Lookbook Movie

Vanessa Bruno

I really love this video, it's super sweet. I love Lou Doillon, her movement and the colours in this video are just really soft, subtle and lovely. It's something to consider when I get round to making my video for my website.

Reflection

A Really Bad Leek in the Bathroom.......

Tore the apartment apart tonight to try and find out where the leek was. It ended in the bathroom, but we had to find where it started. Water is a tricky little bugger. I know this seems irrelevant, but I didn't plan for this or my bag being stolen, but we never plan for life. We plan for things going wrong with our projects but never with life.

I'm totally stressed at the moment because these things that I didn't plan for are eating into my project time. It's definitely something to think about in future, always allow for problems with the project and also problems with life. You live and learn!

Reflection

SetBack...

I had a bit of a setback yesterday, I was out on Monday night and my handbag got stolen, which absolutely everything in it. So, I had to spend all that night up changing all my passwords that were connected to my iPhone and then all yesterday sorting out the phone replacement, bank stuff and the police report. I didn't manage to get any work done at all, and when I finally got everything sorted I just wanted to sleep. 

I did go to the talk on Portfolio Presentation that the FBRS organised with the Fashion Careers Clinic which was really good. It was good to see examples of other peoples portfolio work and get some useful tips on what to do and also what not to do. The talks they do are super helpful and I really feel it's good to go to these to better my chances of employment when I graduate. 

All in all, I lost a days working, which is super annoying. I'm gonna have to work extra hard now to get back on track, at least it was only one day.

Tutorial Feedback

A Date With Sue

Tutorial time again with Sue, I was pretty anxious that I hadn't done that much since I last saw her. I worked hard in the last few days to get it up to scratch so that I could show her some sort of progression. Once again she was happy that I was where I should be at this point so it made me feel a little more relaxed about everything.

Up until now I have been a little unsure about my inspiration as I've had so many influences and found it hard to make a decision on my definite areas of interest. I have not decided that I want to look into the clothing and accessories of space suits for details and design lines. I am trying to arrange to go to the Science Museum to view their private collection, which will be really useful. I think this will help me to decide upon my materials a little better also, as this was what Sue had commented on in my tutorial.

I am going to order the evaluation kits for the electroluminescent wire the fibre optic material soon so that I can se how feasible it will be to use this technology in my design. I will also look into using other high tech materials that are available. 

The consumer is proving the most elusive for me, I am kind of avoiding it a little, which is odd because generally I really enjoy doing the consumer profile. I think because I am a bit worried about creating some fantasy consumer that doesn't really exist. I don't really know anyone that would be my consumer, i think that I am designing for myself in the future, if that makes any sense, or the type of consumer I aspire to be. It's a tricky one, but I'm sure I'll overcome it. I need to collate all the information I've gathered so far and see if a clearer image presents itself.

All in all I'm very stressed and tired but the work is moving along and I seem to be on the right track. I still have a mountain of work to do so no more fun times until hand in.

Reflection

Reflection

I received my Research Planning grade today, which was a relief. I did well, but would have liked to have received a slightly higher grade. It's a good start to the year though, and as it says on my feedback sheet, I need to make sure to 'maintain the momentum'. I feel like this past few weeks since my last tutorial have been very unproductive. Although I didn't spend quite so much time on the project in this time, I have been doing work, but I don't feel I have a lot to show for it. Getting this feedback has given me the extra kick I needed to get motivated again. I know I need to buckle down as I still have a lot of work to do.

We have a tutorial tomorrow with Rob Philips about our layout, which is something that I am not very confident with. I feel that its not really my strongest point and I'm kinda worried that my clean and simple approach to it makes it look really dull. I want it to be clean, classic and sharp looking, but not boring. It's a fine line to be honest and I hope I manage to pull it off well. I think I might do a few examples to show Rob tomorrow. I may also try and get a graphic designers opinion on the matter, cause I think small little adjustments can make all the difference, and graphic designers have that eye for detail.

I feel like I need to start pulling it all together a little bit now and really solidifying my concept development, so that I can get a clearer picture of what I still need to do.

Lucy McRae

Lucy McRae

Lucy McRae is an Australian artist straddling the worlds of fashion, technology and the body. As a body Architect she invents and builds structures on the skin that re-shape the human silhouette. Her provocative and often grotesquely beautiful imagery suggests a new breed; a future human archetype existing in an alternate world.

Trained as a classical ballerina and architect her work inherently fascinates with the human body. The media call her inventor, friends call her a trailblazer. Either way, she relies on instinct to evolve an extraordinary visual path that is powerful, primal and uniquely Lucy McRae.

