Month / October 2014

by Olivia Kate Violet

End of module: Reflective review

Friday 31st October

This morning we had our reflective session where by we discussed our projects in detail, in groups of four, first together and then with our teacher. We considered what it is we thought went well, maybe didn’t go so well, what we thought we could improve on and would change given the chance.

For me I feel that overall my sketchbook went well although I feel that I could have included and linked my work with more artists research. I feel this would have given my project  some further support and substance. In addition I really enjoyed the digital work we conducted over the course of this project and am pleased with the outcomes i’ve created so far.

However I think I have produced a better, more grammatical essay, that had a better flow throughout it. I feel that my quotes and referring were fairly strong but that the presentation of it could be improved through increasing my spacing to a 1.5 line point, as well as giving the quotes their own space in order to improve the read over all.

Finally I could have put more sketches into my sketchbook to even out the digital pieces I have produced combined with some more experimental pieces that display different medias.

Overall I think my project went smoothly and although it took a little while to get myself sorted and comfortable within the project I am pleased with the outcomes to the briefs I have produced.

by Olivia Kate Violet

The story behind the object.

Thursday 30th October

Our lecture today, led by Jane Hattrick was one that focused on this idea that an object / artifact can possess a meaning; one that is not necessarily the same to all those that come into contact with it. We looked at Norman Hartnell, in particular we looked at  his regency chaise longue that went from being once an amazing piece of furniture to now being situated in a house in cornwall, covered in manufactured teddy bears.

Further more Matt Smith also spoke to use about his work and how he creates new objects out of already made pieces of art work. On his website, (http://www.mattjsmith.com/one-off-pieces.html) it is stated that:

“Through repurposing and reinterpretation, the work aims to question the stories we are told, explore those we are not told and allow a space for the viewer to reach their own conclusions.”

Hide and Seek, by Matt Smith

Hide and Seek, Matt Smith.

 

For the seminar this week we were asked to bring in an object we felt had some meaning or a story to it, for mine I chose my treasured teddy bear, Money bags. I suddenly went totally blank when asked why he was called that and so asked my dad to text me the reason and this is the message I received:

“His name comes from a time I left Cyprus. I was 10 and leaving Cyprus and I saw him in a shop. According to Grandma I had never asked for anything but asked her if she liked him? She said yes she did and asked me if I would like him. As I recall I said well I thought he looked at me! She persuaded Papa to buy him and he said he was the most expensive Bear in the shop. I was struggling for a name so Papa said call him “Money Bags” as he is the most expensive Bear in the airport! I then had to walk across the Tarmac to the plane and Grandma said it was the only time she saw my Dad with a tear in his eye as I walked to the plane. Hence why he is so precious! Does that help? Sx”

The whole class including myself got teary eyed and felt an emotional response to the meaning behind this object- a very unexpected outcome to my afternoon I must admit!

Money bags.

Money bags.

by Olivia Kate Violet

Why do certain objects leave a stain in our lives?

Tuesday 28th October 2014

Since looking at the Renegade collection, (situated within the Pavilion museum) in particular the Teddy boy outfit, I have been thinking about how I could move this project forward and develop it into one of substance.

In addition to reflecting on how the little necktie caught my attention from the outfit, in class we started discussing this idea of stain and how there is a double meaning to it. We considered how the literal meaning of spilling some dye on a bit of cloth is not the only definition of stain; there is such thing as an emotional stain.

Thus I am going to look into the concept of attachment and how we grow fond of the items we possess and in particular why not all of them.

To start off initially I have just been experimenting with illustrator both to give me practice using the software and also portray a couple of items important to me.

 

by Olivia Kate Violet

Design for the real world?

Thursday 23rd October 2014

Today we covered what this title means in relation to the contemporary culture that we live in today. What makes the world a better place in terms of design in relation to this topic? Key questions asked in the seminar afterwards were how realistic is realistic? What does the word mean in relation to being successful? What is success?

During the lecture we initially looked at Mary Quant and the creation of her mini skirt. I found the fact that the Mini Cooper, the car, influenced her mini skirt. I also loved the comment made by our lecturer, Damon Taylor that “our hem lines are constantly changing in relation to changes in the economy”.

