Photoshoot

Final garment

The final fabric choice selected was a grey oraganza and grey polyester chiffon. The collaberation is complete because my ideas of panellings is incorparated into the garment which works well with my team mates arm restriction and transparency of that garment. The organza highlights the Panels because of the transparency giving structure and geometric shaping to the garment.

The garment takes formation in this image. The french seams darken the Organza because its see through at the joining of the panels. The polyester Chiffon matched the fresh seam colours so that the garment blended together like me and my team mates deas blended together.

About 3cm of binding was used to cover the raw edges of the cuff hole, neckline and the hem for a neat finish. This was a better option than the other option of rolling the fabric because the rolling wouldn’t look right with the choice of fabric, as rolling the fabric would cause the fabric to crease up and make the garment too bulky.

The final fabric choice selected was a grey oraganza and grey polyester chiffon. The collaberation is complete because my ideas of panellings is incorparated into the garment which works well with my team mates arm restriction and transparency of that garment. The organza highlights the Panels because of the transparency giving structure and geometric shaping to the garment.

A decision to add a concealed zip on near the side seam was necessary because it was difficult to get into the garment easily, the problem was the way the zip curves at the shoulder which wasn’t intended. But on the hole making the garment was a success.

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Concept page One

Eva Hesse

                                              

Hang Up, 1966

Acrylic paint on cloth over wood; acrylic paint on card over steel tube.

Hang up is great piece of installation that blurs the boundaries of sculpture and painting, the two ideas are merged. The frame has no painting so the empty space becomes a part of the installation. ‘Steel rod coated in bandage like cloth extends from a carefully spaced frame.’ I like the way the steel rod is appearing to come way from the frame.

Eva Hesse, Repetition Nineteen III, 1968, latex and filler over canvas stuffed with polyethylene sheeting, rope and unidentified materials.

I feel that Hesse’s Repetition Nineteen installation are apparatus in expressing her feeling of emptiness.

Quote “ Minimalist repetition and seriality to the point of obsession. These are no mere formalist exercises, but polyvalent symbols of time, of chaos ordered, of life’s sometimes painful cycles endured.”

Ringaround Arosie, 1965

Pencil, acetone, enamel paint, ink and cloth-covered electrical wire on papier-mch and Masonite.

I think Hesse’s pregnant friend at the time Rosie Goldman influenced her to make Ringround Arosie master piece because it is a pattern which 'we all fall down' as women. This is also reflected in the warm colour scheme.

A quote from Hesse "I think the circle - it was very abstract. I could make up stories of what the circle means to man but I don't know if it was that conscious. I think it was a form, a vehicle it wasn't a circle representing life and eternity. I think that's would be fake."

Sebastian Jansson Geometric Form

Sebastian Jansson Finnish designer


Title Habitus, Tempus and Cumulus April 2009.

His collection contains three Objects bar stool, kitchen utensils and a lamp.

 

Habitus is a bar stool. Jansson uses geometric shapes to create the bar stool after being inspired by a coffee leaf. He looked at the leaf in a sculptural way to find “intricate arrangements of geometric forms, whilst maintaining its aesthetic qualities”. The stool is made out of laser cut steel. The steel is 1mm think it is folded and welded transformed into a stool. On First appearance the stool looks plastic it is interesting to find out that those initial expectations are not the case. When light is reflected on the stool from different angles the stool shines which emphases the geometric shapes. The concept is a good idea as it makes me think how many of us walk past items, objects and people daily because we don’t stop long enough to have a second glance and dare to challenge our own initial impressions.

 
Tempus are kitchen utensils. They are made of “folded pieces of stainless steel”. The kitchen utensils are very special to Jansson because they are the first product he presented at the University of Art And Design, Helsinki. The Utensils are simple and clean cut shape this add a minimal look. By adding the name via engraving it makes the utensils look very expensive and desirable. The utensils have a sense of ambiguity about them, a look of not really knowing what to use them for. However, this could give people freedom in the kitchen, a place where, typically, everything is done in a uniformed way. On the other hand I just can’t see how the utensils would be used in the kitchen; in a functional way.

Cumulus is the lamp. They were lots of contemporary ideas for this lamp. Jansson studied two materials for his lamp. The first is a “reflective and semitransparent material delivered by the Philippine company Stayellan Inc” to make a sphere shape. The second materials Velcro Ultramate to join onto the sphere hiding the mechanic of the bulb. The light was inspired by clouds. Jansson has used his geometric vision to manipulate the natural environment. The lamp is very amusing to me because the light comes out in six different directions within the sphere and the edges are also defined.

