into a conclusion that i can understand for myself- Which in other methods you can't see how some theories come about and are supported with certain items (i.e. using photos in blog posts).

I think within the blog i have shown an understanding of the concepts brought up and i have shown my own interpretation and realisation. The underlying principles that are brought about in the theory tasks i have tried to support them by understanding them and appling them to the knowledge i see in visits and documentation. Overall i feel that blogging has allowed me to examine resources and interpret them in a way that i dont think would of been as successfull in over means of recording.

Orientalism in Fashion.

As most people who have had an interest in fashion people will know that oriental styles often comes into play, Some beautifully interpreted, Some not (How could we forget the tank tops with dragons on from the late 90's- Yes i did have one it was purple and was glittery). It appears it waats not the first time that interpretions of Oriental styles have gone off the track- Up to the 1900's there seemed to be confusion between real oriental styles and the European fantasises- None the less Europeans became big fans and even went as far as decorating royal palaces in the 'style' of Orientalism (Brighton Royal Pavilion).

Collecting things, Collecting people.

I had a lecture with Dr.Clare Rose on the origins of museums and such. Orginally museums were basically cabinets of curiosities the wealthy created as knowledgable past time. Which given a few hundered years got established into the museums we know today. It began in the 1600's exchanges between cultures became readily available and these goods were often purchased by the wealthy to collect. However all this trading eventually destablised cultures as Europeans saw the East in general as primative.

 I went to the Bristish museum to see the current exhibition of 'Benin art- Sainsbury's African Galleries'. On first inspection of the gallery you can clearly pick up on certain tribal styles that you expect from African art, but the use of materials can clearly be seen to use modern materials often involving recycling and expressing modern issues of war and poverty. After visiting the exhibition and reflecting on the history of trade between the east and west, one thing that i feel that trade has created is the on going influence it has on cultures and stereotypes sometimes negitive but i feel its worth this for the things that both sides recieve in return- even though now its hard to differenciate some parts of the western and eastern worlds which i feel is a bit of a shame due to loss of culture.

Living and Dying, British Museum

In room 24 i found the 'Living and Dying' exhibition. On entering the room the overall mass and variety of objects felt daunting. Only until half an hour after arriving you felt the theme really emerging. The overwhelming feeling of worry seemed to grasp me, this fear of ill-health or death seemed to stem over all diverse cultures. As any hypochondriac would know that the search for putting your mind at rest about ill-health is an exhausting issue, but it seemed belittled by the lengths that some cultures went to to prevent an illness, some practices often pointless or infact causing more damage.

One piece in particular i related to more than others was the 'Cradle to Grave' by Pharmacopoeia. Each length of fabric containing over 14,000 drugs representing the amount the average Britain takes in a lifetime. The shock of the visual aspect really makes you wonder how society today have become almost obsessive with preventing illness. The exhibition made me think that like the previous cultures and civilistions before us could our new modern obsession with medicine also be pointless or damaging?

Tomb of the unknown Craftsman, Grayson Perry

I visted the exhibition at the Bristish Museum and i liked it. The way it had been structured, the initial idea and how it was visually brought together. The idea that it was a 'memorial to unknown craftsmen' hit a sentimental note. I've always wondered as someone who makes things, when im gone (in a few hundered years) if someone found something i made would it be worthy of such presentation, in a world thats so heavily branded.

The exhibition revived pieces that were infact from a time before branding, they were admired in a time when all you judged an item on was purely for what you saw it as. Perry used a combination of skills to some what resolve his need to imput his thoughts alongside these unknown, unalknowledged makers in a respectful manner which i really liked.

Trade. East and West

Trade between East and West, Continually occuring has been for hundereds of years (apparently), Makes my life normal, without it how would i buy my mangos? What i find interesting is how we ever functioned without all these goods that are so readily available, that are so normal- especially to my generation. I mean who cares about a pineapple? i don't. But if i want one and i MAY just want one in the next 20 years, I can pick one up for £2 and i'm reaassured by this fact.

This reassureance is due to how stable i view trade. However this is far from when trade first began and how trading infact destablised existing cultures due to the availability of new goods. Europeans saw the easten world reacted to trading and whether the western world were intimmidated by some of the skills used or how quickly there cultures reacted to trade- the western world lplayed down these existing cultures as primitive. Which is reflected by art work being produced at the time. Pablo Picasso's Demoiselles d'Avignon, 1907 was heavily based on African masks- But instead of picking the masks that were made with skill and metal work he based it on the most primative looking masks, in essense downgrading African art on a whole. Picasso and the Western world down played the Eastern world to a point where hundereds of years later many europeans still uphold similar perspectives.

 

Rough Guide

BOND ST. TRAFALGAR SQUARE. OXFORD ST. TOTTENHAM COURT ROAD. PICCADILLY CIRCUS.

For the first part of the ROUGH GUIDE PROJECT i was given a specific area (listed above) within London to study and to establish a 'Rough guide'.

My perspective on this brief was formed by mapping the stated area by following the movements and activities of pigeons. In essence if you saw mating pigeons you were most probably in Trafalgar square. So with a case of romanticism (perhaps not that romantic considering it was based on pigeons) i tried to disintegrate the usual view of London to a more naturalistic view.

The second part of the ROUGH GUIDE project, i looked towards three specific objects in the given area;

•  A POSTACARD from the Museum of Everything of a royal guard fainting by Dominique Theate, Untitled (2010).
• A 'COLLECTABLE' CHINA PLATE of Kate and William from a souvenier stall on Oxford street.
• A HIGH END WEDDING DRESS in a window display near Bond st.

On first reflection you can see an obvious theme emerging, The postcard depicting a line of royal guards- firstly establishing the Royal theme, Then followed with the china plate printed with the image of Prince William and Kate on their wedding day, Combined with the wedding dress, Only compliments and strengthens the Royalist influence.

However once you review these objects in conjuction with the area and initial enviroment they were found in diversities are immediatly exposed. If the china plate from the souvenier stall was placed within the museum compared against all the unique pieces it would become obvious that this 'collectible' plate is purely one of a billion cheaply man-made tat that is so readily often on any tourist spot in London. Also the wedding dress worth thousands becomes cheapened if it was hung up on a tourist stall placed next to the union-jack-over-sized hats. Lastly, If the postcard depicting a fallen guard was placed within the high end wedding dress shop window, The luxury that is established and desired is ironically deminished by the image of a fallen guard breaking the window shop set up of perfection.