Sarah Cooper-Slee

BCT 2018

[sarahcooperslee]

Purpose

The stream requires us to ‘Design with a Purpose’. At the beginning, I struggled find a purpose to my work. I was interested in play, experimenting, learning. With 6 weeks worth of that, I still had no direction with the project, until now. Next years categories for WOW have been released, allowing me to work towards something with guidance. My category of interest is Transform. From the beginning, Donna helped give my project purpose, by discussing how latex is biodegradable and showing me books around growing with textiles. This opened up an interest in sustainable fashion, focussing more on the environmental effects of the industry. Some research around this could influence the garments style and shape. Some focus points for research could include: Reusable materials Compostable materials Landfill Plastiglomerate Microplastics 

With some in depth knowledge on these topics, I think a garment I am happy and proud of is defiantly possible. 

[sarahcooperslee]

Space, Image and Sound; Process art

Process art emphasises the “process” of making art, rather than any predetermined composition or plan, and the concepts of change and transience.

Robert Smithson - Yucatan Mirror Displacements (1969)

Robert Smithson - Spiral Jetty (1970)

Robert Smithson - Broken Circle (1971)

[sarahcooperslee]

Space, Image and Sound; Specifications

Spatial Visualisation

In terms of our documentation of process, our space is reality. We want to challenge the concept of space. As our “installation” is undefined at this stage, our installation space will be determined by how we choose to best communicate our process. We do not see our installation being in a set single place but perhaps on multiple platforms and areas, expanding wider audience engagement. The documentation could include images, vlogs, written text, art, sculpture, interaction etc.

Audio Samples - recorded

Tasks that we do, the sounds around us.

White noise in our heads

Songs that make you feel satisfied

Technical Requirements - Dependant on individuals process

Cameras; nothing fancy, we all have phones.

Pens, paper etc

Recording device; iPhone

Social media platforms; instagram, twitter, facebook

[sarahcooperslee]

Space, Image and Sound; Conceptual Statement

Our work is based off process art. We’re wanting to destruct the idea of self-actualization and then restructure through installation form. After attending Auckland Art Gallery a few weeks ago, visiting the Pillars to Posts: Project Another Country exhibition, we were inspired by the personal process aspect of this work ("From Pillars to Posts: Project Another Country", 2018). Being asked to create your dream home out of cardboard is not only an interactive way to promote the issue of homelessness in New Zealand but also the process in which we sat down and completed the task was almost more impactful. Through this process, we not only felt creatively “challenged” but the explorative process seemed to shut off external distractions and soon valued the experience more than the final product. This concept of personal process has influenced us within our proposal, making the installation completely based off personal process.

How often do we feel fulfilled? How often do we feel we have reached our full potential? “In an age of ever increasing complexities, ever expanding technologies, and the loss of individual identity..” (Ryder, 1987) a lack of engagement within ourselves has caused the weak signal of self-actualization. Defined in the dictionary as “the realization or fulfilment of one's talents and potentialities, especially considered as a drive or need present in everyone”, Abraham Maslow took it upon himself to create a framework of steps named ‘Maslow’s hierarchy of needs’.   

Maslow’s pyramid illustrates 5 needs he believes should be fulfilled in order to create happy life lived at our full potential. Number One: The psychological needs. This is everything we need for bodies to physically survive such as food, water, oxygen. Number Two: Safety. Everything that we need to make us feel safe such as a house, clothes, insurance. Number Three: Social Belonging. This is feeling loved and belonging, starting with your micro community. Yourself, your friends, your family. Then moving to your macro community. You street, your region, your country, feeling like a global citizen. Number Four: Esteem. First starting with external validation, which then internalises to self-esteem. Once these steps have been fulfilled satisfactory, can we move to Number Five: self-actualisation.  

Corey Page discusses further that in order to reach self-actualization we need to find out what fulfils us, not including finding our place in society, the ideal job and nor an ideal house (TEDx UMDearborn, 2018). By taking part in activists groups, he began to see that he was helping people, which gave him a purpose. This proposal and installation will be done through the perspective of three 21 year olds, who have no large responsibilities such a children or assets, how will this impact our attempt to self-actualize? Is it more achievable at different stages in life?