This 'Making Of' video showcases a project that started over two years ago generating dynamic textiles made from liquid, air and vapor. 1.2 kilometres of transparent plumbing tubing was knitted with fishing wire to skin Robyn's body. 40 litres of glycerol pumps through over a kilometre of tube, powered by drill pumps that connect to valves releasing air intermittently between the liquid. Gradient colors pulse through the tubes at different speeds, the effect is a living, breathing dynamic skin that traverses the landscape of the body. The Dream Team Lucy McRae, Barnaby Monk, Mike Pelletier, Sanne Van Wersch, Laetitia Migliore and Amba Molly Special Thanks to Mandy, Sofie, Froukje, Honor, Loes, Ine and Branca Edited by Ine van den Elsen.

Peristaltic Skin Machine from Lucy McRae on Vimeo.

Amazing!




Source: http://www.lucymcrae.blogspot.com/

Lebbeus Woods

The work of Lebbeus Woods, currently a professor of architecture at the Cooper Union in New York City, has influenced the designs of many films including 12 Monkeys, Alien 3 or The Fifth Element. "His work is experimental architecture in its most powerful, and politically provocative, sense."

The majority of his explorations deal with the design of systems in crisis, visions of a possible reality, provisional, local, and charged with the investment of their creators and are best known for his proposals for San Francisco, Havana, and Sarajevo.

I really love the sharp lines of his architecture. I can see how his work has inspired Michael Kampe. His work is very futuristic and industrial looking and it is not surprising that he has inspired sci-fi movies in the past. It is hard to see how these buildings will date to be honest, they're not even subtle at all.

Michael Kampe

Michael Kampe

Was checking out DazedDigital today, and came across Michael Kampe. A graduate of the Antwerp Royal Academy, he is now moving to Italy to work for Diesel. His work is so amazing, I love the 3D aspect to it, and of course I'm a sucker for the sharp lines and structures.

It was interesting reading the article to see what inspires him, and it led me to discover some amazingly creative people, most interesting to me is Lucy McRae and Lebbeus Woods, which I will post above.

Gabriella Marina Gonzalez

Gabriella Marina Gonzalez

I just happened to stumble upon this today. I had seen the Rhino shoes, [the image with the fur beside them] on a blog months and months ago, but never found out where they belonged. 

Finally today, while checking out Machine-A's website I found Gabriella Marina Gonzalez. She's a graduate from Central Saint Martins and is stocked at Machine-A in Berwick Street. I had been there recently for Craig Lawrence's preview of his new collection. It's an interesting space for designers, and one which promotes young designers in particular.

I just love GMG's designs, they are quite simple in some aspects but not at all boring. I do feel like the wedge has had it's day a little, but I still heart these.

I really like this video, the music reminds me of an old movie, something tragic, and the way it's shot, it's kinda abstract and not too literal. The change in focus is definitely something I would like to use if I shoot a video for mine.

Tutorial Feedback

A Date With Sue

We had a tutorial with Sue yesterday. It went really well, surprisingly. I felt that I was quite behind, however Sue seemed happy with my progress and said that I was exactly where I should be at this stage of the project. I was super happy with the feedback and response. 

It was commented that I need to work on my consumer profile, which I know I haven't really touched upon yet. I had planned to go onto the street and do questionnaires, but from previous experience I've found that the time spent doing that and the end result do not equal out. I think I would be wasting my time doing it as it wont really be completely accurate. I am going to have to look into others ways to source the information.

I have interviewed a family friend who buys designer good, this was really useful to find out from her what way she purchased and what she purchases.

I feel that my customer could easily be a mythical creature that has a fabulous life and buys anything she wants. However I think that realistically she would shop in a range of places from Topshop and Banana Republic for everyday basics and then Liberty's and Selfridges for more investment pieces. 

Sue suggested that my interviewing the competition I may be able to get an idea from them on who their consumer is and then it will give me a clearer idea of who my consumer is.

It was also commented that I had a wealth of imagery to take from, but that I needed to edit a little bit an be more focused. I am going to have to commit to something soon, and really go in depth with it, instead of skimming the surface of many different areas.

All in all I'm feeling pretty good about the project and my progress at the moment. I just need to keep the momentum going and stay on the same track and all will be well.

UK Pavilion at Shanghai Expo 2010

Heatherwick Studios

In September 2007, Heatherwick Studio led the winning team in the competition to design the UK Pavilion for the Shanghai 2010 Expo. The event is the largest Expo ever with two hundred countries taking part and over 70 million visitors expected. The theme of the Expo is “Better City, Better Life” and a key client objective is for the UK Pavilion to be one of the five most popular attractions.

The studio’s design has three main aims: the first is to be a pavilion whose architecture is a direct manifestation of the content it exhibits; the second is to provide significant public open space in which visitors can relax; the third is to find a simple idea that is strong enough to stand out amidst the busy-ness of the hundreds of competing pavilions.

