Final Poster

Final Photo Editing 28 August

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The photo editing is inspired by the photographers,  Chris Maggio and Filip Custic. I feel extremely fascinated about the non-human and futuristic elements in their photographs.  I distorted the body shape of the model and made the nails and fingers really long, which is inspired by the monster features and the eccentric behaviour of growing long nails. I changed the saturation and colours of the photos, which is very extreme and wild. This makes my final photos much stronger and delivers the concept and mood of eccentricity better. 

Poster and Exhibition Text 27 August

Today, I was working on the final poster and exhibition text. I learnt that it's important to keep the message delivered to be clear and formal when writing about my work for a public audience. I made bullet points first and then construct clear and concise sentences. Because of the limited word count, I made sure that just the most important information is included, such as my main inspiration of interviewing people about their peculiarities. 

For the poster, I just followed the given template, which is simple and clear. This makes sure that everyone's poster visually to be consistent and harmonious. I made sure that my images all work together and deliver the same mood and atmosphere of eccentricity together with my text. 

 

SCAMPER/ Hats Workshop- 23 August

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Today was an intensive day particularly working on contextual studies. The hat workshop makes me to step back and have a critical and well-rounded reflection on the entire project, so I can have a clearer plan for what I need to improve and complete for this project. All the different hats form a fully-rounded reflection, which helped me to have a deeper and better understanding of critical and analytical reflection. From this workshop, I formed a realistic action plan that considers the time restriction, money budget and access to materials. 

Action Plan

  1. Work on more design development based on all the experiments I've got, combine and rationalize the elements
  2. Make samples of detail designs and finishings

SCAMPER workshop is something quite different and new for me, which allows me to think creatively and differently without any restrictions. It pushes me to think how I can alter and change my project and outcome in different ways from different angles and perspectives, considering materials, combination, techniques, use of outcomes, colours etc. It's a very useful workshop, which I will practice on it in my future projects when I am stuck and wanting to make my work more exciting. 

Contextual Studies- 22 August

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Things needs to be considered and changed

  • Gutters and gaps between photos and text
  • Maybe colored background, so the photos don't have a too distinct and clear outline
  • More wild to match with the concept and theme of eccentricity

Development of Final Outcome 20 August

WechatIMG4621535895042_.pic.jpgToday I started to develop my final piece and tested different ways of fabric manipulation and prints. I used printed paper in between PVC fabric as a way of showing my prints on the garment. And it's also a good material for the structural and big shapes, which is stiff holding the form in shape. Sewing didn't work well with two layers of PVC fabric at first. So I tried to use stapler, which is an eccentric way for fabrication and garments. I tried this in two different ways. I've chosen the first one on the left in the photo above, which is more efficient and saves the staples. 

I attached this stiff fabric on to the body, combining with soft conventional fabric, which I find it interesting how these two fabrics work together. It created an interesting 3d structure. I will need to test different joining methods and seams.  

 

Design Development 17 August

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From the feedback of today's group tutorial, I'm lacking of design development. So I started to add into this gap combining the different elements of eccentricity in my project. I really like the strong mood of eccentricity delivered through these illustrations. The colours, forms and silhouettes are wild, successfully depicted using  free brushstrokes, big colour blocks and emphasis of certain lines. What I need to do now is to make clear and detailed designs showing different indications, like seams, zips and fastenings. I will use lid pencils to make the drawings simple, clear and easy to understand.

3D Experiment of Ears 16 August

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I took the silhouette of ears as patterns and used paper to do some draping experiments on the mannequin. It worked well creating some structural, curving and interesting shapes, which I would like to take further in my project. I will try with combining the structural shape with soft fabrics, letting the soft material going along with the structural line. I will try to mix them into the garment rather than having a separate structure on garment. 

Progression Tutorial 14 August

I had tutorial with Chris, which has been very useful to me. After discussing and looking at my project, sketchbook and workflow. The problem we discovered is that the project is currently only focusing on one eccentric behaviour of food, which doesn't fully accommodate my concept of eccentricity. This is also something I was planning to do, developing about 4 eccentric behaviours in the project. 

I need to photograph more of my own primary research and find factual imagery that helps develop an original development. And i am suggested to develop each eccentricity fully and then combine them i one outfit development. I need to try the combination of different eccentricities to rationalise my concept and idea. I will need to research for fabric and material at this stage to accompany my own material of latex.

Action Plan

  1. Develop more research on factual/primary imagery
  2. More shape input and consideration, coming from combining my different researches
  3. Rationalise fabric choices and research them fully, how they relate to my concept. 

Draping Experiment 9 August

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I started to play around with the latex piece I created, combining it with conventional fashion fabric. I chose to use the stiff and unstretchy fabric, which holds in shape well. I used the fabric to create layers inspired by the stack of bread. Combining the two different materials, I draped them on the stand in different ways, which opens up possibility of different shapes and forms. I like the same layering idea of bread presented in different ways, and they are combined and emerged into each other, which is visually exciting. I will need to do some 2d designs based on this draping experiment, using different techniques of collaging, drawing and so on. 

