Alyce - ADAD1002

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The Final Product

I’m really proud of what we achieved as a group and I hope everyone else likes it too!!!

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Final Quotes

These are the final quotes I have chosen, which will be featured alongside each image. I’m really happy with all of them and I feel that they go well with each image.

- 1920′s = "Money can't buy happiness, but it can make you awfully comfortable while you're being miserable." - Clare Boothe Luce

- 1950’s = “Values are like fingerprints. Nobody's are the same, but you leave 'em all over everything you do” - Elvis Presley

 - 1970’s = “If everyone demanded peace instead of another television set, then there'd be peace.” - John Lennon

- 1990′s = “Anything that's invented between when you’re fifteen and thirty-five is new and exciting and revolutionary and you can probably get a career in it.” - Douglas Adams

- Now = “The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less.” - Bob Moorehead.

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Above are the photographs with Veronica’s digital drawings on them! I think they look so good and they help to further represent each era we have chosen. All the drawings also help to emphasise what was desirable throughout each era. Next Lily will photoshop and further digitally edit the images! I am still working on finding quotes and playing around with the layout ready for hand in on Tuesday. 

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Here are the final photos! Cara did an amazing job taking them. Next Veronica will digitally draw on then. 

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Group Discussion

We met in class today and we continued to discuss our concept. We have decided to focus on consumerism throughout each era. Cara has taken some really amazing photos for us to work with and next Veronica will draw images that relate to materialism and desirable items of each era. Later Lily will photoshop and edit the images. We aren't too sure exactly how yet but we are thinking maybe in the style of each era or in a style of a famous artist from that era. And Lily was also thinking of overlaying images, again to emphasise ideas of consumerism and materialism. Once all of this is done I will edit and put together our magazine! I am also finding quotes and or poems that relate to either the photographs or our concept! I’m finding it a little hard to find specific quotes that relate well but I’m still in early stages so it should be all good!!!

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Group Thoughts

We decided on our idea today!! We have decided to work to all of our strengths. Cara is good at photography, Veronica is good at drawing, Lily is good at photoshop and I know how to use InDesign. So we have decided to take photographs that represent what was desirable in each era; the 1920’s, 1950’s, 1970’s, 1990’s and now! Below are the notes we wrote…

Photography → draw on photographs → photoshop photographs

Black and white photography and minimalist text on opposite page

Re-creation of the past in now - clothing

Not authentic “history”

1920′s = Freedom, drinking, flapper dresses, money (party) art deco style

1950′s = American dream (white picket fence house, terraces) pop art style, diners, milkshakes, flared poodle dresses

1970′s = Drugs, breaking the mold, liberation (kids in the street, skateboarding, beach) flower power, psychedelic

1990′s = Pop culture, movies, digital age (abandoned buildings, old technologies) grunge

NOW = latest technology, aesthetic, artsy, Instagram (plants, brick walls) minimalism

Poetry from each era!!

We also decided to find quotes or poetry from each era that relates to that era and/or the images we have created. I’m feeling much better about our idea today. So basically Cara will take photographs of things that represent the desires of each era then Veronica will draw on the photos and represent the physically desired things of the era. Next Lily will edit the photos in the style of each era and I will format everything into our magazine. I am also going to find the quotes/poems that will go with each of the images.

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The 1950′s

Suburbia boom

Baby boom

Television becomes a common household item

Rock and roll

US economy boom

US was strongest military power

Civil rights movements

Anti-communism

Construction of schools and highways caused a lot of growth

After the war = peace and prosperity

Cold War

Marilyn Monroe

Mickey Mouse

Elvis Presley = mid-1950’s

Many household appliances were invented and common in every home

Tiny waistlines

Bright coloured clothing

More freedom in clothing

Toy cars were popular for children and Barbie became a thing

Pop art movement

Abstraction

Bright contrasting colours in art

- http://www.history.com/topics/1950s

- http://www.retrowaste.com/1950s/

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Group Assessment

We are thinking of maybe making our publication a catalogue for the works we create. But were still not 100% sure on this. We are looking into desire and/or value and how it has changed over the decades. We have each chosen an era to look into and I think we are all going to research some key points and possibly some artists too...

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Final Photographs

I am really happy with how my garment turned out and I hope my class and my tutor like it too! I would title my work Repurpose!!!

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Final Sketch

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Concept Statement

My work is titled Repurpose and it is a fashion garment made from and up-cycled advertisement banner. I chose to use a second-hand banner in order to raise awareness of textiles waste in Australia. As a country, we only recycle around 18% of textiles waste. Comparatively, to paper and metal, this is dismal, with 55% of paper and 63% of metals being recycled. Hence my decision to purchase second-hand materials. Reverse Garbage, where I purchased my materials, is a not-for-profit organisation that began when a group of school teachers started re-using industrial discards in their classrooms. Now, the company receives over 35,000 cubic metres worth of items each year. They then sell these items on for a fraction of the price. The National Association of Charitable Recycling Organisations is another group, similar to Reverse Garbage, that provides over 3000 charity stores where most of our used textiles can be donated, along with other household items. Unfortunately, many garments are thrown away due to stains. This is mainly because we don’t know how to care for our garments and fast-fashion means we don’t really need to spend the time or money repairing these ‘damaged’ garments. Most garments in our modern day are made from synthetic fibres, which require toxic chemicals to create and take years to decompose. This leads to soil and water contamination as the chemicals leech from the garments into the soil and the toxic water waste is not disposed of correctly during production. Synthetic fibres are far more difficult to dye and treat, meaning harsher chemicals are used and more water is required. However, synthetic fibres are easier to recycle and melt down to create new garments and other products. But somehow they just end up in land-fill. Which is why I chose to create my garment from a found synthetic fibre. Natural fibres, on the other hand, are toxic to grow as countless pesticides are used throughout the process. Natural fibres are also treated, washed and dyed. Contributing to water and soil contamination. Again, a multitude of finite resources are used to create these natural fibres, as with synthetics. Australia has recognised this excessive use of pesticides, when growing natural fibres, and has made a conscious effort to reduce the number of chemicals used. To be specific there is around a 40% improvement in water use and a 95% decrease in the use of pesticides. This is mainly due to synthetic reproductions of cotton, which solves one problem but creates another with the use of chemicals to create the synthetic fibres.