Self-actualization can be seen as a weak signal as it is defined by the enrichment and functionality of ones life and the fulfillment of one's potential (Shostrom, 1964). How do we know we’re reaching our full potential? Do we ever reach it?  Or is our full potential just relative to our surroundings? The weak signal being acknowledgment and understanding that you’re self-actualized. In attempt to self-actualize, we will be exploring different methods throughout our process. Our documentation of each individuals process will be feeling based, provoking the individual to consider what is really happening at the exact point in time and noting their emotions. Through the exploration of attempting to reach our full potential, we will gain insight into the process of self-actualization considering how to best communicate our findings in installation form for a wider audience.

References

Hendricks, S. (2018). Maslow's other mistake, why self-actualization is harder than it sounds. Retrieved from https://bigthink.com/scotty-hendricks/maslows-other-mistake-why-self-acutalization-is-harder-than-it-sounds

Olson, A. (2018). The Theory of Self-Actualization. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/theory-and-psychopathology/201308/the-theory-self-actualization

Ryder, W. (1987). The Role of Art in Self-Actualization. Art Education, 40(2), 22. doi: 10.2307/3193064

TEDx UMDearborn. (2018). Self-actualization: Cory Page at TEDxUMDearborn [Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUf8OgDai8E

From Pillars to Posts: Project Another Country. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.aucklandartgallery.com/whats-on/exhibition/from-pillars-to-posts-project-another-country

Shostrom, E. (1964). An Inventory for the Measurement of Self-Actualization. Educational And Psychological Measurement, 24(2), 207-218. doi: 10.1177/001316446402400203

Jones, A., & Crandall, R. (1986). Validation of a Short Index of Self-Actualization. Personality And Social Psychology Bulletin, 12(1), 63-73. doi: 10.1177/0146167286121007

[sarahcooperslee]

Space, Image and Sound; Description

For this project, we propose to undergo and document our individual journey of self-actualization. The process of doing so will shape a final installation based around our findings that could encourage others to strive and become the “ultimate production of their own human spirit.” (Page, 2009) 

The first step will be a social experiment carried out by ourselves. In order to achieve this, we will spend the first 3 weeks individually attempting to reach the pinnacle of our own happiness, fulfilling our potential at this given point of our lives and therefore a state of self-actualization. The process of getting to this state will be left to the individual to choose, but some general ideas are:

Filling in the steps for Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

Go without a mirror for a week

Consider your goals, aspirations, fantasies

Consider your obstacles, restraints, barriers

Maximize your time in a day. What do you want to achieve today? Did you achieve it?

Completing a childhood fantasy

The second step is tracking and documenting.The journey will be documented however one desires eg. social media posts, journal, videos, etc. The aim is to note down anything we have done towards reaching a somewhat state of content, fulfillment and happiness. This will be shared between the group at the end of the 3 week period. We will discuss, analyse and compare our results, finding the best way to communicate them in an installation form.

The third step is development of an outcome. The last 3 weeks will be used to communicate and construct our findings into a full realised installation. We all agree that we do not want to limit our experience of self-actualizing by having a predetermined display or installation in mind. However, we do want to physicalise our experiences to share with others and encourage others to feel the want of experiencing it too. We want the process and experimentation of us attempting self-actualization to be the main drive behind the final outcome.

[sarahcooperslee]

Latex hand stitched with embroidery thread 

[sarahcooperslee]

Latex through a sewing machine

[sarahcooperslee]

Laser cut latex

[sarahcooperslee]

Studio Week 4

With some push back due to other papers, this week I didn’t get round to playing with much latex until the end of the week. So, I got some bigger sheets of latex ready to dry and start really playing with it like its a textile. For these next two big sheets, I did want it to look more skin like, and I found the best way to do that was but adding colour in after the latex has been spread over the surface. 