Workshop Experimentation 7 August

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Today, I started my experiments in response to some results of my first doing actions. I went to casting workshop and casted a stack of bread in plaster as I find the crushing shape and texture of bread is very exciting. I used vina mould to make the bread mould, which is something I've never tried before, it casts delicate details very well. I'm not sure if I'll use the actual plaster bread in my design as it's a hard material to attach onto body and work with the body. 

I poured latex on the plaster bread, still waiting for drying. This will create a textured and shaped fabric for me to work with, hopefully it would be a good material for creating shapes on body

First Doing Actions 31 July

0.jpgToday, I started to do responses to my research of the list of eccentric things. Food in the eccentric list is something a lot of people referred to, such as crushing food with hands, spaghetti in milk, crushing bread with face etc.

I tried these things myself, which I have really had a lot of fun. I recorded with close ups of photographs, the texture, colours and patterns are interesting, which I would like to develop them further into prints and textiles. I will do some observational drawings using different media to get more ideas for prints and textiles. I also want to use different materials to mimic the oily and greasy texture of food, such as latex, expanding foam, silicon and so on. 

I also used food and placed them on the body to get different shapes, which has created some exciting shapes. Pieces of toast on face look very quirky and quite amazing, it's like if they are being absorbed into the face. Later, I will try to use different materials to create the shape and texture of toasts, like plaster, clay, silicon and mod roc. 

Library Research 25 July

Screen Shot 2018-09-02 at 14.03.30.pngI found a book at the library called “Gadget Nation- A Journey Through The Eccentric World of Invention”, which includes a large collection of all sorts of inventions designed for solving small daily issues. They are absolutely fun and humorous, which excited me so much. The design purposes are solving very small daily inconveniences and problems. A lot of the construction and visuals are extremely fascinating and interesting to me. By reading this book, there are a lot of elements I can take from. I think the thinking of these inventors might influence the way my project forms.

 

Research 24 July

Screen Shot 2018-09-02 at 14.04.58.pngThe first activity I gave to myself is making a list of eccentric things, including human behaviours, habits, designs, visually wierd-looking things and etc. Making a list of eccentric things and having a big range and diverse elements will help me generate ideas. I searched online, found out an actor refusing to wear trousers, a man with an entire house designed for his 22 cats, an unbelievable house with everything complete pink. There are so many interesting and funny  things going on, which I think that it would be fascinating and fun to design an outfit for those eccentric people with weird traits. 

I also interviewed a lot of people about their eccentric habits and hobbies, there are a lot of unique and funny answers.  I’ll select a few ones that excites me the most and focus on them to create more experiments and development. I might even try a few of these eccentric behaviours myself to get a deeper insight and personal feeling, 

Final Evaluation

This project is exploring and focused to present and express my own interpretation of this blurry term of “eccentricity”. It is always something I feel naturally attracted and fascinated about.

 

It’s my first time writing my own brief, which I have really enjoyed the freedom of planning everything by myself with no restrictions. I made my personal action plans based on my working habits, such as starting with physically getting myself into the project by experiencing other people’s eccentric behaviors. I also made challenges for myself, pushing myself to work with different media, materials and techniques, such as plastic, wood and casting.

 

The project is mainly informed and started from the interview I conducted with people about their eccentric habits and peculiarities. I extracted and chose three eccentric behaviours from the list, which are smashing food, photographing ear wax and growing long nails. Then I focused on developing and experimenting with these ideas. The idea of food smashing is most developed and fully rounded, which I have experimented with prints, materials and 3d shapes and forms. I tried with casting bread, which is a completely new and different experience. I tried with different materials, such as plaster, latex and vina mould. By combining different techniques and materials, I got some interesting textiles for my garment. Pouring latex on the casted bread in plaster, I got a surface material with detailed textures and interesting layering effect. It’s a successful part of my project. I learnt to step out of my comfort zone and take risks, which I always believe this as the most important thing in order to create interesting and innovative works. But I could take this experiment a lot more further by combining and mixing the latex with fabric and other materials in different techniques, such as weaving, knitting and beading. Another element I appreciate in this project is the shapes and forms created with ear patterns. The structural and spiral shapes on the body, mixing with soft fabric, which creates a strong visual impact showing the concept of eccentricity.

 

The other two eccentric behaviours are less developed because of the lack of time. I could expand and experiment more, having multiple options and design ideas to choose from. For example, from the nail idea, I can develop a lot of textile pieces combing fake nails with fabric, metal and different materials.  It’s a matter of time management. I should’ve update my timetable to fit the time available, so I have a clearer action plan, which would save a lot of my time.

