Colour Research

My research so far has been looking at Rusholme and then it has developed to looking at India. The main thing that stood out to me about India is the large range of bright exotic colours. 

The main colours in the Indian culture are reds, oranges, yellows and browns.

A tutorial, our video, and a breakthrough - Frazer

Our tutorial began a little slowly. Between us we have managed to collect a good variety of photographic research for the project, within each of our individual areas. However, we have been struggling to think of a way to push our project further. We talked about creating a video piece, ready for when we exhibit at MOSI. We looked at various work, from stop-frame animation to pieces that have been created to promote different fashion designers.
For a while, we've been toying with the idea of using projection in our piece, as a means of transferring our work (prints and knit samples etc.) on to clothing, without actually having to physically apply the designs. From this idea, we decided that we needed to try out the concept, and see if it would actually work. We recorded a short film using our photographic research, found a projector and then projected the film on to a mannequin. This is the result:

The idea works. It needs a lot of fine-tuning, but it does work. Now that we have the basic concept down, we can begin to consider the samples that we're going to create, the images that we're going to create, and the film that we're going to make from all of this. For the video, we think that we'd like to shoot it in maybe a large warehouse, or perhaps even Hotspur House- basically somewhere large enough so that we don't have the problem of our projection hitting the walls, instead of just our model. We think that we'd like to use a model, and have them wear an outfit that we would create ourselves. It would only have to be a very simple, white dress, so that the images projected on to it can be seen clearly, and still look effective.
We're going to create a video that features moving images of our work, put together in a sort of 'patchwork'. This video will be projected on to the dress. We will then record the images on the dress, and make another video from this. With some interesting shots and clever editing, it could look really effective. The important thing is that we create interesting designs to go on to the dress, and that we're then clever in making our final video.

Andrew Brooks Photography

Alot of Andrew's work is about taking a series of photographs and merging them together into one shot, giving a big span of information. He picks out the best parts of photos and brings them together to create one perfect shot.
This idea reminds me of our project that we are doing as a group. How we are looking at different parts of manchester and are going to bring all the best bits of information that we each collect, together and try to combine these.
Andrew's work isnt just about the shot, It's about the experiences and feelings that he got from that place. He brings these into his photography, to give the viewer a real feel of what it was like to be there. This is an idea that we could use within our project, trying to record enough information about each place within manchester to give a real feeling of the culture within that place and really 'capture an experience'.
It's definately worth taking a look at some of Andrew's work. He did a collection of photography in 2008 in Urbis museum called 'Hidden Manchester'. Here he has recoreded spaces around manchester that we wouldnt normally see, but he has also recorded them in an unobvious way, paying attention to things that perhaps we wouldnt normally notice or think much of.

He really explored Manchester and says that it is important to dig out information about how it is presently but also how it was in the past as this gives you an understanding of why its like it is.

Andrew Brooks also does videos by using thousands of still images he collects them together and edits them on a program called aftereffects which is simular to photoshop. One he showed in the talk -
www.andrewbrooksphotography.com

Idea/concept development

Today we developed our 'patchwork culture' theme, the image below illustrates the areas of Manchester we will initially research, considering; people, pattern, colour, shape, texture, smells and history, in order to present to our group for Thursday.
Going forward we aim to decide whether our work will 'solve a problem' or ' make a statement'. In order to do this we will consider WHO we are targeting.
Questions to consider whilst researching...
. Are we going to celebrate how different people are? ( highlight the cultural clashes)
.will existing minorities become the majority?
.will we aim to solve the problem of cultural segregation, I.e bring people together??, or do we not see this as a problem?
.will certain cultural references loose their symbolism in the future?

MOSI: A first look at our exhibition space. - Frazer

See the full gallery on Posterous

We were given an opportunity as a group to view the space in which we will be exhibiting our work, come the end of the project. The Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) will play host to our final exhibit. All in all, it looks like it could be very exciting. We will be able to showcase our work on several large screens, allowing us to to really promote the digital aspects of the project. We will also be able to make our exhibit an 'interactive experience' as there is a lot of floorspace within the museum, which we might utilise and fill with various pieces of work. This could be a good chance for us to show our work off, as (hopefully) when we exhibit, our work will be seen by a much larger audience than normally it would.
In addition to this, we had the chance to explore the archives in the museum, and to see some of the textiles that they hold there. Unfortunately, due to copyright, we weren't able to show any of those pieces here on this blog.

