Swans Reflecting Elephants

I want to create a show of my wearable work that is visually fantastic and complicated. Something that makes the audience simultaneously curious and captivated, that raises questions about how we wear things.  I want the work to be emotional, beautiful, complex, uncomfortable, and diverse.  Pieces that are more like sculpture than clothing, some that overwhelm and consume the body, some that constrict, some that are more about the construction and use of the materials.

When looking at Dali's work I am inspired by the beauty of the imagery but am interested more in his ideas and motivation behind his work.  He is known for using a technique called the Paranoiac-critical method, a surrealist technique based in the idea of the brain finding connections between things that rationally are not linked.  Dali described the method as "a spontaneous method of irrational knowledge based on the critical and systematic objectivity of the associations and interpretations of delirious phenomena."  Surrealists, especially during the height of the movement in the mid-1930's, were interested in the link between theories of psychology and creativity in the production of art.  The surrealists at the time hailed Dali's method of accessing the subconscious for greater artistic creativity.  Dali was influenced by previous art movements and artists including, Dada, Cubism, Picasso, Joan Miro, and the cutting edge Avant-guarde. 

In this work, The Persistence of Memory 1931, the general interpretation of the work is the melting pocket watches are a rejection of the assumption that time is rigid or deterministic.

This is Swans Reflecting Elephants 1937, one of my favorite of his paintings and from his Paranoiac-critical period of work.  I couldn't really find an analysis of this work but am interested in the ideas of one thing looking like somethings else and how it is so different but still so similar.

I'm still having trouble nailing down exactly everything I want this project to be, but I suppose being in the middle of the process that's to be expected.  I am trying to follow my gut and continue creating work even if it's just in sketch form to communicate everything I want in my final show.  I have also continued talking with friends who will collaborate in my final show with me to do lighting, projection, construction of set...etc.  I'm curious to see how it will work out if we will be doing a collaborative "night at the Dude" for IP because my show will have a lot of elements that might have to be set up in an intermission.  I was hoping that maybe my exhibition could end the night and we could have the intermission to configure my set as is necessary.  It's all logistics but I'm continuing to think about it because I know this will all sneak up on me before I know it!  

Today I ordered 200 peacock feathers and three larger fiber optic centerpieces.  I have ideas in my head of what I will make with them I'm just not sure of what these pieces will mean.  I think that maybe I will take the approach as did with the card dress, Luck Be A Lady, and start physically making and wait to see how the project will evolve.  If I get too much in my head trying to conceptualize a project too much, I never get anything done, which has seemed to be a bit of a problem with my work this semester.  This said, I am feeling more motivated than ever to continue producing strong pieces for my show and am excited to see where the materials take me.  I hope to even be able to create more work to show for reviews within the next two weeks.  I also talked to a friend of mine who does electrician work as well as lighting and set design and am interested in creating a LED floor for the performance, exhibition, show, to take place on.  I really want my exhibition to have that element of spectacle, or let's call it a "wow" factor, as well as certain subtleties that the work will have.

I'm excited, (currently very tired) and am looking forward to having much more time and energy to devote to my IP next semester (I'm only taking 12 credits!)

Work of late

Surrealism is destructive, but it destroys only what it considers to be shackles limiting our vision.

Salvador Dali

I loved this quote by Dali.  I think it really connects to a lot of what I see in my project and in the direction it's heading.  Mainly what I've been thinking lately about my project is that it is going in a direction that is obviously still based in the surreal but based less on specific dreams and more about a feeling taking over the body.  I am still playing with my own personal dreams but I don't really want the garments to just be the dream imagery of my dreams.  I am interested in how a wearable can be built to manipulate how the body functions and what the material of the wearable means to the body and person.  