Talking with some peers, the idea of casting a body to latex might be an interesting idea. To get contours and skin-like textures, the latex would have to dry to these shapes. I talked to James who suggested I could make a 3D render of a body to then CNC out of some sort of material to form a cast. I talked to Glen over in the labs and he suggested a few options as well but it was totally possible and could do it out of a plaster block. With these all up in the air, next week I will experiment with the textile latex before trying to form it into other shapes.

[sarahcooperslee]

Studio Week 3

Beginning this week, I got straight into experimenting with some new materials over in the wet labs. I’ve had friends work with latex before and really enjoyed it, so I thought I would start with this. Harriet gave me some latex and application tools and pretty much let me go for it. From this, I pretty much wanted to learn the behaviour of latex and what is possible with it. The few sampled I did experimented with colour and application methods. To colour the latex, we use a dye, and not much of it. I found that a little goes a long way so my first test was really red. The methods I used to spread the latex included using a spatula, spreading, cutting it, squashing it. The other method was using a paint brush, stippling it, painting it. 

Once dry, which takes about over night, the results we super cool and interesting. They came out really skin-like and reminded me of a project done by PETA I saw a wee while ago. 

The video speaks for itself. Basically, I really like the gruesome, grotesque nature of the latex and wanted to potentially play around with that. Im also interested in how they mixed the grotesque with fashion/textiles. I searched on the reliable pinterest for latex related art.  

The above project is called Second Skin done by a Dutch student Esmay Wagermans. The idea behind the project was to challenge Instagram’s nudity policy and post a picture in breach of this policy. She managed to show her nipple, with out any skin using latex. She continued on to develop latex breasts to create Second Breast. She now labels herself as a science fiction artist that focuses mainly around the human body and replicating it. Her recent works are super cool.

And on that note I leave you with this last bit of ‘inspiration’. From American Horror Story, Asylum, there is a lamp made from human skin still able to see the nipples. I think this is interesting pulling something gross like that into an everyday object, and it also opened be up to the idea of lighting with latex. In Wagermans recent work she's also been playing with might behind her human-form materials so I might just look into experimenting with that too.  

[sarahcooperslee]

Studio Week 2

Basically this week was about discussing and presenting out ideas to everyone. Unsure of where to start, I began by writing down some interests I have and a learning outcome/skill I want to gain. A note that really stood out to me for a new skill was wearable/sewable tech. So between my other interests I tried combining them together to see what interesting topics I could come up with They are as follows. 

Wearable Tech x Kitchen/Cooking  Wearable Tech x Travel  Wearable Tech x Fashion & Art 

Above have links to other blog posts with inspiration and projects that have been done around these areas that I really liked. My favourite by far was anything related to Wearable Tech x Fashion & Art. I just think that they are fun and creative and work well to build up my skill set that I’m wanting to achieve. When presenting this, I was suggested that I don’t be so narrow in my outcome just yet. Sangetta felt that Fashion with E-Textiles is overdone and less interesting compared to the other combinations i mentioned. Donna then suggested that I start buy creating a ‘material library’ and experiment with different things to help led me into something I’d like to do. I really liked this suggestion because not only is it something physical to do, but I can also learn new processes while trying to find something for my final project.

Reza also helped me narrow down how to start with my project by finding what I wanted out of this semester and we came up with 4 words that are going to drive me.  Experiment Understand Wearable Tech New Textiles

Week 3 I plan to begin my ‘material library’ over in the wet labs and learning about what they have to offer and how the materials behave. 

[sarahcooperslee]

Suzanne Lee - Biocouture

Embracing nature, rather than dominating it. 

Biocouture is a design consultancy focused on bringing living and biological materials into fashion and sportswear. Founder of Biocouture, Suzanne Lee, started this idea of brewing sustainable fabrics while talking to a biologist. The two collaborated to start growing textile like materials that were biodegradable and surprisingly easy to make.

From here, they started a annual event called Biofabricate. Biofabricate is focused on the intersection of design, biology, and technology. From algae and bacteria to mushrooms and yeast, the event is for the emerging world of grown materials. “From architecture to apparel and personal care to performance, BIOFABRICATE is THE event to experience how biotechnology is facilitating a new material revolution.”

