EXTENDED ART AND DESIGN: FASHION
Alice Brennan
Progression: UAL Foundation Diploma in art & Design Inspired
The idea of what the future might look like and how each preceding decade predicted and imagined it, is central to my FMP. Retro-futurism is a movement in the creative arts that blends old fashioned retro styles with futuristic technology. “Retro futurism is the pasts version of the future” it is, what previous generations, thought their future might look like. The 1960s, for example, had an optimistic view of the future sparked by ‘the golden space age’ originating in 1957 and advancements in technology and science. The 1970’s was more pessimistic, the promises of the liberating 1960s didn’t happen.
I will draw on key events and features of the 1960s and 1970s, challenges to masculinity and femininity, as well as the visual identities of range of youth subcultures.
The collections of contemporary fashion designers such as Iris van Herpen, Gareth Pugh and Alexander McQueen often seem to reference the future and inspired my initial ideas. My final collection is a celebration of many different things, the overall look is eclectic borrowing from the past and the future!
Due to Lockdown, this project has been developed from home as well as college, I had to be more selective in the techniques I chose to work with do due to the lack of resources and subject specific equipment. Where possible I found I could substitute other, more attainable materials and methods such as hand rendered work, sketchbook work, small scale draping work and digital processes in the place of more sophisticated techniques only available at college. One specific challenge I set myself was to develop my fashion illustration, I wanted the theme to be conveyed in my drawing. The final pieces have a slightly surreal wonky quality that I think is in keeping with the concept and are very Indidualistic. I’m looking forward to developing my skills in fashion on the UAL Foundation Diploma in Brierley hill.
Abbie Brettle
Progression: UAL Foundation Diploma in art & Design Inspired
The aim of my project was to produce a range of textile samples based on an investigation into the theme ‘Urban Decay’. I was drawn to this because, across the world there are cities, or parts of cities, that are spiralling into decay and buildings that were being abandoned. In these areas there are high rates of unemployment, low living standards and crime rates, as well as pollution and sprawling graffiti. Many of these factors lead to the depopulation in places like Detroit, USA. In contract to these issues, I saw that you could beauty in what you were faced with; Derelict buildings incorporated worn and distressed surfaces that I thought would be interesting to use as inspiration for textile prints. Artist Susan Hotchkiss inspired my initial ideas as she also looks at the process of ageing and decaying. I started to look into the different physical surfaces and textures of decaying places and played with recreating the patterns into my work experimenting with destructive marks spills, splashes, rips, burns and tears.
My time on the course has been a valuable experience and staff have encouraged me to keep motivated but more importantly keep on top of things. This has helped me to generate a lot of work and helped me to improve my practical skills.
Charlotte Bytheway
Progression: Birmingham City University
The theme I have chosen for my FMP is ‘Forms- Biological’, a broad enough theme that encouraged an exploration of a number of exciting starting points and utilised lots of different materials and processes. I have used a variety of subject matter throughout this project such as the human body, its systems and functions, plants, animals, cells. I produced a range of furniture designs, small scale prototypes in a range of every day accessible materials. My work has a target audience of those who appreciates working environments with a more abstract and contemporary design aesthetic such as an abstract office space.
I gathered information and inspiration from product designers and sculptural fine artists such as: Ron Arad, Alessandra Baldereschi, Constance Guisset and Tord Boontje. I found focusing of those designers allowed my strengths of this project to be, increasing quantity and quality of relevant artist and designer research, and exploring different pathways within my project ideas. I feel I demonstrated resilience within my problem solving and the development of my skill with digital work processes. If I was to complete it again, I would manage my time differently and explore colour in more depth, push my material experimentation and manufacturing methods to give a more interesting range of techniques used.
Going forward from this project my plans for next year are to go to University studying BA (hons) Product and Furniture design at Birmingham City University.
Keeley Dean
Progression: Employment
The theme for my Final Major Project was looking at flowers, especially those that were blooming and at their best. I thought of this theme while we were in lockdown, I noticed little flowers starting to bloom everywhere, It made me think the whole world had to stop and slow down but the flowers were still growing through this challenging time.
The main artist who inspired me was Ambrosius Bosschaert and his still-life paintings. His flowers were displayed against a dark background to show their colours, shapes and textures to the fullest. I wanted to create a range of drawings using different media including ink, colored pencils, oil pastels and crayons. The idea was to create a range of patterns and print designs based on my stylising flower drawings that could be used for interiortextiles.