I've been feeling in a bit of a rut lately after I finished the card dress especially.  I suppose the daze of many all-nighters working on this as well as my other class work, put me in a bad mindset to work.  Anyway, I think the card dress, that I submitted to the All Student Show, may also be included in my IP because it is in the same track as other sketches I've been working on lately.  Not only is the image of the cards visually surreal, but I'm interested in the idea of a woman being the personified "Luck", such an intangible thing.  I'm excited to try it on an actual model, as it's built to be worn underneath the cards, to see how it moves and works.  I think that it will be hard to move in, which brings up the idea of the woman being placed on a pedestal as well as providing a shield because of the way the cards flow together like armor or scales.

These sketches are some ideas that I've been playing with including a fiber optic headdress, structured shapes, constrictive sleeves/parts of the wearable, balloons, etc.  I still am in progress with my "jellyfish" dress but hope to have that primarily done for reviews. 

It lights up!

I also have read more about Salvador Dali, whose surrealist imagery particularly in his paintings, has inspired my interest in the subject. I will write more about my research soon.

The Royal Road to the Unconscious

When thinking about dreams it is important to look into subjects on what influences them in our subconscious mind.  I looked up some articles about psychoanalysis and how certain phychiatrists defined it.  Psychoanalysis was founded in 1896 by psychiatrist Sigmund Freud (though studies of psychology and the unconscious mind were already prevalent in the 19th century before Freud came along) who developed techniques of free association and dream interpretation.  His theory of the human mind is now widely known, a system influenced by the conflict between three systems: the id (which strives for satisfaction), the ego (which wants to meet the needs of the id), and the superego (the moral and parental influence).  I've read about Freud before and what I remember most is his theory on sexual desire, especially the Oedipus complex (named of course for the greek tragedy by Sophocles).  I never really found myself connected to this theory, and don't really find a connection from these ideas to my concentration now.  However, some of his research into the unconscious is really interesting.  Freud called dreams the "royal road to the unconscious", meaning he felt that dreams illustrate the "logic" of the unconscious mind, just like I feel that dreams let me in on a bit of what's going on in my subconscious mind.  One major thing the unconscious mind is known for is repression, meaning suppressing painful memories within the unconscious mind.  In Freud's famous book "The Interpretation of Dreams", he explained that there is a psychological technique that makes it possible to interpret dreams and that all dreams reveal a psychological structure that are full of significance.  He believed that dreams are forms of wish-fulfillment, that our subconscious is looking for some sort resolution to a conflict. Also, the dream imagery from the unconscious mind often needs a deeper interpretation, as it often appears as a disturbing or twisted form.  I find that I am really drawn to this idea as I am exploring the world of dreams as an almost alternate reality, or the reality of our subconscious.  I am interested in the fact that the dream images are often open for interpretation and don't always reveal their origin outright.  I completely agree that dreams are maybe the best look inside of our subconscious mind and can tell us about our psyche and that's really the main area of what I'm exploring through my IP project.  Maybe I should think more about my main subject as a look into the unconscious mind, and exploring what this means.  I've also been particularly thinking about dreams focusing around emotions such as fear and stress, and what those dreams produce.  I think these are both important paths for me to develop when thinking about my own psyche and my wearables.

I want to continue with the themes of beauty and pain and also consider new ones such as beauty repression or a morphing of the body into something surreal.  For me the body and mind are not separate and through wearables I want to focus on the connection between the two.  I think the mind actually is the more powerful of the two (body or mind), and rules us more than our physical being.  Something I've really been exploring is the loss of control over the body, and of the mind, represented by dreams in particular, and a consuming of the body.  When the mind takes over the body what happens?  What do the dream images or emotions have to do with the overall control of the person?  These sort of ideas fuel me to push my interpretation of dreams past the pretty imagery and more towards a twisted look into the inner psyche (or the road to the unconscious as found by Freud).  I'm interested in the idea of the dream consuming or taking over in that alternate state of dream "reality" or what I suppose would be the subconscious or unconscious mind.

