Product Design

Photoshoot

Brooklyn Museum

Material Experimentation

In Frank's class we finalised the design and went to Home Depot to look for materials. The main structure of the dress will be made out of mesh. To ensure that the material is suitable for the garment, we roughly wrapped the material around the mannequin and secured it in place with pins. The material is easy to shape and we were able to create the desired form. After doing so we talked about what should be changed/improved and moved onto making the actual dress. 

We saw that the seams were not in place in the practice dress and payed great attention to this in our second trial. At this point our main concern is how to securely put this dress on the model.

The design of the dress continued to evolve as we kept going. We decided to have the wave-like layer in the bottom half extend to the opposite shoulder and around the neck. We also thought about doing a headpiece to complete the structure, which can be an idea for the product design stage.

MoMA & MAD

In our second field trip, we visited two museums which are the Museum of Modern Art and the Museum of Art and Design. The first stop was the galleries of Sigmar Polke, a German artist famous for his numerous experimentations with different art styles and materials. He did not want to be "defined by any one style or method". Polke's subjects are often based on his perception of historical events such as the Nazi Era. The gallery "Atrium" includes artworks that vary from hand painted dots to digital prints. It was interesting to see how his choice of subject and medium evolved over time. The galleries were so different to the point where it felt as if each section was done by a different artist.

Other than Polke's works, we also looked at other works that are available at the museum. This varied from photography to paintings to installations. 

We also made sure to check out the works of famous artists such as Monet, Frida Kahlo, Piet Mondrian, Andy Warhol, etc...

It was a busy day that ended in a visit to Broadway to see Pippin'.

Moodboard

We spent a lesson in the computer lab to create a colour swatch that originates from our chosen photograph. Our location is a small area near East Village. Although it is quite far from the school, we felt that this location is the best representation of the theme we were aiming for which is urban with a hint of edge.

One of the most common scenes in New York is perhaps the fire escapes. I could not resist the urge to take a typical photo of horizontal platforms, stairs and ladders stacked up on the side of a building. I was particularly interested in the presence of black metallic surfaces in this space, which made me think about incorporating leather-like materials into the garment to reflect a similar texture. I was also interested in the pattern of the stair railings, as well as the borders of the windows and the outdated fire hydrants. The faded posters and the graffiti art also added hints of bold colours to the location. 

As you can see, the colour swatch largely consists of brown and blue shades which comes from the walls and the windows of the building. After observing all the pictures that were taken at the location, I started putting together the moodboard below

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The day started with a short subway ride from Union Square. We were by surrounded by a flood of people rushing and pushing in the sweltering heat. The Met was only a few stops away, followed by a short five minutes walk. Upon our arrival, we were lined up behind hundreds of people waiting to see the astonishing art inside the museum.

We could not walk through the entire place due to time limitation. Some of the things we looked at include Islamic and Japanese art, armoury, Greek sculptures and Charles James: Beyond Fashion exhibition.

Charles James' work was the highlight of our visit. His sculptural approach towards dressmaking allowed the creation of complex architectural designs. Instead of creating the garment as a whole, James built the garment by creating the different parts of the dress separately and putting them together shape by shape. His dresses are beautiful works of art with incredibly intricate details. Each dress is accompanied by a projector which shows the viewer the structure of the garment. Whilst reading about the "Ball Gown" in 1946, I was particularly interested in how James used different fabrics in one garment for special effects. I thought it was a very clever technique to add light, colour and movement to a gown. I was also drawn to the supporting structure of the "Lampshade Evening Dress" in 1955. It is a shame that we cannot see how the dress is constructed inside ourselves. Nevertheless, I loved how technology was used to deconstruct the structure of the dresses. It brought the creations alive.

Figure Drawings

We spend the mornings with Frank to work on our group project and the afternoons with Paul to refine our drawing skills. On the morning of the second day, we revisited the location of our interest to sketch the shapes and textures that make up the sight. We sketched with pencil and collected different textures by putting a piece of paper on top of the surface and rubbing it with charcoal.
The afternoon started with gesture drawings. Thirty seconds fly by very quickly and for some poses I was only able to get a few lines of charcoal on the newsprint. As I usually work slowly and precisely, the task was incredibly more challenging than it seemed.

A gesture drawing 

Paul talked about how images that are synthesised and stored by the mind can affect how we observe and draw. In order to not draw from memory and focus on the subject, the next task was to draw without looking at the model. We were not expected to produce fantastic drawings but to observe closely and draw slowly.

I had more success when the time limit was increased. We talked about using the pencil to measure the model in order to produce more proportional drawings. The drawing below was completed within 10 minutes. With more time at hand, I was able to spend more time on sketching more precise lines. We were not allowed to shade as the aim is to focus on shape and line.

The time limit was then extended to twenty minutes. This time, we also had to draw the background. The technique we used to make the foreground stand out on top of the background is called atmospheric perspective which is when we create an illusion of depth by depicting the objects in the distance in a paler shade.

Our homework was to do a "figure" drawing at Washington Square Park.