 

Another significant element I need to improve from this project is that it’s especially lacking detail designs and construction details. I chose to use stapler to combine and join the fabrics and surfaces because it’s an unconventional and different way for garment making. And using stapler also saves a lot of my time, which is effective and fast.

 

During this project, I learnt a lot about the processes and methods of presenting my work to public audiences. It’s my first time using InDesign for the final poster, which is a useful technique for designing neat, clean and formal layouts. I learnt to keep the exhibition text short and clear, delivering the most important message providing the viewers a better understanding towards my work. Strong images are chosen and visually linked to deliver a strong mood and atmosphere of the theme of eccentricity.

 

The experience of creating this whole project helped me to prepare well for my BA study. I learnt to experiment with different media and techniques to open op the possibilities of my project, which make my work more interesting and diverse. I got a better understanding about the final presentation of my work towards public audiences. It’s also something very important in my future career.

Self- assessment 28 August

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Action plan

  1. Add more research to rationalise the concept of eccentricity
  2. Add important research into sketchbook
  3. Show evidence of selection in sketchbook, e.g. ticking on the chosen designs, annotation of reasons

Photoshoot- 24 August

Screen Shot 2018-09-02 at 14.17.17.pngI worked with the photographer to do the final photoshoot for my garment. The model is decided to be photographed against a clean white wall and a corner. This makes sure that there are no distractions from my work. Standing at the corner allows the model more possibilities of posing, leaning and hands positioning. The photoshoot currently is a bit weak and boring. So I will edit the photographs and make colours more extreme and distort some parts of the model's body form to make the concept and mood of eccentricity stronger

Detailed Designs 19 August

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These line drawings indicating fastenings and details have shown the development from the illustrative designs. They are easier to understand and much clearer. But they still need to be improved.

Needed Improvement 

  • clearer and more definite lines. 
  • More details showing fastenings

Group Tutorial 20 August

WechatIMG452.jpegI had a group tutorial, getting different ideas from many perspectives and people. Everyone gave me kind of similar feedback and suggestions, which is the gap of design development. I've rushed through making the final outcome as the last making day is Thursday. What I am planning to do is keep going with my final outcome because of the reality of time restriction. I will add in the design development later, showing the other possibilities.

Points for Improvement

  1. More design development
  2. More consideration of details and finishings
  3. Consider how each element combines

Eccentricity Development of Long Nails 17 August

WechatIMG4661535896741_.pic.jpgI started to develop my third eccentric point of long nails. In the first 3d experiment, I enlarged the scale of nails and created a 3d structure with acrylic by curving it into nail shapes. I applied it onto the mannequin. I like the very different texture and tactile comparing with the rest of the garment. But I think that they seem a bit random placing on the garment. I will try some other experiments in terms of the nail idea. I would like to get some fake nails and create some textile pieces with them. 

Text Analysis Workshop 16/08/18

Screen Shot 2018-09-02 at 13.50.03.pngIn today's contextual study, we practiced on text analysis, when we are asked to bring a piece of text that's in relation to our projects.

I brought a piece of article called "Bird Diapers" from the book of "Gadget Nation". It's about the invention of bird diapers, solving the problem of birds pooing everywhere and making a mess at home.  The invention is quite funny, creating a diaper for animals, something quite uncommon and eccentric. I got some very different feedback and opinions from the group discussion, which I found it quite interesting. Some people found the article useless, without any meaningful and deep information. Some people found it very interesting, the ridiculous invention and how such thing exists in the world. The totally different reactions perfectly presented the concept of eccentricity and these reactions are what I want my project and outcome have on the audiences. 

Sketchbook 15 August

WechatIMG4551535893259_.pic.jpgI started to develop my second eccentric behaviour in this project, photographing ear with wax in it. I photographed a few people's ear holes with flash, which shows clearly the ear wax, very extreme and disgusting. I found an interesting relationship between ear wax and food, the greasy, oily and rough texture. 

I will start to experiment with 3d, taking the shape of ears as patterns on the body form. And I also want to try to develop some 3d construction and structure on the head. 

Action Plan

  1. Draw silhouettes of ears and cut out the patterns to create 3d forms on the maneqquin
  2. Create 3d head construction with the photographs of ear wax in wood and plastic workshop on Thursday. 

Mock final piece 10 August

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We are asked to come up with one finished final piece at the end of the day, which pushed us to make everything less abstract, transforming an abstract idea into physical thing. 

Based on yesterday's draping and some drawing ideas, I used materials that I can easily find to create forms and shapes on the mannequin, I recycled clothing and curtains from the charity shop, which I believe that second hand used objects have got narrative and a sense of human touch, which is tightly linked to my concept of eccentricity as it's a project based on people and society. I also incorporated paper printed in the photos of crushed food, which creates an interesting and exciting combination and contrast with the texture and pattern of fabric in the garment. 