I'm constantly looking into fashion influences as like I showed in my presentation, I find Alexander McQueen's work as a great inspiration.  I've always been drawn to what he creates and find his lack of conforming to the fashion norms, and following his own vision incredible.  In a New York Times article posted today he is quoted as saying "I believe in depicting what's going on. I'm a big anarchist. I don't believe in religion, or in another human being wanting to govern over someone else.  The themes that go through my shows will continue to."  His marriage of tradition with avant-garde draws is something that interests me in my project as I try to find that balance between form, content, beauty, theatre, fashion, and art.

A fantasy antler look from his 2006 couture line.

He used spray painted cans in this look.

These shoes amaze me, I love how they completely transform the look of the foot into something surreal, twisted, and strange.

Pain and Pleasure

Talking to Danielle about the idea of a duality between pleasure and pain makes me wonder what it is about those two things that really intrigue me.  Even if I don't know I think these two things completely relate to most of the dreams and nightmares I've kept a log of.  it is really rare to have a completely happy dream and there is always some conflict throughout even if it is a good dream. Maybe what I'm dealing with is finding a focus for the general topics that I've been concentrating on.  Maybe dreams are a kind of personal pleasure and pain we conflict on ourselves or maybe it is pushed on us. I don't know, I need to consider this more.

In terms of the Jellyfish dress specifically I know that what I've produced so far is pretty fluffy, I'd say this as much as anyone else.  I think it needed to start in that place for me and after talking with Danielle I agree with her that maybe now it's about finding the darker side to this.  To quote her, "What makes jellyfish so fucking scary?" (yet still beautiful!)  I find this question is reall

y similar to my weird fascination with huge marine and other animals.  I like lo

oking up video clips of anacondas, giant squid and jellyfish, sharks, crocodiles fighting with leopards, 

haha it's kind of a weird thing I find really interesting but extremely terrifying at the same time.  I guess it's like scary movies for some people that like being frightened. 

A mass of Nomura Jellyfish in a harbor Japan - gross yet fascinating

A diver and a giant jellyfish!

Anyway, for the Jellyfish dress I really want it to show constriction and suffocation.  To me, these two things are closely related. I want this piece and my others to not only be a spectacle but to be compelling as well.  I guess I need to think more about what draws us to such interesting dualities such as mixing pleasure with pain.

Jellyfish!

I fell asleep in the middle of my last blog :).

So to continue on, a lot of what I was doing in my studio last week was researching fiber optics and electroluminescent wire online.  I am really in

terested in incorporating materials that will enhance the visual aesthetic of each look.  For the jellyfish dress I was really interested in the el wire especially because of the way it would read as jellyfish.  (based off images such as this one).

 I remember they were beautifully lavender, sea green, translucent and glowing.  In any case it took me a really long time to figure out which site to order from and what to get.  The wire comes in different gauges and colors but the hard part was figuring out the proper inverter and battery pack needed to get it to work.  I also got confused in some of the tutorials I found online because I definitely am not a technology person.  I finally ended up ordering some on Monday and I hope I got the proper tools to make it work!

In terms of fiber optics I'm interested in using those as well.  I came across this because I had a stroke of random thrift luck at Kiwanis last week. I went to look for fabric and clothing for my project as I have been doing and came across this lavender dress.  It was a size 4 so I thought the top may fit my roommate, plus there was a lot of fabric that I could use in my first look.  I took it home and my roommate tried it on.  It fit pretty well in the top and so I went to take out the lining and flipped it inside out.  As I looked between the lining and the bodice fabric I realized that the bodice of the dress is wired for fiber optics! On the tag it says "please remove battery attachment before cleaning".  Anyway I was really excited and was looking into ways to use fiber optics.  After talking to a few people who know more about these things than I do, I decided maybe to just order something cheap offline like a fiber optic wand and see if I can take it apart. I hope that I can get these things to work!

