Research; Fashion & Waste

Due to wanting to do a Fashion based image for this project, I looked at what the fashion industry does/has done in relation to recycling.

Recycling plays an important and vital role in trying to reduce the waste dumping ground areas.

This is a recycled wardrobe collection by RJ Dollen;

These dresses were made from newspapers;

 This dress was made from old, computer, ribbon wire and worn on a catwalk for a 'Recycling' theme;

Due to having only six weeks for this project, I didn't want to spend most of my time making an outfit. 

I wanted to concentrate on the photographic side more than the costume design.

I started to look at how I could incorporate this theme of 'waste' into the costume design, rather than designing an entire outfit from waste.

I looked at the famous icon, Lady GaGa. Her costume designs are completely bizarre and look as if they could be incorporated with this idea of recycling.

This 3D effect design could be made from old cardboard and painted...

 One of Lady GaGa's more avant-garde outfits..

Many outfits and accessories of hers, look as if it could be made out of recycling.

I liked this idea of waste being re-used and recreated into something beautiful/useful.

I wanted to try and incorporate this into my own work.

For example, this outfit below could be made from bin liners.

A saying that I was always told when I was younger, when giving my old clothes and non-demolished toys to charity was;

"Someone's rubbish is someone else's treasure"

Research; Corrine Day

With these photos, although they don't necessarily represent 'waste', I was looking to see how models were portrayed in the not so stereotypical 'Fashion' image locations and surroundings.

Although these models were purposely positioned here, these photos do not seem too staged. 

I think this is mainly due to the facial expression and clothes they're wearing. 

They seem to look as if they are meant to be in that location and the photographers lens, has simply captured this natural moment in time.

Research; Don McCullin

Although these images are focused on war, many of the photos reflect on death, pain and suffering, whilst showing the combustion and rupture of the city, town and/or street.  

People injured and killed by war, I think is a waste of life. Although it is seen as an honor to fight for your country, people die too young and for unnecessary reasons.

With this in mind, I wanted to see how this idea of 'waste' - in any context, was portrayed through the lens of a photographer with people included.

Due to wanting to do a Fashion image with this waste theme, seeing how people were incorporated is vital.

Research; David Maisel

With these images, I liked the idea of documenting areas that no longer were in use and that don't seem to have a purpose anymore.

By looking at David's photos, these locations still have an essence of beauty about them and have a lot of character and mystery. - They make me think about the story behind them and what went on in these locations.

It seems a shame and a waste of areas that could still be put to good use. 

I am interested in portraying a Fashion type image for this project, so a supporting location of waste, is vital.

Research; Robert Pollidori

Robert Pollidori is one of the world's most acclaimed photographers of human habitats and environments.

He likes to capture the qualities of beauty, stillness and contemplation that come from working with a large format camera and using slow shutter speeds.

He thinks of rooms as metaphors and vessels for memory. - Places marked by the signatures of lives, past and present.

Sometimes these signatures are private; Like the image below, which involved taking pictures of apartments in New York's lower East Side, shortly after their tenants had died.  

 

Whereas with this image, it was part of a series documenting the devastation both inside the Chernobyl nuclear plant and in the nearby plant and in the nearby town of Pripyet.

(Zones of Exclusion, Steidl, 2003.)

Both of these images, document a location with relevant items that are no longer in use, due to some form of devastation, which has affected the area.

Research; Sze Tsung Leong

His work includes the series -

Cities, a detailed representation of urban formations throughout the globe, from medieval towns to recent constructions, that together form a picture of the world at this particular moment in time.

Horizons, an international collection of images of natural terrains and urban landscapes that considers the relationships between far and near, foreign and familiar

and

History Images, which examines the erasure of history and the reshaping of society through the built environment.

This idea of 'waste' always seems to firstly make me think of rubbish and this idea of throwing away and the decomposition of things.

However, these images by Sze Tsung Leong, also represents this with these buildings..

These buildings and streets, show the decomposition and no longer use of these buildings.

These areas look like a waste dumping site. It seems a shame and a waste of history, that these buildings have not been well kept and restored, as these areas were probably once, quite beautiful.