Further more we looked at how Papanek believed we were using up the worlds resources and that our creativeness is striped from us the older we get. “until they enter school, most people seem to be about equality adept at solving problems. Then the inherent ability to creates becomes inhibited by perceptual, cultural and emotional blocks.” (Papanek)

Overall, I found today really enlightening and it made me question what it is want and would consider being successful in terms of my ambitions from life. Damon Taylor closed his lecture with the comments of “Everything you do is about the real world and how big you make it. It’s not about you today but who you will be.”

What do I want? When will I consider myself successful? Is it money? Is it the title I have? Is it where I am and who I am with in the end? Honestly, I don’t know yet. All I do know is I will work my very hardest to hopefully be able to have the choice of deciding one day.

 

by Olivia Kate Violet

Project Development

Monday 20th October 2014

Today we all had our practise presentations on the garment we chose from the Renegade collection. The presenations were meant to last 4-5 minutes, mine however ended up dragging out for an entire 45 minutes (the feedback section lasted a good half an hour of that time)!

From the collection I had chosen to focus on the Teddy Boy outfit as the little saxophone broach around the collar of the shirt, caught my eye. I have always been one to appreciate the smaller, more detailed things in life and so I decided that was something i’d be really interested in researching and also drawing!

The feedback I received today has really helped me to focus my project in a direction i’m happy with. We talked about objects and the attachment you can form to them (I am a hoarder and so keep most things and thus am attached to quite a few objects already at the age of 20 years old). Furthermore we linked this idea of people possessing an emotional connection to objects to the branding essence of a business and then talked about theoretical stains and scars. Due to this session I have decided to look into this area of attachment in more depth and in particular, linking it the vintage subculture evident in Brighton.

by Olivia Kate Violet

Form Follows Function: Form Follows Fun?

Thursday 16th October 2014

So today was my second lecture followed by a seminar on HCS (Historical and Critical studies) and I feel it went really well. Damon Taylor gave the lecture in which I feel was delivered to an extremely high standard. Some people just have good stage presence don’t they?

Although I was interested with the subject matter throughout the whole lecture I think the beginning was really gripping. He spoke about ethics and our sense of right and wrong, which in itself is an exciting topic as it is rare for two people to  completely agree on what they feel to be right and wrong in any given situation. The most interesting part for me was the idea that design should make the world better and thus there is this hierarchy of values that change due to the situation we are in. Damon gave the example using an iPhone, a T-shirt and a gun. In every day life you’d say that the iPhone came first, then the T-shirt and then the gun however in times of war you’d swap the gun to be first, then the iPhone second and the T-shirt last. I’d never thought about ethics and the difference a situation can have in this way before and found this exciting.

For our seminar we had to choose an object we thought was both functional and fun. I chose a skateboard because its functional in that it gets you from A to B, it is lightweight and easily transported and it poses as a form of exercise although I felt this could also go in to the fun section – i appreciate not all find exercise fun! Furthermore it is fun because it is a gateway for social interaction and it allows the boarder to form new skills and thus expand on their capabilities.

dogskate-2

 

 

by Olivia Kate Violet

Renegade Exhibition: Reveals alternative styles of clothing.

Tuesday 14th October 2014

Visiting this exhibition held within the Pavilion Museum was really intriguing in that the display of garments were so diverse, which from the title of the collection you’d expect. From the outgoing, multicoloured patched trousers paired with a grey oversized jersey top to the pinstriped smart trousers covered in belt straps set with worn-looking, leather military boots, everything caught your eye.

FullSizeRender

 

 

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For my critical analysis I chose to look at the pin striped trousers covered in straps. The combination of a typically smart pair of trousers,the casual straps along with the personal red thread around the front pockets, just grabbed me. I also really enjoyed the way in which a pair of black military boots sat next to them adding to this personal, rebellious feel of the outfit. 

Sketches of my chosen outfit:

 

by Olivia Kate Violet

Reflective Journal: The Third Brief

Monday 13th October 2014.

Our 3rd brief consists of a drawing accompanied by a 500 word critical analysis. Initially my thoughts were, ‘What on earth will I draw?’, ‘How will a critically review it?’

My group spent a good hour or so going through what it is to critically review a piece of work and looked at the work of Jennifer Moon, in particular ‘The yellow Wallpaper’. This outlined different pieces of writing and we then discussed whether they were descriptive or critical in the way they were written. Furthermore we then had to write our own piece of writing (approximately 50 words) 3 or 4 times, each time trying to make it more critical. I feel this task really helped me to prepare and feel more confident in carrying out this brief.

I look forward to visiting the Pavilion Museum tomorrow and hopefully creating some drawings I will be able to critically review successfully.