Oliver Crown

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Time Plan

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Budget Outline

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Project Introduction

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Research Report

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Fiorucci Posters

Since printing the archive imagery I found from Fiorucci onto Polaroid a couple of weeks ago (can be seen in 'Work Review’ uploaded Dec 17th), I have found the original use for the graphics and images. 

In ‘Polaroid’ a Rizzoli published book accompanying the relaunch of the brand in 2017, Marc Jacobs writes ‘Fiorucci made better posters than any fashion company ever did. The posters sold the jeans for sure, but the posters were the product, too.’ The last line of this has made me want to print my own large posters of images I shoot that represent the brand, and give them out for free at the exhibition. This is similar to that of Chen Wei’s work previously mentioned, plus it will give further exposure for myself as a photographer and Fiorucci as a brand. 

I have checked online and currently have a quote of £24 for 200 prints at size A3. This is pretty reasonable, and uses recycled silk paper. If I do 2 or 3 designs, I could try to get a budget from Fiorucci themselves, or fund the printing myself.

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Juergen Teller - Kristen McMenamy

This was one of the imags that inspired a couple of my Polaroids taken for my Pilot Project, as it oozes liberation and embraces the female nude form. The image is raw, edgy and graphic, with Versace in a bold red heart stamped onto McMenamy’s skin. I chose to reference the image just as a nod to Teller but also because it seems like a completely stripped homage to the brand Versace. Original image is obviously not censored, however due to Tumblr restrictions, to include I have had to censor. 

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Chen Wei - Transformer: A Rebirth of Wonder

Chinese photographer Chen Wei stages scenes of raves and dance floors, filled with colourful fog, rays of harsh light yet models are instructed to seem bored and uninterested. I chose to highlight this photographers work, as the work is based around an element of nightlife and partying, yet the installation I saw in London in 2019 was immersive, filled with interesting lights and offered viewers a free print to take home from to remember the exhibition.

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Planned Location

Location is an odd one for my project, as the installation will obviously be in the exhibition, however for shooting I want to take the final images in the installation. This means either:

1) Setting up the installation somewhere like a studio, shooting, then rebuilding the installation at the exhibition or

2) Building the installation for the first time at the exhibition and then shooting on one of our set up days

For option one, I could book one of the studios all day at uni, and then have everything ready to go to start shooting as soon as possible. This would mean that I have space around the installation to walk around and document what goes where. Also, if I was in the studio I would be able to adjust lighting, however I have decided I will only do that if I have to. This is because it doesn't really fit the original concept of taking snapshots at a party, as you don’t adjust lighting and bring out specific flashes etc on a dancefloor / house party.

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Planned Models

Obviously with current COVID restrictions in London, I am prohibited from mixing households and going out into public spaces to mix households as well, therefore I will be forced to use my own household for my project, if the occasion occurs. I wondered whether to use a technology like Zoom, and make it more of a commentary on how we are partying in a contemporary era, however decided against it, as there is no shortage of COVID related projects and I didn’t want to take that route. 

There is a way around it however, arranging sending props and clothing to my models, getting them to shoot themselves digitally, and then printing them onto Polaroid film using the Polaroid Lab. This is a last case scenario, and hopefully I will be able to shoot them on a camera in person. 

My chosen models are:

Cain Jennings - @/c_a_i_n

I’d really love to shoot Cain because his aesthetic and beauty really suits what I want to show in my project. His face is inviting and strong eyes are welcoming to anybody who sees them. Cain is a perfect fit for the brand as well, as he works in nightlife, so understands the industry, how it looks, and maybe can give some inside knowledge that could help styling, set design or logistics.

Emma Wells - @/emmawells__

I’d love to shoot Emma for my project, as her aesthetic is synonymous with that of Fiorucci’s actual models. She is always wearing Fiorucci clothing, and we regularly send each other things from the brand. She has agreed to model for the project, restrictions depending.

Meghan Martin-Lewis - @/me3gg

Meg is my flatmate so access to shooting her should be super easy. I have used her in projects before, and she's very comfortable in front of the camera, meaning that I know that we can work together to make some really successful beautiful images. 

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Contacts and Logistics

In order to best showcase Fiorucci as a brand, I will need to contact their current marketing team in order to loan clothes and props for the installation. This will be done at the beginning of FMP2, when I have a better understanding of what is going ahead and how I will be able to go ahead with the installation. This is because I want to create the best example and look super professional with the brand, as it is a genuine business exchange and I have to set an excellent example.