Keith Sonnier Dis-Play II

I like the geometric shapes in Keith Sonnier’s installation Dis-Play II 1970 because the shapes are on a huge scale, therefore, you can’t miss them when you enter the room. It looks like the fluorescent power was thrown onto the shape leaving it fall on the floor. The shapes are made out of form rubber and fluorescent powder.

There is an exhibition being held for Dis-Play II installation from March 11-April 30 2010 at the JGM Gallery, Paris, France.

Neon Lights BA-O-BA Installation

Keith Sonnier is a well known American installation artist who has gained inspiration from his home land and from his travels around the world to such places as India, China and Bali. Initially he used aterials gathered from the streets of New York and then experimentation led him to neon. He loved the shimmering lights and strident lights of both New York and Las Vegas, both of which are present in his work.

The primary colours, blue, yellow and red very much in evident in his BA-O-BA installations 1969. He combines the primary colours into the neon lights. It has been said his inspiration “came one night, when, returning from an evening in his hometown in Louisiana, he noticed lights dancing through a thick fog.” His works interests me because when the wall is dark the neon lights shine so much until they escape the border of frame and merge to form different colours for the wall.

Suspended

Sam Taylor Wood is famous for films and photographs that typically tend to examine our interactions with our interior and exterior world. This photograph depicts Sam seemingly stuck in mid air with no aid to defy gravity. One arm is covering the eyes and the other arm is facing down. One is leg is straight and the other leg is bent. This picture looks like she is sleeping or is just about to wake up from a peaceful sleep.

Sam falling backwards with her neck being pulled down by her head. One leg is very bent and other slightly bent. Both of her hands are fallen towards the fall. She looks peaceful and restful.  

This photograph shows Sam’s body falling down. This looks like she has been shot and thrown out of the window.

Sam Taylor Wood, self portraits called Suspended 2004.

‘Taylor-Wood's work explores our physical and emotional limits, often using enigmatic and subversive images to investigate the contemporary’. The photographs capture Sam Taylor Wood frozen in mid air. It looks very impressive. After reading the description of how she achieved this shots. I learnt she used ropes to get herself in her desired position, having plenty of time to take a self portrait. After the photographs were taken the ropes are digitally removed. She wanted to create “a moment of absolute release and freedom”.

Bruce Nauman Sky writing in Pasadena

Five plains were used to create this remarkable statement using dots to form a word. "LEAVE THE LAND ALONE".

Bruce Nauman had the initial idea since 1969 but waited until 2009 to release his ambition of over Pasadena for the Armory Center for the Arts.

I like the message because the language is very emotive maybe Nauman wanted people to think about the environment.

Making the final sample.

After testing and experimenting with two differnt techniques this lead us to develop our final design. I collaborated with my team mate both of us taking ideas from our designs. We altered the first experiment by changing the bodice shape to an oval tube (half scale).

Panelling was introduced in order to add structure to the garment, by using bigger geometric shapes. This helped to make the pattern aspect cutting of the garment more visually appealing. The front bodice shows the two armholes and cuffs which we kept from the original experiment. On the sides of the bodice the panel interlinks to the armhole because the top of the panel curves to the armhole. The cuff is within the Panel. Over the cuff the stitch line goes upward at an angle, the stitch is connected to the panel attached to the armhole. Under the cuff is a long dart that goes all the way down to the hem. The neck is shaped like a half circle.

By cutting and separating the panels to add seam allowances create structure to the garment. The Panels will be stitched back together by a French seam. The Image above is the centre panel this was separated from the side panels; we added a 0.5cm seam allowance (half scale). The armhole is dismantled because a part of it is on a different panel.

The image above shows the side panels, they are separated from central panel within the bodice, and again we added 0.5 allowances (half scale). The Darts starts with a 0.5 seam allowances at the hem and ends without any seam allowance at the top of the garment. 0.5 seam allowances are also put on the cuffs.

The sleeve keeps the same shape from the original experiment but is elongated to produce a ruche effect when the garment is worn; a 0.5 seam allowance was added.

The Back bodice has a box pleat sewn into the back yoke in a v-shape. The side panels are separated from the box pleat panel to add a seam allowance. The box pleat has hidden fabric within, thereby the fabric will expand more, when worn and showcased in certain positions, i.e. stretching and bending over. The v-shape yoke has seam allowance added and also the back of the neck.