This second-year experience has been challenging but very exciting. I have developed my skills on the heat press and the screen printing and also learned to manage my time more affectively through setting aims and reflecting on what I made – this helped me to independently manage my work and come up with ideas without relying on staff too much.
Charlie Garbett
Progression: Employment
I wanted to explore the idea of emotions and struggles within each one of us, not just through the obvious facial expression. I felt the topic was relevant to the times we are in now as all of us are in quite a stressful and potentially damaging situation right now due to the worldwide pandemic caused by a virus.
We have had to adapt to lockdowns and social distancing with many people having to go through this alone. This has resulted in changes to mental behavior or challenges to ones emotions. I wanted to see how I could explore this experience using fashion and textiles techniques.
I took inspiration from a range or artists and designers such as Henrik Vibskov who created sculptural garments, draping and fabric distortions to create body sized faces as part of the garment, and Karina Thompson’s who communicated moods and emotions in a less literal way by using surface manipulation and colours which I found exciting. Emotions are not just black and white, most of the time they intermingle with one another. During the practical stages I explored a wide range of ideas to determine the most successful ones to go forward with, these included the use of text and typography..
The second year has allowed me to be much more creative than the first year because I have been able to produce more experimental work. This has allowed me to be much more expressive with my practice and given me an easier time with the work in the sense that I am not always trying to perfect it. I have also been able to research more broadly to find new ideas to explore.
Grace-Moya Godwin
Progression: Beauty course Halesowen College
My FMP is titled ‘Floral Clash’. I wanted to explore botanical illustrations of exotic plants and flowers and juxtapose these with those native to this country. I chose this as I felt it would give me endless scope in terms of specialist techniques and processes to work with and enable me to experiment with drawing, colour and composition. I wanted to keep an open mind about my approach to drawing and experiment with different materials, and techniques and how they can be used in my textiles work.
Inspiring my initial ideas were artists Henri Rousseau, Elizabeth Blackadder and Matisse. Rousseau created work based around landscapes in the jungle which were vibrant, although he never went to a jungle, he was able to use existing exotic plants and flowers to recreate his vision. Blackadder used watercolours with a loose and painterly approach which I thought was interesting and a contrast to the bolder blocky cutouts that Matisse produced. I liked the idea of combining these different techniques used by the artists and to recreate a visual language that appealed to me. I mixed drawing, painting and collage together with further exploration into line, colour, texture and scale as the work developed.
This year I have had to become much more independent and have worked with tutors to keep up to date with work. I was introduced to new techniques that influenced my work for the better and allowed me to develop my confidence. I have learnt that the more research and practical work I carry out, then the more ideas I am able to play around with, enabling me to extend my work in ways that I was not expecting.
Brandon Hibberd
Progression: UAL Foundation Diploma in Art and Design Inspired
My focus for my FMP was to focus on design details in menswear and construct a range of samples.
I took inspiration form a number of contemporary fashion designers, some mainstream including Maison Margiela and others, with a more niche market, such as Carol Poell. Many of these designers explored deconstruction techniques in their collections and, the idea of defects as a positive, became my main focus. I also researched defects within the human brain, learning disabilities, birth defects and bone structures.
My main strengths in my project were my documentation of work in progress. I was meticulous in this as I wanted to record every experiment as I was never sure on the outcome and I was tried to explore the unusual and unpredictable in the samples I produced.
This project has broadened my understanding of contemporary menswear design but also how designers use social media and nontraditional advertising to promote their work while keeping it exclusive.
Next year I want to continue to study fashion design and plan to join the UAL Foundation course at the Inspired campus.
Georgia Lewis
Progression: UAL Foundation Diploma in Art and Design Inspired
My work revloves around discovering the beauty in Decay, focusing on the colours and patterns that happen naturally. Environment issues are important at the moment with a lot of waste and rubbish being piled up. Although it can be grotesque and unsightly there is an also a beauty in the patterns and colours that have formed within these discarded things. I thought it would be interesting to develop work around these. Artists such as Ruth Lee, Carlie Trosclair and Cas Holmes inspired me to look at pattern and texture as well as surface distortions. With my own practical work I was able to develop a range of drawings and ideas that informed my knit and embroidery samples. The aim was to create a 3D sculptural piece but the process of knotting was quite labour intensive and restricted how fast I could work. Nevertheless, I felt I was pushed out of my comfort zone and develop creative samples that work well as individual pieces on their own.
