Proposal
Review
I have learned, within the past 2 years, that I am dedicated towards my work and that I have developed a strong compulsion to finishing before the given deadlines. I’d like to think I have good time management, however that would require me to evenly spread my workload, something I have a habit of not doing and consequently have a significantly higher workload towards the end of the project. I will address this problem during my FMP through the use of a planner, action plan and daily reflection.
My project approach has become holistic, where I look back at my project journey regularly, as a whole, to avoid jumping from one idea to the next, without showing the thought process between them. This enables me to create a variety of alternative ideas through personal reflection and feedback from others. Visual language has allowed me to develop better alternatives with more concept and meaning, by encouraging me to explore a variety of artist’s techniques and processes.
I have chosen fashion as my particular pathway because I want to challenge myself to investigate fashion that has a deep concept and visually explores feelings.
Through my chosen concept of Function, the idea of visually exploring what the body can do and how it reveals problems, will be valuable in my progression as it will effortlessly lead me into my further study in Nutrition.
Concept
The aim of my project is to explore function in the body of living things and how modern-day society is causing our body to malfunction. I wish to investigate how our bodies convey vital information about our underlying health through physical and possibly mental ‘symptoms’. I want to engage and provoke an audience to make them aware that some things they experience in their health are natural but aren’t necessarily ‘normal’.
My primary starting points will begin from a holistic perspective of function in the body, through studying the skeletal structure + ancient bones I find at museums. This will lead me to examine animal organs, like those of a human, as well as discovering how our bodies function using biology training equipment. I would briefly like to investigate into cytology (the study of cells) in order to add further depth and knowledge to my project.
Obviously, I am not able to gather primary research on the organs inside the human body, which is why I will mainly focus on the skeleton and a variety of animal organs.
This primary research will allow me to progress from investigating the function of the skeleton; to the organs inside us; to finally investigate a chosen organ in more depth and portray visually what happens, when its function is impaired.
The first part of my project will feature a plethora of visual studies including painting, pencil drawing, oil pastels and perhaps developing my watercolour skills. Furthermore, I want to develop my 2D needlework skills as the detail used, could contribute to a more meaningful final piece. I want to explore more techniques that will create a visual texture element that imitates the organic shapes and forms I come across during this project.
A possibility for my final outcome would be a conceptual ‘garment’ that implies impaired function, whether that be visually showing impaired organs or that the garment itself impairs function. I may also explore alternatives to the cliché dress design through research into historical garments that impaired function is some way.
As my ideas evolve throughout this project and I need to develop my proposal, I will clearly display my initial ideas and what has influenced my new plans.
Evaluation
During this project, I will need to regularly evaluate my work in order for my ideas to progress and develop into a successful outcome. I will carry out this reflection by showing my thought-processes and ideas found inside my planner. Furthermore, my planner will be another resource for recording tutor and peer feedback discussions, so that I can visually show my idea progression. Another way of demonstrating my reflected processes will be on my blog, which will show how my ideas have developed as a result of researching different artists and group constructive criticisms.
Innovative Fashion
I have been inspired by the work above because of the interesting shapes these garments use. While I may not create a shape so abstract I am interested in the fact they take an everyday item and turn it into something that intrigues the viewer and makes them want to ask questions about the meaning. That is what I would like to do with my work; I want to provoke an audience so that they will go home and be amazed by the detailed meaning.
Pecha Kucha
Today I presented my Pecha Kucha explaining about my chosen theme of Impaired Function. As you can see below, this ‘visual’ powerpoint features lots of artist imagery and my thought process of deciding the theme and how to explore it.
Powerpoint vs Pecha Kucha
While I’m sure this type of ‘powerpoint’ helps some people avoid boredom, I think this made the problem worse. The aim of PK is to have 20 slides that last 20 seconds each, so that in total it is 4 minutes long. I felt as though the presentations lasted much longer and the awkward silence of waiting between slides didn’t help much either. As a viewer, it was much more painful and boring than the normal powerpoints. Furthermore, as the creator of a PK, I struggled to find pictures and information for all 20 slides. At 15 slides I felt as though I had reached my limit and it seemed pointless to bulk out my PK with unnecessary information. As an audience member, I could tell that people were adding things they usually wouldn’t and maybe that’s a good thing that they are adding more depth to their presentation. However, I would much rather look at one slide that features all the books and films you’re going to look at, not individual slides, as it feels as though you’re dragging it out. The point of the presentation is to tell everyone a brief synopsis about your project, not the life story of it, which is why I prefer a good old ‘straight to the point’ powerpoint. Too many pictures can sometimes be boring, so if you find an equal balance between pictures and writing then people are less likely to be bored and instead be engaged.
Viktoria Collins UAL FMP 