To create my two-piece garment, I cut the banner into two sections. One being three-quarters of the banner and the other being one-quarter of the original size. The larger section of the banner was used to create the bottom layer of the skirt and the smaller section was cut diagonally to create the shorter top layer. The top layer of the skirt starts quite short and gets fairly long, as I cut it on the bias. I did this to create visual emphasis and to draw the eye down and around the garment, but also to create extra volume. Initially, the banner had a rubber edging around its perimeter, which I kept to create more volume in the skirt. I created a sunburst pleat for the skirt, again, to give it extra volume and visual emphasis. I created a thick waistband and interested a found zipper on the left-hand side of the skirt along with a hook and eye. This was to ensure the garment was functional. For the top, I used two triangular pieces to create a halter neckline. Again I used a sunburst pleat to give shape. I then created a very thin waistband which is covered by the waistband of the skirt. The top ties in the back and at the neck. The longer tie at the neck falls down the back and tucks into the waistband of the skirt, leaving the back open. The ombre blue of the skirt draws the eye down as does the bright yellow text on the top left of the skirt. Overall, my goal was to raise awareness of the harmful nature of textiles waste and show people how easy it is to re-purpose textiles.

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Further Research

Today I continued to research artists that are using recycled textiles materials. I found a few that inspired me!

- Natasha Kerr creates recycled textile art from old photographs and vintage fabrics and trims. She embeds stories and memories within her work, making each piece unique.

- Louise Baldwin combines textiles and other found objects to create a combination of collaged and embroidered wall hangings. Nothing is pre-planned about her process and she used anything she can get her hands on from around her home.

- Jane Perkins creates collaged works from unwanted household objects like button, dice and small pieces of plastic. She creates works that reflect famous ones, such as the Mona Lisa and Girl With the Pearl Earring.

http://www.textileartist.org/textile-artists-using-recycled-materials/

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Value

Our piece focuses on the concept of ‘time is money’ and the value that we as individuals give to money.  In recent years we have seen a shift from physical money to the use of cards in society.  in this shift, it gives the illusion that money is invisible and we no longer place such a high value on the physical being of money.  As we continue to use cards for money instead of it physically, we become less aware of the amount we spend as it is  much easier to tap $200 away instead of handing it over in notes.  As our graph shows, the high point of a platinum card begins to become worthless.  The more money you spend the more debt you owe, with the card almost taking a persona to which you owe money.

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Progress!

Above is a photo of my skirt so far! I have pleated and have half attached the waistband. I think it’s looking really good. I have also secured a model to wear it once it's finished so that’s good! I have decided to just create one outfit because I just do not have enough time. I will continue to work on my garment ready for next weeks due date. I am also going to start my concept statement today! I’m a little worried because it has to be so long, but I should be ok.

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Sew it Again Project

One woman took it upon herself to not buy anything new for a whole year! She would buy old clothing from second-hand stores or up-cycle her own old clothing. The only thing she would buy new was underwear! She has now been participating in her now project for over a year now. I think that this is such a great idea; fast-fashion, like fast food, is so unhealthy for us and especially our environment. I was really inspired by this work because it is such as great idea and it is basically what I am hoping to do just with unusual materials that aren't usually used to create garments.

- http://www.sewitagain.com/stories/

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Research

In Australia, we only recycle around 18% of textiles. Comparatively, to paper and metal, this is dismal, with 55% of paper and 63% of metals being recycled. The National Association of Charitable Recycling Organisations provides over 3000 charity stores where most of our used textiles are donated. However, most garments, due to stains, are thrown away. This is mainly because we don’t know how to care for our garments. Fast-fashion means we don’t really need to spend the time or money repairing these “damaged” garments. Most garments in our modern day are made from synthetic fibres, which require toxic chemicals to create and take years to decompose. This leads to soil and water contamination as the chemicals leech from the garments and the toxic water waste is not disposed of correctly. Synthetic fibres are far more difficult to dye and treat, meaning harsher chemicals are used and more water is required. However, these synthetic fibres are easier to recycle and break-down to create new garments and other products. But somehow they just end up in landfill. Synthetics fibres are highly toxic to create and natural fibres are toxic to grow as countless pesticides are used throughout the process. These natural fibres are also treated, washed and dyed. Again, using a multitude of finite resources. Australia has recognised this excessive use of pesticides and has made a conscious effort to reduce the number of chemicals used. To be specific there is around a 40% improvement in water use and a 95% decrease in the use of pesticides. This is mainly due to synthetic reproductions of cotton, which solves one problem but creates another with the use of chemicals to create the synthetic fibre.

References:

- http://cdn1.blocksassets.com/assets/tfia/press-releases/6z7ifJMLWqZD90T/Stain-Removal-TFIA-media-release-30-September.pdf

- http://textilebeat.com/tag/council-of-textile-and-fashion-industries-of-australia/

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Since I purchased three banners I thought maybe I should just make a collection of formal dresses. Above are some really rough sketches. Now that I have a clearer idea of what I want to do I will create some more detailed coloured sketches. I have also booked to go and borrow an overlocking sewing machine next week so I have to be pretty well sorted by then!