Text
Contextual review
contextual review
I think overall the projects we have been working on for the past 5 weeks have shaped my view of who I am and gave me a different perspective on who I could become as an individual and as an artist.
To be honest, if I would have to choose between doing textiles or fashion I would be upset to be put in the position to choose when I feel that the foundation of a strong design is the textiles and they can help each other out. But I would be interested in knowing how to develop textile designs and how to then put them on the body and how to make a garment out of a textile design. I am interested in going to study womenswear further with CSM because I grew up with my mum and grandma sewing and always creating new shapes, new ideas, and new designs and so it comes naturally to me to think of ideas and developing them on the body.
Starting with the first project, The ideas factory. To be honest, at first, I freaked out because I didn't really understand how to create ideas out of nowhere without knowing the purpose or context of those ideas. I have later on learned how to look at things from a new perspective to create ideas also to place emphasis on how I design and propose ideas. Taking that into consideration I came up with the ideas of a genderless suit. The suit when it is being worn by someone, the person has the ability to enlarge or minimize some parts of the body that are specific to gender like the sexual organs. You can then, if you are a woman, inflate a penis and maximize your boobs, and the other way around for a man. But then I thought how can I take it to the next level and so I thought, maybe it can be a suit where you can virtually access a world where you can hang out with your friends and create your perfect body.
The following week we mainly focus on drawing and how to better express depth and volume by using drawing techniques we have learned that week. For example, using harsher and lighter lines to show the parts of a garment that are in the back or in the front.
Week 3 was interesting because we did a project about the identity of a garment and how you can change it by deconstructing and reconstructing it again in a new way to create a new idea. My research consisted of looking at the victorian era and more specifically Victorian undergarments due to when I was draping the fabric it started to take shape into the bottom half of the womens underwear of the puffy pants. After draping I started to sew the pieces together starting with a simple black womens balzer and ended up with a Victorian-inspired undergarment. I would've loved to be able to have made a proper wearable garment out of the blazer but I like the way it ended up looking.
The Bianca saunders project was one of my favorites because I was able to truly discover myself and my heritage. I mainly focused on the story of how my parents met and the two different worlds they have come from. My mum was born in a small town in the Republic of Moldova and so we have spent every summer to go back and visit my grandparents and family in general. My dad was born and raised in Timisoara, Romania, and I found fascinating how different yet how alike the two cultures are. I wanted to capture the moments in my life that have defined and shaped me into the person that I am today by using old pictures that I found of my family and ancestors and using them as inspiration. Also, I wanted to show my religious side as I am a member of the church of Jesus Christ of latter days saints aka Mormon. I feel like it was crucial for me to express my view on religion and family because family is very important to me, I believe that families are eternal and that I will someday be able to meet all my ancestors. I also wanted to show how full of color and naivety my life was growing up in Romania from the Christmas decorations to all the toys and clothes I had. I did so by using color to express emotion like for example yellow would mean joy and green would remind me of the connection I have with nature growing up. Also when creating my samples I wanted to make the textiles feel more like a collage of pictures, memories and the ideas/ details I took from those pictures. I started by weaving to create a base to then be able to add my pictures and the stitch and do some embroidery. One thing I know for sure what I was supposed to do is to play with scale. My samples, as well as my final textile designs, are pretty much around the same scale and I wish I could've worked into it and show a range in my designs.
Week 5, Paul Kindersley was another one of my favorite projects because sexual identity is a very important topic that's being discussed in the fashion industry. Growing up Mormon I, of course, have a very rigid point of view on sexuality but I have now realized how even the church is so acceptable and teaches of love. In this project, I wanted to play with a camera and see how my group and I can develop this idea of gender identity and sexuality by creating a collection of stills. We have started by creating a small video based on the idea of sound and how you can identify the "gender" of that specific sound like for eg. the sound a lipgloss makes when you open it to the sound of a razor. I believe that the outcome was from a scale of 1-10 a 7 because I have envisioned it to be more detailed. I looked at the difference between what I have learned at church and what I learn every day in the society walking down the street and observing people. Most of my research was about male sexuality because I have been told that men have to act like men and women have to act like women and that we have roles on earth that we need to do.
What's the point project is my favorite out of all of the other projects because it best describes my vision of identity, gender, and family. I then began to look at touch and how it is crucial to forming a relationship with someone rather its a friendship or more. I then looked at the bond between mothers and their babies at birth and important it is for a newborn to have skin to skin contact with their mothers. I then looked at hands by having my own photoshoot of my classmates holding, linking hands, and hugging. I was then interested in body language and began to look at how dance can be a form of expressing emotions. I bought liquid latex to be able to make samples of the inside of my hand and the depths and details of it.