Contacts I can utilise are as follows:

Fiorucci Press: [email protected]

Fiorucci Menswear Designer: [email protected]

Store Details: 39-43 Brewer Street, Soho, London, W1F 9UD

Polaroid Global PR: [email protected]

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MP1 Final Proposal

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Adult Content Warning

In a lot of the images that I post about my project, there is adult content. Work that was produced by myself won't be censored, however I will censor content from other creators for the purpose of research. My own explicit images are obviously not allowed to be posted on Tumblr, so where necessary, the work can be found on my folio. Link below:

https://folio.westminster.ac.uk/Profile.aspx?ID=578&view=works

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Soul House (Terry Richardson)

Another Editorial I have found that I love the aesthetic and vibe of is Soul House by Terry Richardson. The careless snapshot like images are a documentation of liberation and sexualisation amongst a group of friends at a party. There isn't any expensive props or budget, styling is effortless and the overall feel of the images is instantly recognised. The editorial was published in Another Magazine in their S/S 2004 issue. I love the editorial because it is such a good representation of youth party culture, displaying how comfortable everybody is with each other. It is the carelessness and liberation that I want to recreate with more models in my actual project, taking advantage of my social bubble with Covid Restrictions.

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This is my fantastic pleasure

‘This is my fantastic pleasure’ is an editorial by Jochen Braun for The Insider Issue of i-D magazine. It features 6 self portraits by models from various agencies worldwide. I really liked this editorial as it shoes there isn’t a focus on having the images perfectly exposed, composed or put together. Each image was taken in the same mirror, filled with smudge marks and a bright white flash. 

To me, the images represent an obsession with self-documentation with younger generations, and the fact each model has been styled solely in undergarments reveals a sexual, yet playful nature to the images. This is what I want to represent in my Polaroids I shoot, as it will be set at an afterparty vibe, where models will represent close friends that are comfortable and liberated in their own bodies. This is what I want to show as the effect that wearing clothes from a brand like Fiorucci can give them the confidence to do.

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Collection of Aesthetic Research

I keep some of these images and other related images on my wall above my desk, because I love the the raw aesthetic of the images. With Polaroid as a medium, there is little room for manipulation once you’ve pressed the trigger. Of course there are ways of altering the way that the images will turn out, like scratching, doodling and pushing around the developing chemicals, however the images below all just show raw documentation of events and parties shot on instant film. 

This links with my idea that Polaroid as a medium is so successful because it acts as a frame to look into, not a subject, but a time and place. 

It is nothing new to romanticise the medium, it’s easily recognised, aesthetically unique and a household name. This means that it is’s materiality can act as a frame and object to document specific moments. A Polaroid camera acts as a perfect companion to a launch party, celebration, wedding or other event, as it captures the fun moments, the memories and once shot, you have an instant physical reminder of what happened.  

Rachel Chandler, Fivestory Launch Party

(Unknown), Maripol with camera in NYC Club

Maripol, Willam shot at a book reading in LA

Maripol, Page from ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ book

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Favourite Image Comparisons

LEFT IMAGES: Polaroid i-Type Film (Metallic Nights), Polaroid OneStep+

RIGHT IMAGES: Polaroid i-Type Film (Golden Moments), Polaroid Lab

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Polaroid Lab

These are the Polaroids I have printed using the Polaroid Lab. They were printed on Gold Edition Frames so I could differentiate between the two. I have mixed emotions about the printed Polaroids. What the software on the printer does, is creates a vignette effect around the image, to imitate a front flash going off in the images. Because I already used a front flash in dark lighting in the original images, the vignette was, in my opinion, was too harsh, and distracting in the images. It is a cool effect in some of the frames, but became very repetitive in the whole batch. 

Another downside to the images is that across the board, each image has a green tinge. This wasn’t in the original digital images, so I presume was a technique used by the software to imitate the Polaroid effect. Again, I found it aesthetically negative, and bordering on weirdly clinincal / sci-fi. 

What I did really like about using the Polaroid Lab however is the framing of the images. When shooting with a Polaroid OneStep+, the viewfinder doesn’t always match up with what the frame is going to shoot. Because I have a lot more control with the smartphone, I can compose the final images much better.