The fabric we used to make the garment was white transparent Organdie and Silk Chiffon (half scale). The organdie fabric was used to stitch the panels together for the front bodice. Silk Chiffon fabric acted like pockets because it was stitched within the side panels under the cuffs, adding drape and contrast because the pattern was three times bigger than the space of the panel to maximise drape. The sleeves were made out of organdie.

The back bodice panels was made out of oragandie except from the silk chiffon pleate within the box pleate. The weightlessness of the silk chiffon pleat contrasts with the structure of the oragandie panels.

The final sample garment on mannequin front view.

The final sample garment on mannequin back view.

Testing new techniques for the sleeve.

My team Mate tested out another of her designs following the same theme of restriction. She designed features a sleeve which bends at an angle at the elbow. Holding the arm in awkward position.

                                                                                                                       

A pattern was created and cut so that the shape sustains when the garment is worn.The pattern for the angled sleeve was made by tracing a half scale block sleeve and then stopping half way to go out at an angle both sides. 0.5cm allowance was added.

The sleeve was made out of white fabric to test if the effect worked. The sleeve pattern appeared not to be successful because the angle for the elbow was too long; this prevents the arm fitting correctly into the sleeve.

  

                     

We then redrew the pattern by slashing up the sleeve to the elbow point and then pivating, the sleeve pattern onto the underarm area to create an angle both sides of the sleeve. 0.5cm allowance was added to the pattern.

After completing the sleeve pattern we cut the shape into fabric and then sewed the sleeve together. This time it was more successful than the first attempt because the angle was in the correct position for the arm to fit comfortably and bend at the elbow.

Experimentation: Stage One

Collaborating the making process
Having been inspired by the Julian Roberts Subtraction Technique I collaborated with my team mate on ideas and designs by experimenting with an unconventional bodice.

My designs are mostly panelled with different forms geometric shapes this is because my research was structured around the premise of shapes and angles. Geometric shapes and lines from Sebastian Jansson and Keith Sonnier are my inspiration. Having that in mind we changed the bodice to a round shape. My team mates theme was about restriction. We decided to include her restriction of the arm movements because the sleeves are attached to the bodice.

  

 

We achieved the new pattern for the bodice by tracing the original neck and shoulder bodice (Half scale). I then changed the shape of the shoulder line to be circler shape. To make the circle accurate we measured 17cm from the centre point of the bodice. We then extended the circler shape to the hipline; this process was repeated on the other side of the bodice. 0.5cm seam allowance was added within the circumference of the circle.

    

 

The same process that was used to construct the front pattern was repeated for the back but using an original back bodice (Half scale).

The ideas for the sleeve restriction came from my team mate. The image shows her revision. The position of the sleeve is attached to the front bodice, restricting the movement of the arms.

Having worked out where the armholes should be placed on the bodice. The next step was to create an oval shaped armhole because we didn’t want a conventional armhole. The armhole had a 25cm circumference this is the right size for a half scale bodice.

The cuff holes measured at 14cm half scale. The cuffs were positioned near the hip line.

This diagram shows the first armhole pattern. The armhole is near the top edge of the front bodice. The challenge was to achieve the right measurement when the armhole was changed to an oval shape. I did this by taking a measuring tape, making a circle shape of 25cm and then pressing it from the side to create and oval shape. I took a pen and drew the shape. This process was repeated on other side of the bodice.

This digrams show all the armholes and cuffs drawn on the front bodice. The cuffs are postioned near the waist line. I drew the cuff circle by taking a measurign tape and making a circle of 14cm. The same process was repeated on other side of the bodice. With scissors I cut through the armholes and cuffs to leave a hollow shape.

This sleeve pattern would be sewn onto the front bodice. We had to readjust from the convectional sleeve because the top sleeve had to fit the armhole circumference of 25cm and the bottom of the sleeve had to fit the cuff circumference of 25cm. The sleeve length is the same as the sleeve block (half scale).

This image shows the finished garment. The main feather is the sleeves which are sewn at the armhole down to the cuff hole on the front bodice. The fabric used was velveteen fabric. The reason for using this fabric was to experiment with a heavier fabric and how the garment hangs and forms.

An opening was left at the hip line so that the garment can be worn.

The inside of the garment. 0.5 cm allowance was used to sew sleeves to the armhole and cuff.

The finished garment hangs on a mannequin. On my left is the front view, on my right the back view.