Text
contextual review
I think overall the projects we have been working on for the past 5 weeks have shaped my view of who I am and gave me a different perspective on who I could become as an individual and as an artist.
Starting with the first project, about
bibliography- what's the point
Photoshoot
notes from Paul
30/09/19/09/19
Library induction 11/09/19
I like these images because I want to use these drawing techniques for my homework for Thursday.
03/09/19
On Tuesday I came up with the idea of the "no gender suit" where you can inflate and compress the parts of the body as you like to hyde your gender.
No gender suit
From doing more research on Tuesday evening I came across some pictures from an exhibition called "Utopian Bodies" where they explore the human body and the idea of reimagining it.
And from the words: expand, Utopianism, and rubber I got to think a little more about the usage of the suit. I then began to link the virtual "utopia= state of mind" to how what if you could not only change your gender but reimagine the perfect idea of what you want to look like physically. In the pictures you can see what i was thinking of at the time..
notes week 1
C.P CLASS
CONTEXTUAL PRACTICE CLASS
02/10/19
Paul K. project
Contextual practice lesson
" identity
Gender identity is the personal sense of one’s own gender. Gender identity can correlate with assigned sex at birth or can differ from it. All societies have a set of gender categories that can serve as the basis of the formation of a per- son’s social identity in relation to other members of society."
-Why is it relevant?
Because it affects the way we act, dress,
Topic that it's constantly discussed.IT has become part of our lives and we have to confront this topic-choose to accept or not. Everyone is more open to diversity-accepting society. Fluid fashion because are more comfortable in their own skin.
Sex and gender- are two different things.
-Gender neutrality in the future of design?
History and tradition dictates the idea of masculine and feminine but the future of fashion is gender neutrality. Oppression of rules. Celebration of the unique is very rare in our society but it has become a more accepting and encouraged thing.
Mental health and fashion- what is represented through fashion is still binary/ limited.
Is gender a social construct?
- Why do we have social construct?
institutions- the basis of social construct.
Zyklus, work no. 9
Nick Cave Soundsuit
18/09/19
BENTWOOD FRANK GEHRY CHAIR "CROSS CHECK"
"Said to "defy categorisation", Gehry's work reflects a spirit of experimentation coupled with a respect for the demands of professional practice and has remained largely unaligned with broader stylistic tendencies or movements.[55] With his earliest educational influences rooted in modernism, Gehry's work has sought to escape modernist stylistic tropes while still remaining interested in some of its underlying transformative agendas. Continually working between given circumstances and unanticipated materializations, he has been assessed as someone who "made us produce buildings that are fun, sculpturally exciting, good experiences" although his approach may become "less relevant as pressure mounts to do more with less".[55]
Gehry is sometimes associated with what is known as the "Los Angeles School" or the "Santa Monica School" of architecture. The appropriateness of this designation and the existence of such a school, however, remains controversial due to the lack of a unifying philosophy or theory. This designation stems from the Los Angeles area's producing a group of the most influential postmodern architects, including such notable Gehry contemporaries as Eric Owen Moss and Pritzker Prize-winner Thom Mayne of Morphosis, as well as the famous schools of architecture at the Southern California Institute of Architecture (co‑founded by Mayne), UCLA, and USC where Gehry is a member of the board of directors.[citation needed]
Gehry's style at times seems unfinished or even crude, but his work is consistent with the California "funk" art movement in the 1960s and early 1970s, which featured the use of inexpensive found objects and non-traditional media such as clay to make serious art.[56] His works always have at least some element of deconstructivism. Gehry has been called "the apostle of chain-link fencing and corrugated metal siding". However, a retrospective exhibit at New York's Whitney Museum in 1988 revealed that he is also a sophisticated classical artist, who knows European art history and contemporary sculpture and painting."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Gehry
11/09/19
Today we had two people from the industry that talked to us about sustainability, what it means and how we can be more sustainable. I have learned that you can never tick all the boxes when it comes to making your brand sustainable but there was a quote saying something like " you can never be 100% sustainable but you can only be responsible".
