Exposure to The Elements

A blog of my Final Major Project, based on decaying surfaces.

Self Evaluation of My Final Major Project

I am extremely satisfied with the final outcome of my final major project. There was a point during the 10 weeks that I had absolutely no idea what I would eventually create, and this had me worried. 

In the beginning I set out to explore the theme of decay within the interior of buildings, focussing specifically on the decaying process of wall surfaces, from cracked, peeling paintwork, to mould and stains. I had already been looking at this theme for a while, so wanted to bring something new to it in my final major project.  

At first I felt that painting was the subject that I wanted to pursue, partly combined with textile techniques, but not long after the 10 weeks had begun I realised that the textiles side to things was taking over. It was only after I came across images from the Central Saint Martins Spring/Summer 2012 fashion show that I realised I could still enjoy painting, but in a different way. It was the images of  Knitwear student, Luke Brook’s work, painting directly onto clothing, producing a layered up, textured, interesting surface, that got me excited to try something like this for myself. 

From the beginning of the 10 weeks I knew there was something that would definitely be in my final piece, as I had discovered it, and become obsessed with, during the three week textile rotation. It was the black dispersed dye, painted onto scrunched up paper. It produced such interesting prints each time I used it. It really worked well in recreating a cracked effect, like those on the walls in my source images. 

However, I was a bit slow to discover the other elements I wanted to include in my final, as I had spent too much time thinking about how my garments would look, and how many different ones I would create, that I did not think carefully about what print/design would actually go on them. I was thinking too much about the pieces I had made in the three week textiles rotation, and how I could carry them on, but this was not working out. Although once I had realised this, I decided to scrap any complicated garment shapes, and settled on a plain vest shape, that could easily be replicated, so I could focus more on creating interest on the actual fabric instead. 

After experimenting with bleaches on fabrics, and observing colour changes, I decided to try out bleaching some t shirts, that I intended to wear. This was beneficial as I was able to see peoples reactions and their feedback on how they looked, because at this point I had decided to use a similar style in my final garments. The comments from people were all positive, so I felt confident enough to begin constructing my final garments. 

Setting up my studio space for the exhibition was, surprisingly, in no way stressful at all. From the moment I had finished all three garments I was envisioning how they would be displayed. I was slightly annoyed with the boards we were given, as I could not hammer a nail in, to hang the hangers on. However I feel that hanging them on matching chains actually adds something to the composition of the wall space.

If I could change anything during the 10 weeks it would probably have been the development stage. I feel I could have developed my initial ideas more and been able to create more garments than I did, each with it’s own unique appearance, so it would look more like a small collection, rather than only three simple vests. And although I am happy with my photos, I would also like to have spent more time working on a better idea for a proper photo shoot, instead of only having a plain backdrop set up. This is all due to my terrible time management skills, which I hope to improve in the near future, perhaps through creating and using detailed time plans, and setting internal deadlines within projects.

Overall I feel my final pieces have been a success, and I am happy with the way I have chosen to display them. I have also had a lot of positive feedback, making me feel more confident that it has been successful. I hope to continue with this project, past these 10 weeks, to get the most out of it that I can.

So here is my final wall space, ready for the exhibition.

Once I thought I had finished my tutor told me there was unused wall space just round the corner of my wall that I may as well utilise. I decided I would place my main source images on this wall, instead of submitting them as supporting work, since they work well along side my garments. I played around with different compositions, and in the end decided to remove one photo, and also to display them along side a curtain I had printed onto with dispersed dye, originally to be turned into a dress. I feel this works best as the curtain covers the corner pole and also ties in the photos to the rest of  my wall space with the garments on the other side.

In the end, this is how I have chosen to display the garments with the photos. I wanted to keep the space clean and minimal, much like the cut of the garments. I decided it would be best to place the black one in the centre. I have chosen simple steel hangers and as I could not nail a hole into the board I decided I would hang the hangers. I thought clear wire would look cheap, so opted for a medium sized chain, the same colour as the hangers.

This is the studio space I was given. It is fairly large, but I am now thankful I have only made three garments, as each board can have a dress on it along with the photos of each being modeled. I have to work on compositional ideas so I can hang, but also display the flat shapes of the garments.

This is the studio space I was given. It is fairly large, but I am now thankful I have only made three garments, as each board can have a dress on it along with the photos of each being modeled. I have to work on compositional ideas so I can hang, but also display the flat shapes of the garments.

These are my six final images of my three garments being modeled by a girl and a boy. I feel the  unisex shape works really well, as it is transformed into either a dress or a vest, simply depending on the wearer, and this cannot be seen when seeing them displayed flat. 

Partly due to a conversation with my tutor, and from finding these photos, I decided it would be best to try out the vest/dresses on a boy as well, since they are pretty unisex shapes. I did not want it to be comical, like in these photos, and since it was very short, it worked well as a both a dress, for a girl, and as a vest, for a boy.

Partly due to a conversation with my tutor, and from finding these photos, I decided it would be best to try out the vest/dresses on a boy as well, since they are pretty unisex shapes. I did not want it to be comical, like in these photos, and since it was very short, it worked well as a both a dress, for a girl, and as a vest, for a boy.

Here are close ups of the bottom sections of the vest/dresses I created. One is based on mould, watermarks and stains, another on accumulation of rust, and the other is based on cracked paint/walls. These were all created using paints, inks and bleach directly onto the fabric.

Think it’s about time I post these photos somewhere, since these experiments have greatly shaped the appearance of my garments. I became obsessed with dip bleaching fabric, so I decided to try actual items of clothing (t-shirts) to see how it would look. The first attempt was messy, but I then realised I could keep a straight edge if i placed broad sellotape across the chosen section. The bleached black tops created an orange shade, almost like rust. On the blue top an interesting pattern appeared where the material was scrunched while in the bleach. This inspired me to create patterned sections on garments, sectioned off by a straight edge.