Identifying Manchester - Culture

As a group we are starting to look into how fashion and lifestyles/values contrast between different cultural groups within Manchester. Members of our group are going to research aspects of our theme that are of interest to them. We are planning to look at various areas within Manchester and their cultural differences.
I think of 'culture' to be a shared set of values (aesthetic and moral), behaviours, beliefs, traditions and lifestyles, rooted in shared history or experiences.   

Concept Ideas....

After reflecting on our previous group discussion were we considered the clashing of religious identities, I came accross the widely distributed facebook presentation 'Joseph Kony 2012'.  Produced by an advocac group, 'invisible children' the film calls for local celebrities and politicans to boost the hunt for the war criminal, who has continued to capture young children in Uganda for the past 30 years.  The campaign is a case study which tackles how the web is changing political campaigning, and within the film appears a list of the 'most wanted criminals in the world'.  In terms of creating a concept, we could consider the idea of 'exposing such criminals', making each one 'famous'  in order to increase global awareness and to accelerate the prevention of such devastating happenings. 

Tuesday 6th. Dave Haslam lecture.

A local DJ, expressed the importance of small scale, marginal creativity in relation to the music scene in Manchester. Having worked in the town for many years , he continued to recall the rise of the band Joy division, that in his opinion came from the margins, and went on to influence the music industry massively. He Stated 'cultural significance is not how many people know about an idea, but what affect it has on culture, challenging us to define the alternative, and to question everything. He gave a interesting insight into the history of Manchester's' music industry from an acute angle, and asked us to evade the mainstream when considering our creativity in developing ideas.

Group rules

Alan Holmes

Alan Holmes gave an interesting insight into 'what it means to be a designer'. He explained the process of 'observation - transaction - production' in terms of the design process, to communicate our story, however highlighted that in reality it is always a backward and forward process, and that turning issues into 'stuff' is vital.
He expressed that when designing for the future it can be useful to base ideas around 'fiction', as we are to a degree, unaware of what will happen ahead of time, and speculation can therefore be key. He presented the work of a selection of textile designers who challenge the preconceptions of what a designer is, create work that will have positive impacts for the world we live in, and garments that can inform us what's happening to our planet. He left me considering the following questions ;
What additional things can textiles do?
New technologies? Can we design for them?
Why do we have clothes?
Can we design for well being?
What is the job of a designer?

Fashion Fringe Road Show- Matthew Williamson

Fashion Fringe Road Show

Matthew Williamson in conversation with Colin McDowell.

This talk was my favourite yet. As a designer Matthew Williamson is and inspiration, to hear the journey of his career so far showed how with enough hard work and determination it’s possible to make it in the fashion world by yourself.

Williamson (originally from Manchester) started his own business straight after college. He said it was helped by his ‘Bazar clarity’ since a young age of what he wanted to achieve.

His inspiration mainly came from places he has travelled to and the nature in these destinations. He spoke a lot about India as inspiration in his collections. From travelling to these countries he now has shops in them for example; London, New York, Dubai.

Throughout the talk Matthew Williamson gave advice from his own experiences, explained his inspirations and how he tries to achieve ‘Absolute perfection’.

This talk links to our project as he uses different countries and cultures as inspiration in his designs and these are the main points we are using as research in Manchester.

 

Solipsist: Andrew Thomas Huang - Frazer

The above piece showcases really well a link between physical textile pieces and digital media.  It's really very beautiful, even if it would be unrealistic for us to create our own piece, to this quality.  The idea of using video, instead of just photography, could be interesting though.

Platt Hall - Gallery Of Costume

Platt Hall was useful to visit as it has a gallery of fashion through the ages and also shows how certain events (things happening within cultures) affect the type of clothing being worn. I also found it interesting to see how fashion today is very much influenced from various periods from the past, not just in vintage fashion but within new fashions and collections happening now.