We then discussed about ethical fashion and we were given the task to look at the brand we are wearing and to have an overall idea of how sustainable they from the research we did in class. I was wearing a Zara viscose top. From my research, I have discovered that Zara has good intentions for the future (so they say) but for now, they are a bit sketchy as I didn't find much about the sustainability report, past factory history or the person behind the brand (who makes the clothes). From my research, I have found out the people working one of the factories that might produce viscose for Zara has people working on a minimal wage from 7:30 am till 1/2 in the morning with only one free day a month.
Here is the garment evaluation sheet:
04/09/19
04/09/19
Today we talked about generating ideas based on the topics we were given. As for example, our group was given the topic: repurposed fashion. We came up with the idea of a fabric bank where commercial brands collect the fabrics. The way to get collected is that every new house that will be built will come with a piperway where the people can throw all the clothes they don't want anymore for an exchange of the tax to be paid back to them. The pipes will lead to a warehouse where there will be 2 piles of clothes made out of natural and synthetic fabrics. The genetically modified bacteria/ warms will eat the fabrics and then the compost will be recycled to make new fabrics.
The debate
Evaluation
Evaluation/opinion
Today we worked in teams to create an idea set in the future. We came up with a "fabric bank" where genetically modified warms would eat the fabric to then create new fabric from their compost.
I personally think that we struggled to make the idea as sustainable as possible. And this is because of how we were thinking of "transporting' the clothes to the warehouse without polluting the environment. ON the other side I think this idea could work out great because of what a big impact it would make in the fashion world. Repurposed fashion in "fabric made out of compost" could help with climate change due to using less energy and fuels to make the fabric and the clothes.
week 1
I then began to write notes on the second-skin suit
reflection
07/10/19
For this week I'm planning on going over everything that i have done until now. I had my progress tutorial on Tuesday and I was told to create different pages for each project. And so the plan for today and tomorrow is to finish my workflow work and to create the pages for all the projects. Also i will have to research the new project for next week. I have decided to continue with the Paul Kindersley project and to add the deconstructed project and the Bianca Saunders to create one project. I think they will work really well together because i want to find a way to somehow "deconstruct" my family's history and to create textile samples that will then be put of the body out of a existing garment. I really liked the idea of giving a new identity. I want to break down Romanian traditions and then combine them to create a new idea/perception. Also the Paul/gender project can work so well with the Bianca S. and the deconstructed project because as a Mormon i grew up thinking that gender is very strict, but the moving to London i have began to understand that gender could be anything you want, but that obviously went against hat i believe in. But i love thinking that I can design womanswear but for men and vice versa. In my family men and women have always been so separate and I have believed that women are supposed to be fragile and elegant, but not anymore.
Also one thing that stood out to me when Paul was talking about his projects is that you constantly have to translate your ideas in new ways and to interact with work more.
I will maybe try to dress like a guy for a week and see how that can help with y perception about men. And then i can draw my emotions or a self portrait.
I am really excited to see how I will take this project to the next level.
My notes from the feedback
Text
reflection 30/09/19-04/10/19
Paul K. project
I think overall this project was really interesting. I wish we could've taken it to the next level as a group. I think the idea of focusing on sound was really effective. I just wish we could've created an installation or worked on a bigger scale. The photoshoot was really effective as well because we have created a really nice way to visually show our ideas on gender. I think the legs and the tights were our smaller-scale version of a human installation of all the different opinions on gender have come together and you can't really tell who's who. Same with society nowadays tend to put labels on everyone and everything, but I think we have all come from the same place and we are equal as long as we don't try to judge one another for having an opinion.
As in this poem by Anne In Wanderlust. She explains how she sees gender quality and "Why was I born an obstacle? Why is being a woman, considered as one?" stood out to me because I feel like we don't have any problems anymore with equality but then why do people still complain or talk about it?
Gender is an ongoing topic the fashion industry has been apart of which is why I think this project could've been developed even more. For eg., I think we could've responded more to the work by drawing or translating the ideas into different scales or on different surfaces. We used different mixed media, like the stills from the video and how we used the fruits to paint on the fabric. I think the way we painted based on sound on the fabric was a good way of translating the idea of sound in a new way.
reflection 30/09/19-04/10/19
30/09/19 p2
We then experimented with sound and we recorded the sound of the things we brought in. I have uploaded some of the sounds we recorded today, like for eg. the sound a lipgloss makes when you open it it immediately makes you envision a girl in the toilet trying to put lipgloss on or like she is trying to get ready to go out. And when we recorded my dad's razor it immediately made me think of him or any men that would use it. I thought it was really interesting how I immediately thought if the sounds were linked to women or men and now I'm thinking of how can I change that thought sound and maybe an installation or film.
