Tagged: image-making

FMP RESEARCH: WEEK 3

This week I began experimenting with initial image-making fed by my research into feminist matters in fashion and fashion publications. Using images and text from vintage publications as well as contemporary magazines I created simple collages that provoked thought around debates of sex, gender and equality. This sparked ideas around the concept of creating fake advertisements in my proposed magazine, as a playful but thoughtful way of interrogating issues in the fashion media industry.
This made me start thinking about the identity of my publication. I started thinking about ‘trigger words’ that appear in advertisements or women’s/fashion magazine that could have connotations that fit with a feminist theme. Taking inspiration from Riot Grrrl zines and the way they reclaim aggressive or misogynistic words in their publications, I wanted to put a contemporary twist on this. I brainstormed words that popped up in adverts or articles that suggested concerns around women’s bodies, beauty or sexuality, as well as researching into other offensive terms for women to find a catchy, meaningful title.

BROAD – old-fashioned, offensive term for a woman. also think about stature or build. sounds aggressive and stern (could also mean something to do with print? ‘broadsheet’)

SILICONE – cosmetic surgery, implants, artificiality but also smoothness and perfection

FILLER – surgery and beauty standards, but also could sound sexual? also a term for a sound or word to fill a pause. (type meanings – filler text.) could also have food connotations?


After this experimentation I was motivated to look further into contemporary design of small-press or artistic publications, to get ideas for visual identity and alternative printing methods – to take a contemporary approach to the older, photocopied zine. I looked briefly into Bay Garnett’s Cheap Date magazine (which I want to look into further during my FMP – content ideas, design and written tone) which was mainly black and white but with creative, childlike graphic design. This made me start looking at graphic designers that create work that isn’t traditionally clean or professional, such as Lennarts and de Bruijn, whose work features bright colours, wild combinations of typography and shapes. I also looked at People of Print’s poster zines, which look risograph or screen printed, a method I am very interested in exploring further as I have used risograph printing in my personal work and love the vibrant colours and overlapping of layers. The fold-out design of these zines also helped me start thinking about the formatting of my publication, as I want to explore more creative ways of working with ‘the book’ as an art piece, rather than creating a conventional magazine.

diversity now: female bodies

After initial visual research into other artists’ work and possible directions, I decided to focus my response to the Diversity Now brief towards women and the variations in bodies, style and appearance. I want to specifically challenge the attitude the fashion industry has towards flaws, imperfections, different body types and body choices, e.g. the (lack of) acceptance of body hair, tattoos, piercings and even skin/body differences that cannot be helped.

 

diversity now: collage workshop

In our collage workshop I started thinking about themes within “Diversity” that I could explore. I found myself selecting images around body standards, sexuality and gender as those are often areas I enjoy discussing and challenging. This first collage was very minimal but I think it worked best this way as it had a strong enough visual message with just the two images, creating a theme of masculinity and sexuality, and the idealized body.

In this piece of collage I focused more on the female body, slicing the body to resemble the pig image next to it. I wanted to create a thoughtful message around women’s body shapes; our lack of confidence with our bodies and our desire to constantly change ourselves. However the pig illustration also touches on how women’s bodies are seen as meat or something desirable, to be consumed. I experimented with stitching into the collage which I had not thought of before but I really feel it has the ability to add to what you are trying to say with an image.

This expanded on the discussion of the sexualisation of women’s bodies. Although very simple again in composition, I think I was able to create a strong message, aided by the addition of type and sewing.