April 2011
Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
« Mar   May »
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
252627282930  

Month April 2011

Entries 2 Total

pre-easter update

Apr 20, ’11 5:43 PM

Doing – I originally had quite a few ideas for my arduino project (the one most did before christmas but Im still catching up) I set up some parts to just have a look at the basic method as its been a long time since I’v used arduino, I have not decided what my project should quite be yet, but Im doing a lot of research and drawings that I think will lead me to a good plan. I did have an idea for an automatic drawing sensor you could have on during the day and be able to go to your computer at the end and see what your day of e.g, arm movements has been in lines and/or ink style. However Im not sure if thats the right thing to do at the moment.

Thinking – I have been mainly reading through the book I was recommended by Oliver at the future textiles talks in Northumbria, Textile Futures by Bradley Quinn. As since attending these I feel I have finally found the area of research I have always wanted to be in but not quite found a way. I have been going through this quite slowly taking notes so its going to take me a while to be able to finish the book but I will have the extra research Im doing in connection with every chemical process mentioned, designer and fibre. Eager as I am to start the next essay as I know how long it takes me I yet to get feedback, so I have emailed out for extra people to give feedback and looks like I should have some soon

Creative web and interactive narrative – This is the first time I have done a collaborative piece since college and I am starting to learn new lessons from this, I keep becoming concerned about what the piece will end up actually looking like as I am yet to see the dance thats the main part, yet to hear more from the costumes or have any idea of what the music will be like. I may well just be worrying too much and it will just be a piece that will have to come together on the day. Though I also feel like I have been falling behind as I was originally waiting to see the dance so I could create a animation/video piece accordingly however after 2 weeks I realised I should make something appropriate and go with what I imagine the dance to be like, so far I have designed the piece and will be making the test shoot this evening so the area is set up. I decided after the theme seemed to change a few times that the best thing to do would be to try and back up the dance’s particular message as that is to be the main focus so I will shoot 2 sets of film/animate (depending on which looks most aesthetic) one will be crowds of people walking up and down high streets and main shopping areas to show the carrying and gathering of new clothes and over layed on this will be footage of garments being thrown in a container, one transparent side so as the numbers pick up a archaeological stratification effect begins as you see the layers of different colours and shades piling up, the wasted side, so together there will almost be a ghostly feel about the clothes purchase and discarding of. Although I originally pushed for the theme of the water waste being the worst part of the fashion industry which is famous for its polluting, un ethical,  wasteful and ill health inducing imagery. The group has taken it to the traditional look of wasteful, throw away clothes. I am still imagining how the dance will be like but I see it as a struggle with throwing away clothes yet being left with nothing at the end.

I hope to have a test version ready over the next few days but may need to re edit once Im back in Newcastle next week for use of the editing rooms.

Comments (0)

no shape without shadow 1

Apr 5, ’11 12:33 AM

After some discussions, emails and posts on the creative web blog I think the group has an idea and an aim. Its still a bit loose but im sure will find its way as time goes on.

So far the main phrase is ” no shape without shadow” looking at the sustainability and ecological issues in fashion which is one of the biggest sustainability problems, mainly how much water goes into it all, the making, the dye process, washing, throwing away.. and creating new items to replace the dumped.

Fashion and technology is quite a well covered topic in Newcastle at the moment with talks and shows, catalytic clothing exhibit is a collaboration between artist/designer Professor Helen Storey, scientist Professor Tony Ryan and textile designer Trish Belford. A really fantastic collection and idea or purifying the air.

http://www.catalytic-clothing.org/

Interestingly I have been in touch with the Electron microscopy unit in Newcastle and looking at this site there is an EM imagine of the fabric they use, which was what I was originally thinking would be good for ‘no shape without shadow’.

 

From whats discussed so far ‘no shape without shadow’ there will be 2 performances, these will be made up of a dancer battling/struggling with clothes made from throw away materials that are through frustration becoming thrown and ripped off making the waste fabrics waste. There will be a back projection on a screen behind the dancer, as a back drop, of a video/animation which I will be putting together and with the help of Pengfei and an xbox kinect will react to the dancer speeding up his movements and change/speed up the video/ animation. There has also been talk of some more technical interactivity but for now I think it would be best to get the first part of the interaction solved. All of which will be accompanied by either live or prerecoded music written for the exhibition.

So far the group are waiting to see a clip of the dancer dancing a similar dance to what we will have on the evening as we want to work around this main part.

Im making sketches of how I imagine at the moment the piece may look like and various ideas of what the video/animation will look like. I also had a chat with Adrian and a script writer friend of mine from college Nick, though Nick mainly said its worth waiting to see the dance, but Im quite eager to make a start so I have enough time to get something good done on time along with keeping up with other modules.

One of my ideas is to have various images of moving fabric video’d or stop-framed and these will move during the dance and when the dancer speeds up the fabric will change. As I mentioned above I was thinking about using EM images, and with throw away fabric to eco and sustainable I was thinking of imaging cheap fabric, possible in part slightly torn/worn/ stretched and the most ecological and sustainable fabric, bamboo, which I should be able to get a sample of from the high street. I will go looking for this tomorrow. The EM images could be the last to be seen in the animation/video, perhaps as the dancer tears off his last layers.

Another idea for the video/animation was something a bit like ‘Koyaanisqatsi’

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PirH8PADDgQ

I was thinking of filming/stop-framing arial shots of the high street, and just outside primark, perhaps a few other angles showing cheap throw away fashion with huge in coming and out going numbers.

However these are just starting ideas I think I will get started to see how it looks. Further discussions and tests may lead me down a more certain route, be that similar to current ideas or completely different.

I wil add my sketches at some point soon.

 

Comments (0)