These aims are captured in two interlinked and experiential elements based around the subject of nature and cities – the Seed Cathedral, and a multi-layered landscape treatment of the 6,000sqm site. The Seed Cathedral is a platform to show the work of the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew and their Millennium Seedbank. In the circulation zone under the landscape that surrounds the Seed Cathedral a series of installations explore in more detail the particularity of nature and UK cities.

The Seed Cathedral is a 20-metre high building, constructed from 60,000 transparent 7.5-metre long optical strands, each of which has embedded within its tip a seed. The interior is silent and illuminated only by the daylight that has filtered past each seed through each optical hair.

The UK Pavilion has consistently been ranked by visitors as one of the most popular pavilions with 50,000 people visiting each day.

These are the seeds that are trapped inside each rod.

This kinda looks a little like a head.

The inside of the structure.

Source: http://www.heatherwick.com/uk-pavilion/

Cold War

Mario Merz

Here are the pics from my trip to the Pompidou Centre in 2007. I was a little stupid to not take note of all the artists names, it was a really amazing exhibition. I took loads of photos but no names. I did buy the magazine that accompanied it but it is in French, so that was a little stupid. Oh well, at least I have the pictures. The structure called 'Objet Cache Toi', is made from metallic net, tubular metallic structure, tarred cloths, clay blocks, neon light.

Objet Cache Toi, [Object, Hide Yourself] 1969.

"Objet Cache Toi bears an injunction that originally appeared as graffiti on the walls of the Sorbonne University in Paris during the protests of May 1968. Merz invites the viewer to hide in his shelter. Alternatively, the work expresses a demand for the disappearance of commodity culture in favour of a world without possessions". [Cold War Modern, V&A Publishing)

Cold War

Cold War Modern

I got the Cold War Modern, V&A book from the library and this morning was flicking through it. I cam across Mario Merz's work. It is really cool, I love his little Igloo's. I'm pretty sure that I was a piece of his work at the Pompidou Centre on my trip to Paris in 2007.

Leather, leather, leather.....

Leather, leather, leather......

Just went to Alma and Walter Reginald's today, was good to go and see all they had in stock and it was good to get an idea of what materials I'd like to use. I wanted ones with texture and a little bit futuristic looking with trying to stay away from metallics, I think that would be too obvious. I did think though that I maybe need to seriously consider the colour pallet now and the mix of textures. I don't want my shoe to look stupidly sci-fi looking, it's a luxury brand and needs to reflect that.

I feel like I have a good working attitude, but I do need to focus a little more. I need to make lists and set proper targets and keep to them. It will be the only way to ensure that I get all the work complete in good time, rather than having to rush anything. I think I need to up my productivity.

http://www.almahome.co.uk/home.htm

http://www.walterreginald.com/

Fashion Careers Clinic, JPS

Went to the two lectures from the Fashion Careers Clinic today. The FBRS are great, it's so helpful that they organise these talks for students, it's a shame more people didn't go, I hope they still keep doing them cause they are pretty useful. 

Todays lecture was really helpful to think realistically about the prospects of a job when I leave uni. It's easy to be in a little bit of a bubble at uni, but it was good to talk about different roles that I could possibly fill when I leave, as my main objective is to start working.

It also just added to my workload though, as it made me realise that it's important to be ahead of the game and be applying quite soon after Christmas as some companies start to look for Graduates as early as Jan/Feb.

Another thing to factor into my work plan! Registered with LinkedIn when I got back to get started.

http://www.fashioncareersclinic.com/

http://uk.linkedin.com/pub/sandra-jean-mc-clean/26/86b/8a7

LD Tuttle Videos

Tut, Tuttle.......

Here are two of LD Tuttle's videos for her collections. They are so nice. I wanna make a video for my website [when I get it done]. I really think that a video is a really good way to express the mood of a collection, in addition to the lookbook and other marketing material.

LD Tuttle A/W '09

LD Tuttle Fall 2010

This ones a little odd, I kinda like the audio track. The odd buzzy noise reminds me of 2001: A Space Odyssey.

In the beginning there was light.....

This concept board was for my Research Planning assignment, just a rough idea of where I'm drawing my inspiration from. The new Tron Legacy movie is coming out on the 26th of December which has some really cool visuals. I watched the old one for inspiration, along with A.I. and 2001: A Space Odyssey. These movies all have such strong visuals, I just love sci-fi movies for that reason.

I love the whole idea of light in art, life and fashion. I really wanna try and make some shoes with lights. It's gonna be hard but I have to try. Architecture is also a great source of inspiration and the Melbourne Recital Centre is an amazing building created by Ashton Raggatt McDougall. It has some sort of light structure intertwined with the structure. It's so amazing!

So basically my inspiration for the project is sci-fi, the future, technology, architecture and light........so far.

Initial Concept Board