Our Mission Statement.

We set out to create work that represents the 'patchwork cultures of Manchester'.  We wanted to create clothing that would have a truly local feel to it, and would be able to dynamically and instantly represent the area in which the wearer found themselves.  We wanted the clothing to be temporary, so that it might change with changing cultures.  This is why we used projection- to show clothing that can instantly change.  To create this we:

• each researched an area of the city, and the cultures found there.
• created drawings and samples based on these findings.
• merged our drawings and samples using digital print to create 'patchwork designs'.
• created moving images from these designs.
• researched and perfected using projection.
• found a dancer, and studio space to film in.
• projected our moving animations on to the dancer while he performed.
• filmed the performance.
• edited  the footage into our final video.

We made the video energetic and vibrant (using music and dance) to represent the energy and vibrancy of the city.  We were also sure to make the video available in full 1080p HD, to give the best possible image quality.

Editing film

After filming we edited all the footage together for our final outcome video. This took alot of time but we are all really pleased with the outcome.

Having music that had the same beat all the way through really helped us as it made it alot easier to fit the dancing and projection in time with the music.

We used a number of effects while editing, changing the opacity and copying images to make two, resizing and crossing over images to make a kaleidoscope effect. Fraser also added a short introduction to the film as a title for our 'patchwork manchester theme'. This includes sounds and images recorded around Manchester which was something we said we wanted to include at the beginning to show we have been influenced by different areas of Manchester in our work for this project.

Final Filming

Today we shot our final video, using a dancer to be our model for our projections. After our last shoot we have gone back to our idea board and decided we needed a blank canvas for the projections to be applied onto. From this our model has been styled in a all in one white suit completed with a white mask. These are some stills taken from the shoot, the projections were very clear and vibrant and worked well with our dancers shapes.

dancers outfit

We have decided to keep the makeup/outfit simple for our video and have bought a simple white mask and full dancers leotard. This gives a blank canvas for the projection. The mask also adds abit of mystery to the video and stops the person being a distraction, so attention is kept on the body that will be projected onto.

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.

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.   

Group rules

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.

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'.