MOODBOARD REVIEW
For the final class before Christmas break, I have prepared three moldboards about anxiety(rain), claustrophobia, and parasitism. In small groups we all got to project our ideas for term3 and got feedback. I personally thought the process was helpful when it came to thinking it more as an academic perspective. Most of my group members weren’t sure how the primary research will take place. This was also a major problem for me as well. If I continued with the idea of claustrophobia, it seemed difficult to find adequate amount of research to support my idea. In order to create a stronger statement for the project I decided to change to anxiety(rain) because this topic will lead me in a better position for the project compared to other two ideas.
PROJECT PROPOSAL
I have applied for LCF BA Womenswear as it is my goal to create a brand as a designer in my future career. For term 3, I have decided to create a collection of 8-10 dresses and 6 jackets to go with trousers or skirts. During the process, the proportion of the category might change but I am going to put majority of the concept through a form of dresses. This collection that I am working on is directed to achieve brand characteristic where majority of the garments will communicate as art piece rather than ready to wear. Through this project I want to achieve where my brand takes place in the market and how the brand communicates with its concepts on transformation of unpleasant things. As my project is based on emotion(stress) it was essential to merge it with visualizable elements throughout the research process. There are two ways that I am going to conduct the research. First is primary research where I am going to visit galleries, museums, and even parks to seek inspiration or research knowledge that involves rain (or any substance of water) discribing emotions or even patterns each object creates. This part will be essential on how I will communicate with the viewers using what kind of mediums and in what form. This will also guide where I should bring my project to as a goal.
Primary Research
Throughout the break I visited several galleries and museums and those which were suitable for a primary resource was the South Bank Centre, and V&A Museum followed by an outing in the parks on a rainy day to observe patterns. Especially in South Bank Centre, Klaus Weber’s sculpture put me in an advantageous position where I got clearer idea on how I will visualize stress using elements of light indication of gravity from different directions. In the V&A I was looking more towards poses of figures and facial expressions of stress but after all what really took my attention was the structure of the building. The cables that connected the structure from the ceiling was a source where I could relate how the rain is a substance that connects umbrellas with the skies. Walking in the rain was another primary source where I was able to seek characteristics of the rain itself.
Secondary Research
The second part is researching through books and websites. Within this process I was able to find artists and projects that were helpful in guiding my way. Amancio Williams, Olafur Eliasson, Pier Luigi Nervi, George Zoggolopoulos were the main artists that I looked through. The theory of umbrella structure by Amancio Williams was a particularly useful resource when it came to structures and silhouettes. I would say Olafur Eliasson’s massive projects that concludes weather and atmosphere also was a great guidance to my research. The reason I looked at many artists as secondary resources was in my case, I thought looking at how other artists visualized concepts is especially important.
Planning
From term 2 I have learned lots of techniques that require creativity and acknowledging the importance of process than the simple outcomes. I am going to continue the features of creativity and in this project, I will use more experimental elements using some of the techniques such as developing shapes using tracing paper to create distinctive shapes from research. To manage time and to be on the right step, I am going to create a little note that lists what I am going to finish the following time each time I sit at my desk. I usually work very instinctively where I do not work little by little but work where I feel most inspiring but since the time is limited to less than a month, time management will be essential. To be more organized I started to plan ahead. For example, I planned what I am going to do next several pages in sketchbook, so I do not have to waste time getting myself back on track. My ultimate goal of this project is to communicate how the real beauty of life comes from the unpredictable patterns and I am going to create a collection that gradually changes from being very protective to being the pattern they want to be. This will be communicated by changes in color proportions and shapes which will make it clearer for the viewers.