Something I took out of Lee and her team at Biocouture was to completely rethink materials and look away from traditional textile processes. Using materials that aren’t formerly thought as wearable.  

[sarahcooperslee]

Nancy Tilbury - Studio XO

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams”  - E. Roosevelt

Studio XO is a fashion laboratory co-founded by Nancy Tilbury, one of the pioneers of merging technology and fashion. As a group that operates at the intersection of science, technology, fashion and music, they strongly believe in rethinking new clothing. Their ultimate goal is to bring their ideas and concepts to the streets, their first step creating extravagant outfits.

The main thing I took from Studio XO and Tilbury the the idea to really rethink clothing. Fashion changes, styles come in and out, but the concept of clothing hasn’t changed in over 100 years. How can we use these new and upcoming technologies to create new clothing that could become everyday fashion? 

[sarahcooperslee]

Whats out there?

Not really sure what direction to take, I began searching for things that have already been done in the E-textiles and fashion industry. 

The first site I stubbled across was Women of Wearables, a global organisation aiming to inspire, support and connect women in wearable tech, fashion tech, smart textiles, IoT, health tech and VR/AR. Through this website there is access to events, workshops and support groups as well as other peoples works and passions. Its an awesome sight for inspiration and knowledge around wearable tech, being able to read up on women within the industry all over the world. My favourite find from this website so far has been a women called Kathleen McDermott, a Brooklyn-based new media artist working with custom, DIY wearable electronics. In particular, her work called Urban Armour. 

The second site I looked through was Fashioningtech, a blogging site by Syuzi Pakhchyan. Here you can scroll through endless amounts of tech inclusive projects. One that got my attention, mainly because I’m a bit lazy and didn’t want to read, was a documentary called ‘The Next Black’. 

The documentary explores the future of clothing and follows individuals within the fashion/textile industry with some of the most innovative companies on the planet to get their opinion on clothing and its future. My favourite companies and individuals throughout this documentary were -

Nancy Trilbury - Studio XO  Suzanne Lee - Biocouture Everyone within the film were absolutely incredible, innovative and inspiring. The biggest message I got from the film was to rethink the concept of clothing. Fashion trends change, styles and collections change. But the concept of clothing hasn't changed in over 100 years. In what way can clothing and textiles change with the use of new and upcoming technologies we have today?

[sarahcooperslee]

Studio VI

Heading into the final semester for the degree, its time to buckle up and get going. I have lacked in motivation and not prioritised very well last semester, so I want to really challenge myself these next 12 weeks to make improvements to my work.

One thing I have found is that everyone around me has a passion and I have none. Sure I like a lot of things, but I don’t have passion or drive for anything, and a lot of that has to do with skill. Through high school I lost a lot f opportunity to pursue something that I now have found I enjoyed, that being fashion and textiles. Living in a small town with a small school, we didn’t have these available to us and therefore have not got the skills I would like today. And with the pressure of having our final Studio project to show off what we can do, I don’t have the skills to complete something I would like.

So, for this semester I want to focus on building my skills around fashion, textiles and e-textiles. I feel we are still in a spacer where we can experiment, research, learn and get credit for it.

Heres to our final semester!

[sarahcooperslee]

Introducing Anthrogaia

The anthropocene is known as the period during which human activity has been the dominant influence on the environment, and eventually the earth fights back. Anthrogaia is a deity goddess, risen from the shrapnels left from war between human and mothernature. A collision of human and earthy elements collected together create her, a new child of earth. She, much like mother nature, is forgiving and peaceful as she lives post anthropocene beginning to create a world where earth and humans can live in harmony.

[sarahcooperslee]

Progression with the tulle. 

One night after wondering how I could use more foil, i tried it on the tulle. My original thought was thatt it was plastic and would just shrivel up under the heat of the iron. I was proven wring, and found it actually worked! As you can see above, the bottom of the skirt has bits of foiled tulle, shattered like shrapnel leading up the skirt.