Aside from figuring out these other materials I want to use, I decided to create renderings of the looks I want to create.  I think so much like a costume design student now I think it will be helpful for me to have a rendering to build from.  I have many rough sketches of possible looks but it will be really beneficial to actually be able to reference them and have them once the garment is complete.  Here's the one for my jellyfish dress. This garment will convey the idea of feeling trapped by the jelly fish.  I think I want it to be more covered with the forms than it is because it doesn't have the right feeling.  Building these looks will be a really experimental process and I'm sure my ideas will change from my renderings to my actual wearables.

I bought bubble wrap this past weekend on a suggestion from one of my Costume Design professors to help fill out the jellyfish forms.  So far I'm liking it way they're looking and so now I'm in the process of mass producing jellyfish! Here are some pictures form my studio.

So far in IP...

The last two weeks has consisted of a few different goals in IP, mostly in the gathering of ideas and materials.  I think figuring out where to start has been the biggest challenge so far.  

Most of my work tends to develop through a process of gathe

ring and making things.  Once I start to get into the groove of creating a phys

ical project the ideas tend to evolve and change with the work.  Since I have a basic idea of what I want to accomplish for IP I think the most important thing is to start creating physical wo

rk 

to get a higher level of conversation happening.

Last week I was especially concerned with budgeting and what I would need to get started.  I've been writing notes down every time I think of something and my working list of Main Budget concerns is as follows:

Fabric and lining

Notions (elastic, zippers, snaps, buttons, hooks/eyes, boning, batting, thread, etc.)

Craft Items (to build 3D elements, head dresses, balloons, bubble wrap, flowers, feathers, etc.)

Electronic Equipment (El wire, Lily pad ardinuo?, LED, fiber optics, battery packs, inverters,etc.)

Makeup and Hair pieces (Body paint, fake eyelashes, stage makeup, hair/wigs?, etc.)

Shoes?

So while I might be getti

ng a bit ahead of myself, I think it's important to know what I'll need to acquire by the end of IP.  I also have been thinking about the show I want to achieve since I talked to Danielle about using the Duderstadt for my exhibition.  I have so far talked with friends, especially those with technical theatre backgrounds, about modeling, help with makeup, lighting, video project

ion, and music.  I can't wait until those things get under way and am completely excited by the thought of accomplishing my final show.  I want my project to really become a culmination to my time here and everything that I am most passionate about; theatre, art, and fashion.  I've chosen to address dreams, nightmares, and the subconscious to keep myself enthusiastic and ready to work throughout the year.  I want my work to feed the imagination and not only have a great visual impact but reflect the feeling or emotion of that particular dream

 or nightmare.  When talking with Michael a while ago in my studio I know we came across the thought that these wearables should definitely reflect the feeling of the dream in a physical way, therefore relating the mind (the dreams and 

nightmares) to the physical body.  

Here's a bit of my rambling notes I've randomly written down over the last few studio hours and couple of weeks (My thoughts on dreams and why they fascinate me):

:Being transported to a dreamlike state - when dreaming not having a grasp on reality/I can manipulate and control the materials in my garments like I cannot manipulate what happens to me in my dreams.  I can make a commentary on the things that happen in my dreams by manipulating things but maybe it is to gain a sense of control over what happens to me when I am dreaming. That dreamland is a mystery to me. To consider this strong dream imagery in a more developed way i want to transport myself and my audience/models to the place I was in my dream by creating thes

e garments.  It is something like revisiting the dream.  I like the idea of taking myself back to where I was in my mind during each dream to face the mystery and perhaps learn why I was there in the first place.  Each garment will possess the mood of the dream such as the one I want to start making - the jellyfish entrapment dress.  This particular dream was really memorable to me for some reason.  In the dream I was in the ocean, floating, with no land in sight and I was trapped physically by a swarm of jellyfish.  It was really scary because I 

literally couldn't move because of them but I remember they weren't stinging at all and were just very beautiful.  I find the id

ea of the beautiful prison or scary-beautiful really interesting."

