Session 2 Task 3 Fashion a Language and a Game

Session 2 Task 3 History of Creative Practices

For centuries individuals or societies have used clothes and other body adornment as a form of nonverbal communication to indicate occupation, rank, gender, sexual availability, class, wealth and group affiliation. What we wear and how and when we wear it, provides others to make assumptions on our social situation.
Fashion is a language of signs, symbols and iconography that non-verbally communicate meanings about individuals and groups. Fashion in all its forms from tattoos piercings and hairstyles, is a form of iconography that we use to express individual identity.

Does it enable us to be more fully understood, as a means of free expression, or are we just part of a large brainwashed society afraid to break out our social boundaries?

Maramoti, L (2000) Conecting Creativity in Hartley, J (2005) Creative Industries Blackwell Publishing p.205-213

I really enjoyed this read, looking into ideas of clothing as a lanuage and how it can express different meanings at different times, refuring to the trickle up - trickle down process where the rich and wealthy are supposed to simulate trends of the poorer classes, but inspiration can come from the poorer classes which then gets made into rich garments.

Also how each style creates an anti-style that defines it and how this then simulates other changes and that their are reacurrng paterns of items and fashion in different contexts, and why.

That Fashion is a tool for articulating and supporting words, rather than substituting them, meaning that fashion is nothing without something to feed off of. That fashion as a code of meanings in society, target instability and therfore creating a gap for a trend. Fashion delights us by playing on opposities and  creating games, fashion is an infinite game, since no one is interested in starting the ultimate trend the final one (p'206)

That fashion is "a ping-pong game between antithetical meanings, the motivating force for creativity with fashion is nearly always or often, cultural"p.206, that designers cannot create the desire to posses a product only arouse the curiosity in achieving a certain lifestyle related to the product, that "fashion can appropriate practically anything and change it into a look" p.207

That rules have a short life in fashion and brings about the question of is "change for changes sake" and that the smallest of changes can cause a chain reaction - a designed garment is fashion only when it is worn by someone. Human organisms have similarities each posses a genetic code but may evolve through time from external stimuli and that there is always a danger in creativity because in the fashion world it can have a massive impact, and messesage it sends out is sometimes the key to a cultural shift.

I found that there was a lot of information here but it was all very in dept and very interesting and may be something I use for my research project!

Session 2 Task 2: 24 Hours looking at Sub-Definitions

Get up: Duvet (Next), Shampoo & Conditioner (Toni & Guy), toothpaste, face wash, hairdryer, straighteners, make-up, clothes (Top Shop), pictures on my wall (Marylin Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Jimi Hendrix), Desk (Argos), art folder, Heinz Beans, Tesco Bread, vodaphone, door, stairs, walls, street, bins, car (Pegot 206), I-pod, Sat-Nav, steering wheel, car seat, road, bike, advertisements, posters, art shop (paintings), zebra crossing, pedestrians -(fashion clothes), buildings, statue, hospital (architecture - coloured rings), college - students work (photography, Fashion, Graphics, Fine art, drawings, paintings, clothe designs), fabric, magazines, books, car, road, sat-nav, buildings, t.v (America's next top model), Tesco stir fry, toothpaste, face wash, duvet, Go to bed.

Sammys CV

128b Whiteladies Road, Bristol • 07771980751 • Sammywatson1@hotmail.co.uk

Samantha Marie Watson

Objective

I feel passionately about working in the theatre, as I love being hands on, creative, having projects and working in a team.

Professional Accomplishments

Swindon, Wyvern Theatre

• Worked in Swindon’s Wyvern Theatre as a volunteer helping out with props and performances
• Also participating in some productions as a backing dancer

Swindon, Jones Pharmacy

• Worked as a dispenser for 4 years, which required a lot of patience, daily changes, and high concentration.
• I feel that this job enabled me to develop qualities that would continually benefit me throughout life especially with good people skills a great attention to detail and working as a team.

UWE Performing Arts

• Currently looking to join this club to enable me to practice my skills in this area.

Bristol Old Vic Theatre

• Currently looking for volunteer work here and potential job opportunities.

Employment History

Feb 08 – Sep 09 Customer Service Advisor, Nationwide, Swindon.

Jun 05 – Feb 08 Pharmacy Dispenser, Jones Pharmacy, Swindon.

Jun 04 – Jun 05 Healthcare Advisor, Boots, Swindon.

Education

Still completing course Fashion BA Hons Degree UWE, Bristol

157 RWA Autumn Exhibition1 November - 13 December

A vast magical building embedded in time still maintaining the beauty and authority of when it was established in 1858, being Bristol’s first art gallery, this amazing structure has always been a school and gallery for the upcoming artists of the day.