Action Plan

  1. Based on the final piece, make 12 quick sketches of different versions of designs in pencil.
  2. Carry out more experiments based on the chosen eccentric behaviours from the list (photographing people's ears with wax, milk and tea before masturbating). 
  3. Combine the different ideas through collaging and drawing.
  4. Make 12 quick sketches in pencil based on the collages.
  5. Choose a best one from the quick sketches, and create the final design showing details and construction
  6. Test materials
  7. Test samples of different construction methods, such as seams, zips, buttons

Contextual Studies-Materials, 8 August

We discussed about the topic of "materials" in different art disciplines, covering physical properties, cultural interpretation, sustainability and how the material can be used in the project. I brought 3 materials that I experimented with, latex,  vina mould and plaster. And we are asked to write about our feeling towards other peers' materials.

I got some interesting feedback about my material, the red vina mould. From the feedback, I see that my peer really dislikes this material, which he finds it uncomfortable, aesthetically unattractive and useless. I find this very interesting, other people's reaction and opinions. My theme "Eccentricity", which is a topic discovering things out of the common system. It's a topic that has blurry and unclear boundary and definition. I expect this reaction towards my material, which exactly presented the term of "eccentricity". I will ask for more people's opinions and reaction about my experiments developed in this project for more inspiration and ideas for my project. 

 

Idea Development 2 August

I started to make some quick initial ideas based on the experiments I did. I worked in my sketchbook, developing ideas about shapes and texture. i collaged with the images of my experiments, creating shapes and forms on model, which are quite abstract. I also used different media to create surface, prints and texture in my sketchbook. All these ideas I did today are quite abstract and general. I need to later develop and experiment more to create some real 3d work, leading towards my final outcome. 

Contextual Studies 1 August

 

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Today, we did an activity, working on analysing and thinking about different aspects and perspectives of the theme of the project. It's important to start with a big and diverse range of information from different angles, which opens up the possibility. Personal context is something important in my project, my personal eccentric habits and hobbies, such as photographing people's ears with wax and mixing and crushing all kinds of food together as I love the greasy texture of food. These weird and useless things are now part of the inspirations for this project, which I find it extremely interesting and exciting. 

The second exercise we did is making a diagram for the project. The idea is to think of several main ingredients for this project. Then they are put into diagram, which the centre shared part will be ideally my own work. I think it's a very useful way to visualise and summarise the whole project in a simple and easily-understandable way. We are also asked to find out practitioner's works that is relevant to different combinations of these main ingredients, which I found it quite hard to find. This will be something I work on, which I think these practitioners' works will be a big influence on my project. 

Proposal

Tutorial 30 July

I had a tutorial about my project proposal, which I've got some positive feedbacks, they are clear and tell everything that needs to be in there. So I didn't need to make changes. The tutor gave me some suggestions about my project, which I will consider. I will get a big list of eccentric behaviours, so I've got plenty to choose from. Then I 'll classify them into different groups, e.g. eccentric things relating to body, food, sound, space and so on. I might choose one particular group and focus these eccentric things in this category. Having a particular focusing point might be better and stronger idea. But it's also possible that I choose a few eccentric things from different categories, which might make some interesting combination. 

Theme-Eccentricity 23 July

Initially, I wanted to focus on the theme of "Unnatural death" , which is inspired by the weekend I passes at the beach. The whole atmosphere of seaside at night,  in dark, with no people, it is so beautiful but also sinister and scary.  This makes me think of a perfect place and time for suicide. It gives me a very peaceful, pleasant and also weird feeling. 

I uploaded researches I think are related to this theme, films, books, artists and photos at the sea. But when I had the tutorial, we discussed and discovered that they are not really about the unnatural death, which in the tutor's opinion, they are about eccentricity. When tutor came up with this word, I was very excited about it, which is a topic I'm always interested in. Eccentricity is defined as deviating from the recognized and customary character. It is always something I feel naturally attracted and fascinated about. The way I dress and present myself is sometimes seen as eccentric in some people’s opinion. And it’s interesting how eccentricity is seen as positive in my opinion, but negative in some other people’s eyes.

Project Brief 20 July

Screen Shot 2018-09-02 at 13.57.02.pngToday, we're given the instruction and brief about a new project that will last for 6 weeks. It is a project with complete freedom given to us, which we will choose out own theme and create personal briefs. 

We did some activities to generate ideas for concepts and themes. We are given 8 areas, methods and approaches, society and audience, culture and heritage, concerns, experiences, innovations and science, your obsessions and politics. These areas probably covers almost everything. They are good points to think about to come up with a theme that I am interested in.  Sometimes it's hard to suddenly think of one theme from nowhere, so it's good to have some focus areas for generating ideas. I think this activity is very useful, which is a method I will use in future project.