Compare & Contrast Two Paintings;

Giorgione - The Sleeping Venus 1510 

&

 Manet - Olympia 1863

Both of the paintings show the natural beauty of the female form. The females look quite glamorous and seductive for these periods of time. This is evident in their facial expression and pose. The look of the materials seem quite expensive and the colours are quite rich.
The background of both images seem either quite dark or dull. This highlights the females figure, making the women stand out more and be the main focus point of these images.
In both of these paintings the females are both baring their breasts proudly, but they cover their modesty with a hand. This may emphasize thier independence, sexual dominance and feminine status as an object of desire.

With Giorgione's image, the lady being sprawled across what looks like a hill top, emphasizes this idea of admiring this sense of nudity and the beauty of a woman. Whereas in Manet's image, this looks more like a lady in perhaps her boudoir. She may be a prostitute judging by the black ribbon around her neck and the orchid in her hair, alongside her confrontational, erotic gaze.
This idea of prostitution from the gaze, could be from her maybe gazing towards a door, or perhaps directly at the audience, confronting and insinuating underlying prostitution in society. At this period of time, for a woman to be undressed in the presence of her maid was sexually suggestive, along with the element of having a black cat. This represented an immoral act of prostitution.
The nude woman in this painting also looks quite bored, which maybe due to the idea of another gift, presented by her maid. A gift perhaps from an admirer or lover.
This painting sparked negative reviews from critics. Manet painted 'Olympia' according to his point of view, "that an artist has got to move with the times and paint what he sees". Unfortunately the public did not agree with his ahead of the times philosophy. At this time, it was morally wrong to bring it out into the open, because it was such a shameful practice. - Not only due to this dark theme, but even due to the fact that the woman dares to stare. This was also unacceptable.

In Giorgione's painting however, the lady is alone and has her eyes closed. She looks as if she is peacefully asleep or quietly dreaming. The green landscape in which she lays within, could be a field, with in regards to the title, 'Sleeping Venus', she could be a sleeping Goddess, which may explain why she is laying on such fine, rich material. This landscape could be a reference to the Garden of Eden.
The way in which one of her arms is draped and stretched behind her head, creates a long, continuous slope of the body, whose curves echo the hills of the landscape behind.
This idea of sleeping may imply dreaming and a transport of the figure to another world.
This painting exploited a new style evolved in Venice through sensual subject matter.

Research; Pieter Hugo

For this 'Commission' project, we are looking at 'waste'.

To start with I began looking at waste in general. - What does it include? What does it mean? & the different types of waste.

We can portray this subject of 'waste' as fashion, as a portrait, or still life.

To help start off my ideas as to how I was going to portray this matter, I looked at Pieter Hugo..

This image shows how waste can be recycled and re-used to make something else. This is obviously a poor area, so they make the best out of what they can. This represents the saying of "someone's junk is someone else's treasure".

This photo reveals the rubbish that has just been left. Ruining and, in a way, adding character to the greenery of this landscape. - This image makes me think of; Who lives in this area? What do they do? What was this waste once used for?

I like the strong stance and confrontational stare, which to me gives out a strong attitude, as if this lifestyle and junk yard site is normal.This is simply how they live. 

These images all portray 'waste' as an environment which these people still have to live among. There is no recycling or dumping ground system. This rubbish is just left anywhere and if it hasn't been taken to try and reuse in some way, it is burnt as a way to try and get rid of it. The thick dark smoke in the three images above, could be from them burning rubber, or something else which should be handled under certain conditions and regulations, which they clearly do not have.

Concept; Group 6

For our Fashion/Constructed image, we were looking at the folk tale of 'Red Riding Hood'. -
We decided to go with the 'Red Riding Hood' tale as it's quite dark and mysterious.
Whilst reading through the tale, we picked out certain key elements and thought it would be fun to change the characters. - So instead of 'Red' being female, it would now be a male, the typical male wolf, would now be female.. etc. With this, we wanted to portray the dominating female side and the power she has through her looks and sexuality. Stereotypically, in stories the predator-like character is always male, so we wanted to change this and create a different outlook to this folk tale.
We then looked into the main qualities and memorable elements to the story, such as the red cloak, the wolf, the forest and started brainstorming how we would influence this into our fashion creation..

Presentation;