TERM 3 BLOG ENTRY
Stress is not seeable, touchable substance. It needs emotions and connection to objects that form us to imagine its unpleasant impacts in us. As an artist I thought it will be very fascinating to create a piece that will communicate with the viewers with a clear reference to a secondary tool which in this particular case it the rain. My research starts from the rain test as it is essential to my project. It was inspiring how rain could indicate ones stress as it influences how we act for the change in weather. The test concludes that on the way people draw theirselves in the rain it shows their ability to face stress. The interesting part is the ideal form is how much the person draw ones that gives protections from the rain. I was able to see many drawings with big umbrellas rain boots. As I researched further I started to sense what kind of direction I wanted my project to go. I started to describe stress as disruption of patterns. I thought the key part that I can take out of this test is how in order to stay ‘safe’ is to hide from the outer force(rain which destroys our preferred patterns). Although I wanted my project to communicate something more than “Stay in your comfort zone to avoid stress.”. I was eager to put this method into our society as rain becoming the complicated connection within the society. “Maybe, staying simple and taking place in the identical pattern makes it easier to control the society?”. I looked back at my experience in middle school and I reminded how same the classrooms were and the view and even clothes. By educating in the identical environment and sharing the same experience, I thought the whole process was to gradually creating a pattern(comfort zone) where they feel comfortable being neutral to one another where behaving different occurs chaotic situation. This concept made my project go in a specific direction and I knew what I had to look more about.
On the first part of my Christmas break I took time to visit different exhibitions and museums mainly for inspirations and further research. I was seeking for art pieces that changes in pattern or include rain as a substance to express certain thing and my visit to Southbank Centre was one of them. An exhibition of Louis Bourgeois was going on and I would say that it was good and had rain in some of the projects but I couldn’t relate deeply for my project. What really stoped my step was installation done by German artist Klaus Weber. It was a piece where emotion and water, gravity correlates and the colors form by the light was very inspiring. Reading about the piece it was great that the artist was also trying to achieve describing emotions where water almost acts like bursting tears. I thought exaggeration in art that describes light, gravity will give much more dramatic appearance to communicate. I gave great suggestion on how I can visualize my idea. Direction of the water, poses from the figure, these were factors that I focused thinking.
I was taking a walk outside when rain stared to pour and I saw how it changes our pattern. People tend to walk faster looking more downwards than to the sky, and most importantly, every color lost its original character and it was changed into something more unclear and became mystic. Every single raindrop contained light that were reflected to one another. It had no predictable pattern as it just made dripping noise from all over the ground. sometimes it was slower and gradually became slower. I was satisfied on the fact how rain’s characteristics were very relative to my approach in this project. I think the fear, the stress comes from changes in pattern and rain really communicates with the viewers. The drastic change in mood and atmosphere, I thought the rain mediphorically described being different in society thinking different. This gave me an idea on how I will create a collection of gradually expressing the relationship where one gradually gets rid of the umbrella(protection) and engage what they actually want to be or become.
Visit to V&A Museum was one of the things that I did after I starting few pages of the sketchbook for this project. I needed some sources that can guide me through the emotions of the atmosphere my muse will contain. I walked through lots of paintings and sculptures where the people were almost suffering from outer forces. Spines were curved and the poses was very introverted. This was something that I can add as a detail for my collection merging the muse with the garments. What really engaged me during the time in V&A was actually the architecture than looking around sculptures. I was able to fine similarities between rain and the structure that hold up the the structure below it. It was a substance that connected one object to another. I thought this was a new approach I can apply to rain project. So my approach was what if I think of rain as a numerous connection of hope from the skies but we disconnect them with umbrellas by the feeling of fear for changes in life. This can be expressed as change in color and changes of direction of lines that form a silhouette.
The primary sources gave me a good starting point where I know which direction and philosophy behind the project I will put in. Although I wanted to take a look at other artists who put nature especially rain as a source to express certain ideas. Through my research I took time reading about Olafur Eliasson and his huge installation projects. Looking at his work I thought I would really want to experience through reality one day, not by text and images because his works really focuses on the connection between the art and the viewers where it requires the viewers to walk through or around the installation itself. The rain installation by Eliasson was the particular project that I found relating to my project where the position of lightings on the ceiling changes how the waterfall change its color proportion and shapes. Through this I decided to give light a shape in my project where I am going to use colors to distinct light form other project. This will guide the viewers to see how the rain(where the light will reflect) colliding with umbrellas or any kind of shields that protect the body. Continuing with sourcing through artists, I found Amancio Williams who brought up the idea of umbrella becoming a structure that holds heavier weight on top efficiently. I mean this was a perfect transition of idea where the umbrella is acting as a shield that covers our body from something ‘heavy’ emotion wise. The shapes of the structures gave inspirations on where the shape can come from and at this point I was able to capture good garment ideas from it. Pier Luigi Nervi and George Zoggolopoulos was another artists that I closely looked at. Especially I was seeking for art that were formed with umbrellas so that I can develop that into some kind of shield and Zoggolopoulos was a great example. The complexity of umbrellas arranged in different angles formed new mood to what umbrella normally looks like. It almost looked like spines from different aspects where I was easily relatable where it’s a form of protection in my project like a porcupine(being protective in a form of shape). I personally enjoyed looking at Nervi’s buildings. The form was from umbrella but the lines that all came to one singular column was something that I can use as a design detail in further process. The curves that added up to surface was very cool to look at. From the research process I determined how oddly arranged curves will become a great design element of the collection.