Last week I was also playing around with inspirational music that would go

 along with my show.  I think music will be very instrumental (excuse my pun!) in the final show and is important for the final impact.  I am really excited about some potential songs I would like to mix including some from the Reqium for a Dream soundtrack (I love the Summer Overature), and classical such as Shostkovich, and Phillip Glass. 

This image to the left is a dyed mater

ial I was playing with in my studio.  I just lov

ed the way it looked and was warming up to getting started with some fun draping on my dress form.

These are some of my 

early sketches I've done for fun based off of specific dream imagery I've collected over the last few years.

I'll continue this another time...

Sourcing Inspiration

1. The Presence vs. Absence of Contentment: A

I find that I almost always work best when I am contented than while I am not. I think when I'm unhappy I usually can't bring myself to do anything, and if I feel like creating work the ideas just aren't there. When I'm unhappy I usually am so preoccupied by that thing that is creating that mood, I can't work past it. My ideas start but I don't have the motivation or will to create anything and usually feel like giving up. I will dwell on the thing that is bothering me and it will usually influence my work for the worst.

When I'm contented I find myself much more excited about what I am working on. I suppose majority of my work is based in finding the beauty or good in something and therefore doesn't need to feed of the fuel of a bad mood or dark thoughts. There is nothing more exciting to get into a place of brainstorming where ideas are flowing onto the paper and that always starts with me being excited about getting started on a project. I seem to always cultivate the best ideas when I'm in a place of comfort and am feeling contented.

2. Relaxation vs. Pressure: A

Much like my first choice, I work much better when I am relaxed. While I find that the pressure of a deadline can be helpful to make sure I get things done, I don't think my work under stress is better. For me a clear head and relaxed mind always creates for better work, while under pressure I tend to sacrifice craft or concepts just to get things done. Under pressure I get stressed to the point where it can make me hate a project. It is much nicer to work at my leisure and to not feel stressed out. I create work and I enjoy it when relaxed, creating something I can be satisfied with and not just hate in the end.

3. The Past vs. The Present: A

The past has always been a more interesting topic for me and I have always loved history. I think I find the past more than the present because everything in the past influences everything in the present. I am interested in finding out why things are how they are today, and in my work I'm always drawing on past experiences. I tend to like to think more about how things occurred, when they occurred, why, and how you felt when they occurred, instead of what is going to happen now or tomorrow. In that way I think I would qualify myself as a dreamer as well. If I constantly think about the present I completely get wrapped up in the stress of everyday life, schedules, and the mundane tasks we preform day to day. It is much more enjoyable and important for me when creating work that I consider and include the past.

4. Facts vs. Feelings: B

I have always admired work that is based off fact and utilizes data, but I suppose that is because my work typically doesn't include anything to do with science or data. While facts are important in my work, emotions definitely play a large role in my work and how I approach it. More often than not my work is based off of my personal feelings and experiences. For me art has always been based more about feelings than facts and I have done a lot of my work based around relationships, memories, and culture - all things that connect to emotions and are less based in fact. I think I prefer these subjects because it has always been what I am drawn to and is just more along the lines of how I think about my work. For me art is an expression and what I want to express lies more in feeling than in fact.

5. Rest or Fatigue: A

In my years at Michigan I have definitely spent enough nights in the Art and Theatre buildings to completely say I can create work on little to no sleep. However, I am very familiar with the feeling that happens around four in the morning when your head gets fuzzy, your eyes sting from the light, and all you really want to do is go to bed. While my work has varied through these times, I know without a doubt that I am more inspired by rest. It goes along with the fact that when I'm contented or relaxed I am much more inclined to work and to work well. When I'm tired, unhappy, and stressed I'm never really wanting to continue to work. Art has always been my outlet and I try to remember at all times that I came to Art school because it is something that I love. I am inspired by feelings of happiness and to be happy, I need to rest.