Month / October 2014
Tracey Emin: The Last Great Adventure Is You
‘The work is about rites of passage, of time and age, and the simple realisation that we are always alone.’
Tracey Emin, July 2014
I recently visited The White Cube Gallery in London, where ‘The Last Great Adventure is You’ exhibition by Tracey Emin is being held. It displays work featuring paintings, bronze sculptures, large scale embroideries and neon worded signs. I have always found the work of Emin very interesting as she lets the audience explore something very personal to her, in most cases her own body.
I was particularly interested in her portrayals of herself as they are very simplistic, yet there is a real sense of energy to them. I would like to try out a similar style in some of my own sketches, as I really like the idea of sketches just giving a suggestion of the image being drawn. She also displayed large scale pieces, which on first glance appeared to be sketches but when looked at closer were actually embroideries. She really managed to capture the essence of a drawing in her textile pieces.
She placed three neon signs throughout the exhibition each containing a phrase about loneliness. The contrast between such bright lights and traditional looking sketches created a real atmosphere. I also liked the link between the sense of emptiness the space and layout gave and that of her theme of loneliness.
‘The soul will always do what it needs to do’
‘KNITWEAR: Chanel to Westwood’
Last weekend I went to London to go and see the ‘Knitwear: Chanel to Westwood’ exhibition at the Fashion and Textiles museum. Personally knitwear isn’t something which I would normally be interested in but from going to the exhibit I feel like I have a much better understanding of the impact of knitwear on fashion.
The collection begins with a room which contains modern and innovative knitwear, such as nike ‘flyknit’ trainers and exaggerated high end knitwear. It then went on to display a journey through the years of knitwear and how it has evolved and it’s role has changed. I find it very interesting how people in the past wore knitted garments as a necessity and also had knitted underwear yet nowadays we have designers experimenting with new, creative ways of wearing knit. It was very interesting to see how around the 20s/30s designers began to experiment with knitted swimwear. The pieces in the collection were very thick and heavy, therefor I doubt it would reappear in modern fashion due to its practicality.
Although there was a vast array of practical knitwear there was also some examples of innovative pieces spread throughout the years. The styles were very obvious of their respective eras. The progression whilst walking through the exhibition helped to create a feel of a journey through time. The layout of one room started in the 1900s and each section moved on through the decades all the way through to the present day. You could start to see a reoccurring pattern of styles and techniques which was interesting because it shows that new styles will always take inspiration from the past.
Reflective Post 17.10.14
This week we visited the Brighton and Hove Museum, and focused on the renegade fashion area. I found it really interesting looking into the different cult styles which Brighton is known for, such as hippie, punk, goth, vintage and skater. The subcultures are something i am interested in looking at in more detail through my sketchbook work. I was particularly interested in the ‘skinhead’ outfit, as it is such an iconic look and wanted to find out more about what influenced their style. I chose to do quite a detailed and intricate sketch of the outfit so that i really focused on all the important details.
I also worked on illustrator looking at different techniques which i can use to create really appealing images. I am really enjoying learning these techniques and i feel illustration may be something i want to look at in more depth later on in the year. Personally i do feel that my time could have been used more effectively this week as i didn’t get as much done as i would’ve liked. However i plan on making an in depth schedule for the next week, so that i really push myself and hopefully get back on target with my workload. I have also decided to try and a blog post at least every other day, to force myself to get things done and feel i have something to display from it.