SKETCHBOOK (Research)
I have started the few pages of sketchbook right after primary research and along with other sources gathered from the internet and books on other artists, I was ready to move on to communicating my idea with the right medium in my sketchbook. First part of the sketch book focuses on the impression of the stress where I expressed it as rain with my artistic taste. I used charcoal to bring that mystic vibe rain has when it reflects light. Objects gets smudged like charcoal. With that, I started to transform rain into a form of pattern that is very instinctive rather than straight lines that have certain orders. It is more likely to be more random. As I mentioned on my research process lights are an important part that I have to bring along with my project. In order to project this idea to the viewers, I put sketches of spreading lines which indicate the lights in every raindrops. I would say it was not enough but still it created a raindrop of it’s own kind. What also came in mind was to recreate the scene where rain hits the surface and explodes because this fact was essential to express the fear of the rain. The aggressive perspective of rain where it destroys organized pattern. This could be easily transferred to the idea where stress come from. Disruption in our own pattern.
Shield from stress is where I got majority of the shape ideas where it was involving playing around with the structures of an umbrella. The simple shape of umbrella had so much potential to turn into something more. Just by looking at different angles, already had different shape. I put many time figuring out a way to project an umbrella as a shield that protects the body from stress(design ideas from rain research). I was able to simplify the complex shapes that with arranging curves which will become a surface in a garment.
Along with extracting design elements, I thought it will be great to make this project to contain message throughout the collection with the idea coming up at the finale. I was able to divide this project into three phases. First phases where stress emerges and the shapes of the line up will be mostly upon from outcomes from the design features of the umbrella(shield). This will include complex, sharp, hard and most part of the body will be covered since it is the design intention. Secondly I will introduce rain design elements coming together with the umbrella where two of the design elements correlates to each other. This will lead to the final garment where the shield is gone and the body and the garment project my idea where I want to say the real beauty comes from adapting new(might be seen as fear at first) patterns. In this part I will use the curve of the body arranging with the circular rain shapes and will create more flexible and softer texture of garment.
SKETCHBOOK (Design)
Since I had main features of this project planned out I started my garment design process followed by 3D experiment and collage. Using digital collage was one of the skills that I got to use in last term but I felt like for this project I want to create something more instinctive. I thought digital collage was useful in terms of creating shapes and having more control over the power but for me I didn’t had excellent skills in computer and the outcomes lacked in the roughness of surface and connection to my own artistic style. This term I decided to do collage using craps and paper. I would say the first outcome from this was nice. I was able to link it back to my sketchbook with good understanding of the concept that I wanted to achieve. I retraced the collage and recreated garment idea from it.
WEEK 1
For this week my plan is to continue in the 3D experiments. I thought it was essential to take advantage in the class using mannequins and doing the sketches back home. Since my previous 3D was from paper and plastic, I used calico in class. Since calico has very different characteristic compared to paper it was important to make the calico form the shape with enough support either from the body or the surface it created. I used most of the class time on the mannequin and at last I was able to find a nice garment idea from it. Using curves supporting each other like a bridge shaped of an arc, it created beautiful surface linked by curves. I thought this will become the surface for garments that will form phase 1 where umbrellas are reinterpreted as garments. Looking back at the class, I thought the first class after break, was well organized and I felt I was in good position in the project. Printing out the 3D outcomes, I extracted important shapes and pattern from them and started to transfer into more considerate garment concepts. As Giles commented on how I needed to push my boundaries from my comfort zone I actually thought it was connecting to my whole idea of the process. I thought it is opportunity for me to move forward and use materials I haven’t used before as I go further with the sketchbook. Using dominant colors such as sky blue and green the concepts started to contain more strong identity. I used most of the time outside class working on 3D especially with papers to concentrate in the light and shapes. This process was based on the shape of the idea of umbrella becoming a shield for fear. The outcomes communicated well with lights and the shapes were satisfying where it was well projecting my idea. These 3D experiments were followed by a process of transferring then into garment ideas. My major job was to continue the sharpness and drastic changes in brightness in order to contain its beautiful characteristics including curves.
