More dash than cash 8/3/2010

The November 2009 edition of vogue really focused on the idea of recycling fabrics to create new fashion. There was an article in it all about how to use household items to create garments.

Textiles of the future 3/3/2010

I wanted to look at how textiles and fabrics are changing and came across this video. There were many different new ideas like calculators that could be coded for people who are disabled, or fabric that when in contact with skin, can create a perfume. Really interesting for this project as we're thinking about new ideas to create textiles of the future which is multifunctional.

La Mujer Sin Cabeza:(The Headless Woman)

After the tutorial where Amy was talking about perhaps going to view a film for inspiration wether it be the visuals, the feeling it portrayed etc, I decided to go to The Corner House on Manchester Oxford road to watch a film. I randomly picked one as I wanted to choose a film I had no idea about to make me really think. I ended up watching a Argentinian film and the language they were speaking was Spanish.


From what I gathered myself I think it was about a woman 'Vero' who ran over something or what she thinks was a person but we never find out, and becomes disorientated and detatches herself off to the world. Throughout the film she is in a daze and doesnt really speak much. There's refrence of the woman who plays her sister who mentions in the film that the entire family are insane and they all die that way. The way in which the woman acts in the film is that of a crazed woman who's been tipped over the edge.
The fact that Vero is a very upper-middle class woman adds to the plot in the sense that if it was this child we saw at the start then it shows that the class of people can have an impact on what happens. The film erases any memory of her even being at the scene. It most certainly leaves you wondering.

The one thing that really interested me in it was the way in which they brought out a statue of the Virgin Mary in order to pray. The fact that theres a refrence to this could be a symbolism of many things such as innocence, the after life, heaven, they mention theres dirt on the statue which could also refrence that she's done something bad but we never know.

Overall there were a lot of ideas and emotions that came out of this film and it's one to really make you think and discuss.

Week 3:2/3/2010 Tutorial With Amy

Tutorial with Amy frankly left me a bit confused today! My concept was a bit too broad therefore I was given a few ideas to link my idea to something more managable within the 3 week period I have left.

Some ideas given were:
-Looking at specific cultures on a specific level like for example taking a little town within a country and studying their culture seeing how they dress, act, present themselves, go about daily life etc in order to build up a profile on their lifestyle and then perhaps creating the garments from their materials and in their country to produce for the western world.

-Taking someones family tree and exploring into it. Their culture and lifestyle in which is different to others.

For me to produce a garment that is successful in an ethical sense I personally think it needs:

+Different styles you'd communicate with culture and lifestyle
+Quality and texture
+Shape of the garment that reflects on its meaning
+The emotional attatchment to the consumer and even perhaps myself in the producing aspect of it.

Week two: Research and inspiration

Week one: What is Ethics?

At first, listening to the brief given was slightly daunting because it sounded so complicated! I decided to research the definition of the word 'Ethics' and came to my own personal conclusion that ethics is all about cultural and political issues within society. Between what's good about the world and what's bad.

Tutorial with Alex: 18/2/2010
I explained my idea to Alex who helped me with a few ideas. Because I was looking at bibical garments he suggested that I research into very old costume and dress-pre fashion and the religious and political meaning behind it. Other ideas included:

+The garment having a personal riligious or cultural meaning to it that's hidden within the garment concealing it so only the person wearing the garment knows about it. Wether that be in the pocket etc.

+Breaking the cycle of consumerism

+Adapting existing clothes making it special to the person.

+How pattern and textiles can be used to single people out

I need to start thinking about textures and colour that I can use to create knit samples.

Welcome to the world of Blog!

Finally the technophobe can successfully use something technical!