Definitions.....

A good time to redefine aspects of my work- what joins it all together, and WHY I am doing it.
INTUITION- without rational thought, second nature, personal, individual. Intuition is an expression of the culmnation of all that has come before for any individual. Every experience we have shapes our views/choices and intuition.
TOUCH- A key element that links my works/series/explorations is the textural nature- the desire of others to touch the items is key to their greater engagement with them (one of my central goals).
RANDOM- the random and imprecision are a guideline/rule within my work to begin the making process (aplication of elastic etc). Also it is key in creating unique situations (of materials) to work with, so I can engage more deeply with each individual piece.

Ricarda keeps asking me what I like abou the degraded-
A few ideas
The degraded = authenticity?
I have always found more beauty in the imperfect than the perfect, and in things with visible age. These things tend to hold more sentimental value, and authenticity for me. When I encounter something old, I can't help but think of the people or experiences that have come before me. It makes me feel as though I have some secret and intimate knowledge through it.

I also think my ideas of authenticity via the degraded are a reaction against the constructed, confected fashion that dominates. This fashion conveys a myth of sorts- of perfection, of ease, and creates distance from the makers in the sense that people dont think of the person who may have made the garment as they look almost machine made in their precision. This is also linked to my ideas re: a garment as a record of process- in that many garments hide their records of process- while I am working in ways to highlight these.

Pleat + elastic prototype

Trasfer Prototype #2

against intuition #3

This time i destroyed by burning the fabric. I got a bit scared so only burnt a small section.
Destroying was intuitive with this fabric so I am wondering how I would work with it against intuition. I think this could be using a pattern and making a pair of hot pants or some other design that is outside of my aesthetic? I think that as the fabric is against intuition, anything I made out of it would also be. In destroying it, however, I came to like the results- so does that mean that I could take any material and reach a point where it is pleasing to me?

against intuition #2

This was my second DESTROY process- pulling the fibres apart which changed the apearance of the fabric, destroying the snake print. Again I like the result much better than the original.

against intuition

I chose this fabric- as something against intuition- something I would never usually choose to work with. Why?- it feels cheap, scratchy, clammy, and looks cheap, nasty, trashy, frivolous, comical, i dont like the shade of blue, or the plastic sparkley bits, or sparkly stuff in general. It is far too loud, and flashy. Perhaps some mad blue rinse LasVegas grandma would be into it, or maybe a 'trailer trash' gal. These are the associations i make with it via my accumulated knowledge. I guess that means what I do choose intuitively are what I percieve to be opposites of these things.

Although I chose the fabric against intuition I worked with it intuitively- which was to DESTROY it.The above images are of me pulling the fabric apart entirely, a process which was quite physical. I find the resulting pile of fibres much more apealing than the piece of fabric I started with.

T shirt deconstruction

Stumbled accross a similar idea to my trasfer series of garments-

T-Shirt : Deconstruction

What's the difference between commodities and objects?

They seems identical yet somehow quite different. 
In this project, a pattern printed on the surface of a compressed block t-shirt is part of the packaging. 
During the process of transforming a commodity into an object (i.e., opening the packaging) the pattern converted into a new visual impression.
 You'll be surprised to see the distorted image now becomes part of your outfit.
Han-Hsi Chen

http://www.designproductsrca.com/platforms/platform-10/

Transfer Prototype 1 / samples

Some more samples using a different brand of iron on transfer.

Further development of iron on transfers to prototype stage- again I have responded to the treated piece of fabric on the stand. I plan to video record the interaction of the wearer with the garment, in changing the shape of the garment by pulling apart the transfer. I had hoped this would occur of its own accord when worn, but realise there may not be enough tension in that area of the garment for that to happen. If it doesnt it may have to be a manual process.

Pin artist- Kirsty Hall

'Scatter' by Kirsty Hall


Pin drawing by Kirsty Hall


'Quiver' by Kirsty Hall

I Found the pin artist I remembered from DAS last semester.
Some of the aspects of her work have parallels with mine this semester- the creation of works in her pin series require repitition, and hand making, which I imagine would be quite meditative.
These works were also ever evolving and undoing themselves, due to the impermanence of pins in fabric as it is moved and worked on by the artist.
'Pin Ritual' was created as a performance piece, with Hall pinning the piece of fabric in the exhibition setting, and other places. Hall says the act of her pinning made others around her feel at ease, opening up conversation in ways it normally may not. I love that the act of making could have this effect, not only are viewers engaging more deeply with the work, but also with the creator.

I am very drawn to the texture of these works, and imagine how they would move, ever changing. I feel the beauty of these works is in their simplicity, the qualities of pins being magnified in their mass use.

The pin drawing I think is interesting as something so simple, and an action I know I have engaged in, pricking paper with pins. It is also a very clear record of process, which I think would be familiar to most people. This action to me is like popping bubble wrap, satisfying a desire for immediate reaction to touch. This is something that seems to be a part of my work, something I hope to unpack further.

http://kirstyhall.co.uk/art/pin/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fragiletender/276494871/in/set-72157600178438008/

So far-

Garment definitions-

A garment is an expression of material qualities.

I am using materials as my starting point, utilising and highlighting their existing qualities to inform design decision making as much as possible. I am working intuitively with the material, one decision leading to the next. I also plan to respond to materials in relation to different forms- the mannequin, the body, and others.

A garment is a record of process.

All garments are a record of process, holding within them a map of how they were created. However many fashion garments seek to hide these processes, to create an immaculate appearance. Through exploring this garment definition I am asking if there are ways of making that are truer records of process. I am also exploring different ways of expressing process in garments. Imprecision and hand work are key elements of this exploration.

A garment is an object of emotive meaning.

I am exploring methods/processes of making in which I am more deeply engaged, in the hope that the resulting garments will illustrate this relationship. A key element to this is working intuitively by hand, working directly onto the form, without the constraints of flat patterns and other learned conventions. I also hope to find elements which will lead to greater engagement of the viewer/wearer, which so far include texture and interactive garments.

Blog envy

Joining the rest of you. It really does look much nicer....