ADOBE CLASS
In my adobe session, I got a chance to learn how t use architectural features to create three demential shapes in computer. I created donuts and house to get the basic knowledge of how buildings are planned with animates features. This included pictures on the wall and desks and chairs. It was cool to see how even a single small object was created with lots of details. We all got a chance to create our own building. From this adobe session I have notices how these techniques can be really helpful when I am wandering my design product. It certain perspective, it communicated more easily than a sketchbook since it is very straight forward with bold and clear line structures with shadows located accordingly. I found this session very enjoyable because I am always interested in architectures and this class seemed to relate some of the features in the basic sense of architecture.
VISITING ALEXANDER MQUEEN
It was inspiring looking at the whole process of how each garment was planned and to be worn in a show. It was particularly cool to see how the dress was structured inside the fabric since the dresses were very structure and dramatic in the brand’s designs. It was fascinating to see how the fabrics were actually made in variety of mediums in the exhibition. An opportunity to see this process in such inspiring brand, my favorite part was seeing design details where you have to really get close to see the features. Looking at it from a distance would just deliver the mood but looking close at it made the garment contain much more story. Visit to this exhibition was not directly relating to my current design process but it truly gave me a developed thinking in how to make my sketches into a piece that is much more interesting.
WEEK 2
In class my plan was to use first section doing 3D works and for the rest to continue design process but actually I ended up using most of the time in mannequin. I was quite stuck in bringing ‘light’ to garment. In order to do this I had to use fabric that reflected light easily. In order to make this I decided to use metal as a surface. Since it was quite sharp and hard to control, I had hard times creating shapes that I wanted. This took many times and finally I decided to mix it with silver plastic paper. I liked the result where it reflected light as I wanted. I also had in mind to put this in low proportion in garment because I thought using it on the body dominantly would actually give confusion in shape and actually mislead the viewers from what I intend to look like. This particular outcome really worked out in the darkness with hint of light shinning the edge of it. The reflection was another inspiration. It definitely gave more depth to it and it connected with the environment near it. I thought that was quite great because in the future this can become an idea of making the stage for the collection. How it will look the best. I would say that the outcomes were well communicating about the light but the speed of working was not as I expected since only had couple weeks left until finalized outcomes of the project. It was time for me to plan ahead of time with organizing what I should do when I sit on my desk. This actually helped me speed up where I worked hard to finish until I planned to do so on that day.
WEEK 3
I used the whole time in class on my sketchbook. Cutting out shapes, tracing, reinterpreting as surface. It was important to put concepts well reflecting my intentions as it is key point of this project. In a way I decided to design garments for phases 2 in a way where garment is more fitted to the body with curves where phase 1 is very sharp and outgoing in shape. Back in home I continued in the design process. The color theme was clear at this point as I am going to use Navy, Turquoise blue, Emerald green with purple. It will contain heavy tone throughout the collection and at for phases 3 I am planning one using more brighter tone of the color to give opposing impression. The peer review with Ana was very helpful as it helped me know which part I have to work more especially for the blog. At the end of the session I had a clearer vision of the line up.
With a specific planning of the line up for the final pages, I started to illustrate them. With 15 garment ideas, I decided to alter the amount. The reason was to make more organized and clearer presentation for the portfolio layout. In order to achieve this putting 15 garments would take up 3 pages and I thought in order to make my ideas good and clear, it is better to focus more on the design process. As a result I decided to reduce my line up to 10 garments, 5 for each page. The outcomes were as I have intended. I was able to find changes over phases. After the illustrations were ready I scanned my sketchbook for layout. The layout process went well with introducing darkness with a hint of color(like light).