30/09/19
30/09/19
Today we had Paul Kindersley talk about his work and his practice. He Mae me think about how I should constantly translate my ideas into new ones in different ways. Like how he was talking about he started writing a script from which then he decided to make a video which then it led to a photoshoot and finally a drawing. I really like the cross over between practices.
One way in which I thought about taking my group's project to the next level is by thinking about the stuff we brought in a different way. My initial thought was to think about the sound that they make and how sound could define gender. I took the role of the creative director but I liked to think about the importance of sound and how we can take that to the next level. I then thought about maybe making an installation on my own and trying to make it react/interact with the sounds.
The idea that we then came up with in our group is that we will have the sounds of the stuff we brought in today, record it, and then we will each individually will try to react to it by drawing it or trying to describe It to someone, or imitating the sound- kinda like Chinese whispers. Someone will start by listening to the sound and then they will have to mime, or describe it to the next person that will then draw it and the next person will have to then guess what the sound was. I think the main idea is experimenting with texture and sound and then translating that into a different idea by using a different medium etc.
We then thought about how we can use sound again. We learned that will all are from different counties and we speak different languages and so we decided to try to record us saying 2/3 words about our opinion on gender in our own language. We then tried to over layer the recordings and see where that goes...
For some reason it didn't let me upload the video and so I put a picture below of the video.
23/09/19-26/09/19
23/09/19-26/09/19
I think there was no original with the way I have presented my work except for how I have hanged my textile samples. I feel like I should've tried to my work more visible in the way I chose to lay it out on the table. I definitely should've bought some A2 white paper so I can put my stuff on top so they can stand out. Also I feel like I should've had a white background being my textiles so you can see him more clearly. I overall feel like my work could've had a much better impact in I displayed it right, but now I know next time what to improve on when displaying my work.
I think I have definitely enjoyed making the samples because it felt so natural but I do think that my first samples in my sketchbook were really good but then they got lost in translation when making the final samples. I loved making the samples because it gave me a different prospective on how to develop work outside of the sketchbook from research and ideas.
One of the things that stand out to me when I had my peers look my work is that I should make it clear when laying out my pages so the project can flow.
I think the story that I was telling through my work was interesting because it was based on my grandmother and my parents. I also think that the collar pallet was good because you could clearly see where I got each colour from in my research. Also the samples in my sketchbook were really interesting tho I wish I could've had more time to develop more samples and see which direction would the project take.
On the other side time management was poor because even tho I had. plan in mind of how I will develop this project, I did not use my time right to be able to develop it more. Also I think due to my poor time management, I did not develop enough pages in my sketchbook to be able to take the ideas into my final samples. And I definitely have to improve on how to effectively create collages to tell the story.
19/09/19
Also in terms of my sketchbook i have learned about how its better to have less on a page than to overload the page so then the work can breathe more. Also i have learned that i should have both free drawings and technical drawings of the garment ect. to be more clear about the design. I will then try to think of how to express movement through drawing and collaging.
By looking at peer's work i realized that there is no right or wrong in fashion. I really liked the layout of the pages which is something i have to then work on in my next project. Also i loved how they used mixed media in their sketchbooks and they have experimented with different
17/09/19
Today we had to continue with deconstructing the garment and recording our thought process. We had to do so by taking pictures and dropping and drawing it. We then had to make samples out of the fabric we bought in and the garment.
I think I really liked dropping because it gave me the idea to redefine the blazer. I really liked thinking about how each piece can come together individually to create a new form or shape that will then be put on the garment.
16/09/19
The words I came up with to describe this blazer are: casual, gothic, chic, tailored, fitted. The jacket is quite detailed with seams and the pattern is very subtle.
Learning about observational drawing and by using multiple techniques I began to understand how to look at the objects I am drawing and to best express the volume and details of the object. One of the techniques I liked using the most was to combine light with heavy/bold lines to create depth and volume. Also to show what is in front and what goes in the back.
When I looked at the garment I chose for this project it immediately gave me a "independent woman works hard" vibes. From the silhouette and the details I imagined a story behind it "of a girl, let's call her Jessica. She is 20, has 2 kinds and has a new job interview. She lives in poverty and barely has anything to provide for her family. Her parents passed away and when she was looking throw her mum's old box of stuff she found this blazer and it reminded her of the strong, independent and confident woman she is".