See the full gallery on Posterous

 

The above dress - Atomic print dress (Christopher Kane 2009-2010) - Mini cocktail dress in silk with pludging back neckline and screenprinted design of an exploding atomic bomb. Influenced by politics.

Leopard print dress - (Cavalli 2009-2010) - Bias cut silky everning dress, with ruffles at the skirt and a short train - influenced by the 1930s.

Lilac linen summer cocktail dress 2011 (Joyce Ridings) - The overdress is caught up or 'polonaised' in loops at the hem, suggestive of 18th century 'shepherdess' styles.

COW - vintage shop

 I Thought this video has some really effective parts in it and could maybe give some ideas for video shooting if thats what we decide to do.

http://www.wearecow.com/shop - vintage fashion shop.

Three Little Pigs TV Advert by The Guardian

Hi all in group 5!

Loving the new advert by The Guardian, really inspirational for all those who are thinking of using video to present ideas!

 

Tutorial

We have brought together some photos that each of us in our group have taken of different areas of Manchester. This helps to show the different cultures, colours and patterns that we have found within Manchester, however we each need to look into a particular culture abit deeper now, particularly focusing on pattern and colour.

We also need to think of our final outcome and how we are going to bring it all together. We are looking into projection of images onto garnments for a video, and need to experiment with this and see what works and what doesnt work. Then we will have more of an idea on what drawings and samples we need to do.

Dave Moutrey, and the Cornerhouse. - Frazer

See the full gallery on Posterous

Today, we were given a brief talk by the director and chief executive of tthe Cornerhouse, Dave Moutrey.  He explained to us a little about the facility's role within Manchester, and the plans for future development of the site.  The Cornerhouse is located on Oxford Road and features 3 galleries, and 3 cinemas, all of which serving to provide a space for contemporsry artists and artwork.  Previous works have included that of artists such as Damien Hurst and Richard Long.  Although the venue has 3 cinema screens, it acts as a specialised film venue, with 50% of films screened there being in a foreign language.  The venue rarely screens big, 'Hollywood blockbusters'.
As of the1st of April, the Cornerhouse and Library Theatre Company Manchester will merge to for GMAC- a new mulit-artform centre.  The aim of this merger is to create a business model that encourages international connections within the art community.  The venue is a big advocate of digital artwork, and plans the feature many different digital facilities, within it's new setting.  It will also aim to provide free wi-fi within the venue and surrounding area.
The Cornerhouse also has 'micro-commissions', which could be an exciting opportunity for us as artists, possibly allowing us to get our work more widely recognised within Manchester, and perhaps even beyond.

Northern Quarter

 

My work for this project is based around the Northern Quarter in Manchester. I have been visiting there a lot and looking for inspirational things to inspire my work. A lot of the old architecture and street art has caught my eye. It is a very unique place with a lot of character. There are many small galleries hidden down back streets and tucked under cafes. I have been viewing a lot of Manchester based art and trying to collate a good understanding of what the artists are trying to convey from this place.

Doing research online has also benefited my understanding of this area. I know that the area was a strong point in the industrial revolution, which is clear when walking around all the warehouses and old buildings. These have been converted into studio spaces, vintage shope and record places. One of my favourite places is a little craft centre, which is an old fish market that has been converted. These spaces have been rented for independant artists, allowing them to sell their work and also allowing the public to observe how they create their pieces.

This video is a good visual back up for the information I have found, showing some of the places around Northen Quarter that I have been interested in. The first half focusses on the art and music side of the area. It shows the art and talks about the scene of this part of Manchester. The more research I do into this place, the more of an identity it is having. Its very cultural based and filled with hidden pockets of art and textiles.

Beginning... - Frazer

As a group, we've been tasked with selecting one of four scenarios, each of which containing a vision for the future of the World's textiles industries. As of yet, we're still vague as to what exactly we want to create, but we have decided to perhaps look toward making pieces or designs centered around the idea of a 'local identity'. In the 'Patchwork' scenario that we're leaning towards, the vision for the future is one of disparate religious identities clashing; with spiritual and cultural beliefs heavily influencing fashions. This could be an interesting concept to explore as a group, as it would allow for us each to explore an aspect of Manchester's 'identity' that we are interested by, and then for us as a group to collate these ideas to create some sort of final 'collection'.