Starting a new project is always exciting and a little daunting- but this projects briefing made it sound so broad and vertical in the way we want to approach it. The main word in the briefing was ‘Identity’- and I think this word is very general and covers a lot of topics; while also having different meanings to individual people. I started the project by looking deeper into how we define Identity; what it means to us, and how we can visually convey it. Making a board on Pintrest really helped me get some visual stimulation and responses to the word.
Follow link for board —> https://www.pinterest.co.uk/azragenevieve/identity/
The main things I ‘pinned’ and found interesting; were the concepts of masking, hiding and disguising ones identity. I really like this theme of manipulation, deception or secrecy when it comes to identity because then a mysterious and intriguing mood is created- and we want to know the true identity of the individual. Because this unit is also based on Illustration- I found that I really liked a mixture of photography and drawing overlays to create a form of mixed media art. I think I got a lot of good ideas and inspiration from Pintrest- but not I needed to research more into some artists to make sure I create some individual and unique work.
After defining identity more in my mind and developing the ‘basic/main’ parts of identity (race, gender, age, sexuality and culture)- I went on to research certain artists and designers that I thought represented these well. Researching more into Grace Wells Bonner who is a good representation of not only race and culture- but also mixed with sexuality and some gender (gay black men). I think Meadham Kirchhoff and Charles Jeffery gave me the biggest insight into sexuality and gender however because of how flamboyant and bold the brands are. Charles Jeffreys however had a lot more political constructs and messages imbedded in the brand, that really make you think about your personal definition within society. I found John Yugi’s work really interesting because I thought it was a genuine and modern reflection on society- looking profoundly at youth culture and how we socialise and portray ourselves online. Rupi Kaur is also someone that is very popular amongst modern youth culture- she has a really interesting mix of illustration and poetry in her very personal and feminist books. Thanos Poulimenos again partially looks at youth culture; but with a mix of gender and sexuality exaggerations that really play up these segregated definitions.
Rupi Kaur Grace Wells Bonner
Thanos Poulimenos
After researching into all these artists and illustrating alongside them; I feel like I have a greater understanding of identity within fashion as I have taken the time to look into different aspects of it. This also solidifies my opinion on what identity stands for; and how I can take this title and work on it in terms of my project.