Walking through the front entrance instantly feeling overwhelmed as if the doors and ceilings were built in a time when giant mythical creatures existed, everything elegantly embellished with so much love and attention going in to every detail, putting our current buildings of the day to shame. As I walk through the entrance hallway a giant metal spectral dog greets me, showing me up a vast marble staircase. As I reach the top I am exhilarated by a vibrant circus of talent, emaciating colour, passion and potential, not needing to be questioned just to be enjoyed, the RWA’s most popular show of the year consisting of over 500 works of painting, sculpture, photography, printmaking and architecture. All around me a gentile buzz in the air as if powered by some unknown force, people of all ages milling around engrossed, excited, connecting to pieces of work they never knew existed.

They say a picture speaks a thousand words, judging from this exhibition, I would say a piece of art has unlimited potential to convey an emotion or to connect or speak to people on another level, and most of all, to just be enjoyed!

Session 2 Notes and Task 1 History of Creative Practices

Session 2

History of Creative Practices

I understand Fashion design as the applied art dedicated to clothing and lifestyle created within cultural & social influences of a specific time. I also feel that it’s a means of expressing individuality and conveying a message to society about your view on life.

Fashion design is not an idiotic stream of pointless images, it can be significant to your beliefs, religion social groups and even to the point of determining who you end up marrying.

Fashion Design: A system of signs, symbols & iconography that non-verbally communicate meanings about individuals & groups.

Charles Frederick worth 1826-1895 – dominated Paris fashion in late 19th century; designing high luxury goods in the height of the French Revolution he was called the “father of haute couture”

Euro-Centric – the criticism of the concerns & values at the expense of non-europeans (European perspective)

Fashion Design

Social Issues – capitalism/consumption, ethics, power, politics, culture, size, animal products, expense, bullying, belonging to a certain social group.

Gender – what clothing is considered male/ female and why, why is it different for different cultures? & why is it accepted for women to wear men’s clothing but not the other way round?

Orientalism – Imitation, depiction of aspects of eastern culture

Paul Poiret – The structured simplicity of his clothing represented a pivotal movement in the emergence of modernism, establishing modern values.

Types of Fashion:

Haute Couture – expensive, high fashion, always made for the skinnier girl
Perfumes – social group
University students – charity shops
Cars – image around type of car you have and social group you attract/ type of women you attract
Hairdressing – as important as the clothes you wear
Young girls – as young as 7 get anorexia because of the images and idealism their surrounded with on a daily basis.

Fashion – type of class your associated with, used to be more divided in Victorian times, when only the rich wore silks or lace.
What different types of images depict –
Chav Burberry imitation v’s expensive brand
Hoodies – criminals – why?

Fashion as a measure of cultural changes – war 1940’s – 60’s drugs

Beauty or ugliness is dependent on cultural attitudes – fair & skinny in western countries to look good in the high fashion clothes, to dark & voluptuous in eastern cultures thought to be very fertile & womanly.

Tribal – means belonging – still dress in accordance to the social group and beliefs we follow, that we belong to.

Semiotics – study of sign processes. Every culture phenomenon can be studied as communication, i.e. how organisms react & make prediction their niche in the world.
Structuralism – analyse a specific field as a complex system of interrelated parts
Post-structuralism – maintain that meanings & intellectual categories are shifting & unstable
How meanings are constructed –
Visual communication –
Intertextuality – relationships between texts.

Beautiful Images to inspire

These are images that I felt particularly inspried by and very beautiful in their own right

Why I want to study Fashion

The last image that excited me was an image by Lilit Margaryan of one of her Wedding Collection dresses, which I thought was eerily beautiful.

Fashion excites me because it allows me to be hands on and express my individuality and creative nature.

I have chosen to study Fashion further because I get great fulfilment out of being creative and feel my strenghts lie in a career around the industry.

Over the next 2 years I hope to achieve a foundation degree in Fashion and would like to go on to the 3rd year and achieve a degree in Fashion.

I am particularly interested in theatrical costumes and the Victorian era regarding fashion because I love the boldness and richness of it all.

At the moment I am particularly excited about my current project about circles and squares in Fashion and am loving getting my teeth into something I feel passionately about again.

I love visiting exhibitions such as the Banksey exhibition and I also love going to the theatre and have recently seen "We Will Rock You" which i thought was fantastic!

I read a lot of fashion magazines such as Elle and Vogue and also love fictional books which I can really loose myself in.

Vivienne Westwood

A link to the Vivieene Westwood site - a must see - one of my favorite fashion designers!