I think the collar and turning it inside-out was interesting because it created a really interesting shape. Also the sleeves turning them inside out or getting the lining out throw the side of the sleeve also made some really interesting shapes.
P2 of the day
I then started to look at how it moves on the body and it takes the shape of the body after I started to take it apart.
After we made the samples we had to go back and drape by using our blazer and the samples on the body.
12/09/19
Phychogeography
As I was not in on Thursday due to personal reasons I did not get the chance to do the task on that day. But I have completed it in my sketchbook. The best part about phychogeography is learning to see things from a different prospective and how to take shapes from things like buildings and put them on the body.
I will
10/09/2019
10/09/2019
What was successful today for you and why?
The techniques I have used were successful because I have experimented with scale and I was able to work with my peers to create a nice pattern. I like how free my lines are and that I have used different mediums like stitching and using sellotape to create depth.
2) But on the other side what was unsuccessful was the lack of 3D samples. everything I make was 2D when I could've worked with other materials such as rope for example to create a mini 3D sculpture.
3) How did you find working in a group situation? Can you describe ways to improve this if you found difficulties with this?
I think as a group we struggled with communicating our ideas when it came to making our sculpture. We did not work together as a team to think and write down the ideas to then be able to create an interesting sculpture.
4) If you took the time to look at peers work- what inspired you and why?
I really liked one of the sculpture one of the groups did. They hanged the things they brought in for the day by putting chairs together to create a space in the middle where all the things were suspended. I think that was such an interesting way of working with the surrounding to create a very interesting piece. They have inspired me to think outside the box more.
10/09/19
One day project.
Day 10/09/19
Possession project
We had to bring in 5 objects that describe us as an individual. I think I am a very childish, energetic and positive person and so I brought in a lot of thing that remind me of my childhood and from where I'm from. For example I bought in a pen that I won at an arcade place in Romania when I went this summer. Also I had a little purse that my mum gave me when I was 4/5 and I bought in it with me because It reminds me of the day she gave it to me.
We then created small motifs from our interpretation drawings we did as a group and individually which we then combined all of then to create a nice textile idea.
05/09/2019
How did you react to having to pitch your idea to a group?
I think I was really excited to be able to share my ideas with my group.
How could you improve your pitching technique?
-I think having a strong short idea of the project I'm doing is important.
-Having keywords and engaging the audience.
-talk more loud and clear. Use hand gestures to express the idea.
In what way does your final idea meet the brief?
The brief was specifically focused on for us to
Text
04/09/19
Today we had our first contextual practice class. We worked in teams to produce ideas based on the topics that were given to us for eg. repurposed fashion.
I have learned to listen to the ideas people had and collaborate to develop the ideas even further.
Reflection
03/09/19
-Where will you go to find the research fr your contextual practice?
For primary reseach i will go to the libray to look for specific articles and imagery (from which i will draw) about utopiasm and the human body.
Also for my secondary research i will find documentaries and books about how the body performs, reacts and moves.
-What in partiqular are you looking for and how do you hope your research will impact your project?
As I mentioned before, my research will be bassed on utopiasm and the human body.
Also about the human mind and technology. About how the body moves and human anatomy.
As well as my chosen material: rubber.
-How do you think you will develop your project?
In terms of scale i think I will try to think of "no gender suit" can be translated into any body type,shape or form.
The idea is that it can either start out small and it can expand on the body to whatever the scale is wanted, or it compressess it to make it even smaller.
Also i want to bring a more human elemant to it by showing that even tho it is made out of rubber it can look exacly like skin.
I will extract shapes, colors, and elements from my research.
-What have you learned from collabing with your classmates?
I have learned how to share ideas effectively and how to respond to the feedback they gave me.
I have also learned how to effectively work within a team by lisening to their ideas and combining the 3 together to have a overall understanding of what we were trying to communicate in our work.
Reflection
02/09/19
What did you learn from today?
-Today I have learened about how to think of a project in terms of process and exerimantation.
-We talked about process and materials and concept and that has helped my understanding of how to translate an idea into a finished/more defined piece.
-the thinking process behind an idea and how to develop it.
How did you react to sharing your taught process to the group?
I think I am confortable in sharing ideas and working within a team.
I loved being able to share as well as hear everyones ideas.
Create an action plan on how you are going to handle the project.
-Primary research- pictures, museum,read the 2 books (or at least the summary)