The projects that I have taken part in this year have been very different and experimental. I have been allowed to explore a wide range of techniques and processes that I had not been exposed to before. This has helped me to think differently and to challenge myself on what I am able to produce. I have enjoyed the second year as it has been experimental and broad in terms of research and hope to develop on these newfound skills further.
Imogen Hunter-Prouse
Progression: Employment
The concept behind this project was to challenge the value of mass production furniture. My aim was to show appreciatation for the value and beauty of everyday, discarded items and to explore their potential usefulness by repurposing them, an idea which was inspired by a quote from artist William Morris who stated, ‘have nothing in your house that you know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” By repurposing items I wanted to elevate them beyond their original design. I researched a variety of designers work such as Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Phillipe Starck and Pauline Darley in order to draw inspiration from some of their designs . Through investigating drawings and the process of etching I was able to generate designs and patterns that could be applied to existing furniture. I also experimented with lazer etching to apply my design to an exisitng piece of furniture.
This second year experience has taught me that valuable skills such as drawing and experimenting is important so that you do not rely on the frst ideas that you have. Through staff encouragement I have been able to take myself out of my comfort zone and try out ideas that have added interest and variety to my work.
Jess Ray
Progression: UAL Foundation Diploma in Art and Design Inspired
I have been very interested in the Regency period, 1795 to 1837, especially the interiors at the time. The show “Bridgerton” was based around this era and my idea was to exaggerate the trends and movements of the time by juxtaposing historical elements with contemporary ones. I was drawn to the glamour and opulence of the interiors in the TV programme; they were over the top, full of gold accents and ornamentation form all over the world. The show itself also mixed in modern day elements in its use of music and makeup. With this in mind, I wanted to mix the past with present. I researched into the scenes of the show to find the own inspiration that went into the costumes, music and interior décor to see how I could interpret the Regency style in my own way. I looked into stately homes and trends popular in the 18th century period. I used collage to combine visual elements form the past with recognisable objects of today as a starting point for my design ideas. Although Bridgerton was my initial source of inspiration I wanted to expand on this to give myself a wider range of ideas.
Through experimental drawing, collage and surface manipulations, I was able to generate a large body of practical investigations that I combined using hand rendered and digital processes. I also considered embroidery, applique and print so that there was depth and interest to the work. Through creative play I was able to generate surface designs that could be used in different ways such as wallpapers and fabrics for furnishings.
This second year I have been I have been encouraged to improve on existing skills and elevate them to a more inventive level. This was done through testing and trying out ideas so that they were not predictable,
I have also learnt how to develop from my mistakes and not become too precious when things go wrong, this has helped me to understand myself and my work better.
Angeli Sunder
Progression: De Montfort University, BA (Hons) Fashion Design
My FMP was inspired by the 2018 Met gala theme of Heavenly Bodies. The designer that influenced me the most was Oscar de la Renta who made a dress for Nicki Minaj that stood out the most because she came to the event in a design that was dark and devilish whereas everyone else that attended came in angel-like creations. I decided to adopt a darker approach to the design one off evening wear designs for a similar event. I was inspired by various fashion designers including the Chinese Haute Couture designer Guo Pei, and her exaggerated eveningwear and Mani K Jassal who specialises in Asian bridal wear.
My eveningwear collection is teamed with accessories I designs, in keeping with the idea of specialist occasion wear I designed crowns too.
The strengths I have in this project would be the range of designs I produced, ad my use of digital processes to make the process of illustrating my ideas quicker and more efficient.
If I was to do this project again, I would make more textile samples and construct one of my designs.
My plans for next year is to attend university and study fashion as I want to start my own business and be a fashion designer in the future.
Matt Webb
Progression: Angela Ruskin University Cambridge. BA (Hons) Gaming arts.
I am a gamer and wanted to incorporate my interest in fashion and illustration to produce Concept Art for an existing game. Apex Legends is a fantasy and Sci-fi first-person shooter game, developed by Respawn Entertainment. The game has 16 characters, all having different backgrounds, aesthetics and abilities.
For my project, I created a character for this game. She is female and from a planet in the same universe as the other characters in this game. My character is a shape shifting Burlesque dancer. I designed costumes for her, and the assets she would use in the game. Using this work I produced promotional material in the form of posters, images for loading screens and a gif. I have used this year of the course to improve on my illustration and confidence in using digital software
I look forward to developing my illustration at university.