ADOBE CLASS
Using the illustrator we had to create a CAD drawing for the garment idea. To me it looked liked the blue print for a building. A clear planning for an actual people to look at and understand how it will function as a garment. I noticed how essential it is to always have in mind how the model will wear it and how it will actually look in a person not in a sketch and CAD drawing was a tool to explain that. This session was extremely helpful because I had to use time thinking deep in how my garment will look like in the back and even inside the dress. It was a process to make my two demential drawings into 3D. I have always preferred to work in pencils because it had more artistic taste to it, but this session told me how it is also important to make my piece realistic.
WEEK 4
This session indicated that I have very limited time to finish the rest of my layout. I felt I was in a good position where I have already finish the illustration and the research part of the layout. I used the work time figuring out to find the best way to project my sketchbook. I focused on linking the research pages with the design process so it actually works as a whole group of selections. At this point I had seven research pages and my plan was to create 10 to 11 pages for design process concluding 3D experiments. That will add up with my two line up pages making a total of 20 pages. The layout process went well and I was able to make a finalized pages of my idea for term 3. The challenges was summarizing the whole process in design but I managed to pick the most essential part of the design process and emphasizing each one of them.
ADOBE CLASS
The final adobe class was creating a cup in illustrator. This was using the technique to make two dimensional surface of the cup into a 3D by making the illustrator b making a circle for the top and bottom. I thought this skill is useful for industrial designs. In this session we all got into groups and discussed about each others work for the term. I got a chance to look at other classmates works. It was interesting that everyone had different approach how they defined ‘unpleasant’. Some were inspired by memories and even from horror movies. I always think looking at other artist’s work constantly is one of the great part of art school. It’s both motivation and inspiration.
IISF COURSE REFLECT
I was applying for art schools in the U.S. and UK, and I thought LCF would be a nice environment for me to develop my skills and techniques in fashion. For this course I expected that I would be able to develop a better skill in understanding the basics of design and a creative approach in fashion. I was also curious if the course valued creativity in art or a technical approach in making a garment. After coming to London/ LCF, I was able to grow as an artist. The entire process, including the research part of the project, really made me think deeper and more carefully. The environment in ual in general gave me the opportunity to always look at art works from my peers where it was always another inspiration for me. From the time in IISF, I was able to transfer my artistic style into a design work. This was quite new because communicating with garments needed much more process and understanding of body to deliver the message to the viewers compared to an instinctive painting. I thought this year was quite successful in changing my working style with balanced proportion of art and technique. I found the system in IISF course worked well for me because it gave a good amount of time for me to decide which pathway I will progress on and how I should prepare myself for the upcoming projects. The course had great sessions that often required an artistic approach, which I really enjoyed. This changed my thinking in fashion design. Fashion can communicate much more than just simply creating clothes appealing to customers. This course guided me how apparel can communicate as art that reflects the basics of life. At this point, I am 70% ready to move onto next year in BA and the rest 30%, I need to become a more experimental person when it comes to fashion to create a piece that is interesting and engaging. In this term I have noticed that I was getting comfortable in the skills that I used in the previous term, and I thought to be a better thinker and an artist it is always better to challenge. If I had more time, I would have spent more time on the mannequin to give a clearer explanation on how my idea is going to be developed as a garment. For term three this part of the process went quickly where I had to put more effort in extracting distinctive design elements from the limited amount of 3D calico experiment on mannequin. I found out that I like to work in an environment with limited time because that makes me more engaged and really pushes me with challenges. I would say that term 3 was under organized planning and the time was used efficiently. I am happy with the work that I produced in the final term because I was able to comprehend my own experience in anxiety into an art form that projected my thinking. The project was based on academic research, but bringing my own story made the project more personal. Over the course I have become an individual thinker, especially as an artist and the feedback that I got from tutors and peers over the course indicated how there is always a way to improve my skills. Looking back at the work that I did in October, I completely want to throw them away but looking on the bright side it shows how my standards in the quality of art have increased. I am going to continue my career as an artist where I will communicate my ideas through fashion.
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