Body sculpture

Necklace by Torun Hube, circa 1960

Body jewellery from 1967 'Sculpture to Wear' 

Exhibition in London

Pendant body piece by David Watkins, 1975

Designer: Slim Barrett

Lesley Vik Waddell

Body sculpture by Marjorie Schick - 1986

My work is a sculptural statement which is complete when off the figure yet is constructed and exists because of the human body. I am intrigued by the idea that the human body is capable of carrying large objects, both physically and visually; so therefore I often construct forms of a scale which puts the work into a category of body sculpture rather than jewellery. 

- Marjorie Schick

I like this blur between large scale jewellery and body sculpture. I'm curious about contemporary art in the context of fashion and vice versa, where something like 'body sculpture' could be particularly relevant to my research. I also like that pieces like this can be referred to as 'objects' or as Una Burke said, 'stand-alone sculpture', which relates back to my fascination with object / human relationships. Potentially, my starting point is to build a garment out from the neck and shoulder area and to consider other various anchor points on the body.

Up and out

R e b e c c a  H o r n -


I like that Rebecca Horn's work is directly relative to the body. Her constructions are generally extensions of limbs, which bring about a new consciousness and experiences of touch and movement. I'm particularly drawn to Einhorn, (Unicorn) below, which is minimalistic in aesthetic, but really powerful. There's something nice about the piece as a garment, where the body is revealed beneath the harness. And the criss-cross of the straps at the side of the head, which are purely functional.

At the beginning of my Statement of Intent, I stated that I'm inspired by clothes that transcend functional distinction. Perhaps this is a notion in itself to be explored. I've been reading a little bit about Iris Van Herpen, and on one particular write up, there was a quote from her that said something about strongly disagreeing with the principle of form follows function. Which is obvious when you look at her work, but still a meaningful statement to make.

 I r i s  V a n  H e r p e n -

      

Images found at: http://cmk.typepad.com/digitaldeities/dresses/

t w i s t e d l a m b . c o m -

I often scour through the images on this blog, twisted lamb. I've been following it for a while, and though it can be a little dark for me, the fashion and photography is absolutely mind blowing. Only problem being - they don't always reference the designer. 

I'm starting to think about neck braces.

Givenchy? Chanel?

U n a  B u r k e -

Um. 

Wowww.

I came across this Irish Accessories Designer last night. One of her pieces was featured on twisted lamb, (and referenced!) so I found some more of her work. My ideas thus far are uncannily inline with hers. This quote is directly from her website, www.unaburke.com

Through my work I continually aim to create leather objects which are both visually captivating and technically challenging. They are pieces of wearable art which are indefinable as particular garments, preventing them from being placed into the conventional categories of the fashion industry. They are free to exist just as the objects that they are, interpreted independently by each individual. I use traditional leatherworking techniques to produce these evocative, conceptual creations. In doing this I hope to encourage a new and more modern appreciation for leather craftsmanship and present the possibilities achievable through the use of this material in both the areas of art and of functional design.

I'm reminded of medical braces, prosthetics or bandages when I look at this work. There's something confronting about some of the pieces - particularly those that are sculpted around a contorted form. 

G a r e t h  P u g h -

M u g l e r -

Fall 12, RTW

[All images found at style.com]

And sew on...

I love this image. After considering what I'd taken from Nick Cave's work and how he'd described it during interviews, I was envisioning an 'environment' for the wearer. I wanted to create a sense of safety with this masking pattern piece, which came up past the lips. I used pattern paper - folding to create curves and effectively slashing and opening / closing in places.

Though looking at this image alone, I appreciate the lightness of the piece. When I actually constructed it in the laminate, it was far too heavy and so didn't retain the curved shape. I wonder whether I can recreate this kind of thing with a lighter material - perhaps by actually closing out volume and anchoring this way with featured tucks or darts?

In the end, the piece was opened, which made more sense as I hadn't otherwise considered an opening in the garment itself. Proceeding my content with the neckpiece, I experimented with plastic tubing, which I'd stuffed into my garbage back during my Resource Rescue journey.

Surprisingly, the tubing ant though my machine relatively well. In many hours of sewing, I only broke one needle. I was excited to discover the movement within the tubing. The zigzag stitch allowed the panels to curve in itself and also when sewn with another of the same. I also quite liked the transparency of the tubing - revealing the stitch, whether successful or not. (See the sample with black thread.)

I created pattern pieces for both the laminate and the tubing and attempted to connect the two. 

Fail. Both materials were far too heavy and impossible to construct with a sewing machine.

And far too rigid to hand sew without losing your fingertips. 

I remained adement not to lose any of the work I'd already done with the tubing. I took the finished laminate piece to the stand and experimented with the shapes it created - particularly with the front panel, which I'd purposely left open. 

I found the side view interesting and also putting the garment back-to-front on the mannequin, which resulted in the shoulders really popping forward. Perhaps there's potential here in terms of design process - creating a sculpted sample to apply to the body in different ways - in turn, creating new silhouettes and ideas for pattern design. 

This garment had lived nine lives before it got here. I put that nagging tube to good use by applying it as a piping, which acted as a kind of binding / boning for the armholes and sleeve cap. I really like what happened with the armhole. The tubing highlights its spiralling structure and brings forward the curves of the laminate. 

Happy with the result, yes. But unsure about where to go next.

Thursday 15, 1:12 am

So I went to bed and couldn't sleep, so had to get up again.

Brain dump, here we go:

A talk with Glen is potentially prompting a long awaited epiphany. Thank God. That, in conjunction with my last blog entry, in which I wrote about the difficulty I experienced while putting together my Creative Intent. Glen mentioned that you have to get stuff down in order to 'sift through the crap'. So true! And possibly an idea that I need to be more conscious of.

I've had lots of fluffy ideas about where I'd position my work and I stand by the fact that what I create is somewhat personal. My words to Glen were that 'at the end of the day, I don't want to make something that doesn't mean anything.' Well it will. It will be a reflection of my aesthetic. And individual aesthetic is always personal.

Taking a step back... Or maybe a side step? There are lots of constants that I can draw on.

And what did I really get out of my catalyst project?

I seemed to not be able to find the words when asked in front of the class. I thoroughly enjoyed working solely on the stand. I find that often my pattern making skills, (or lack of) hold me back and so I wasn't restricted in any way. Mid way through the project, I also attempted to further explore the design in 2D, but I found that the complexity of the shapes meant I struggled to translate into a drawing.

I really enjoyed bringing together various curved panels, (I always seem to work with curves) to create
3-Dimensional shapes.

Building structure is something I'd like to continue. I'm unsure as to whether this indicates the use of unconventional materials, but I'd certainly like to experiment. In what other ways could I achieve structure without crazy, stiff interfacing? I wouldn't mind experimenting with plastic and leather, too. In an earlier post, I mentioned an intrigue with building up and out from the neck and shoulders.... Maybe a good starting point in terms of toiling?

The exaggerated form. I have always been drawn to design that plays with proportion; distorts, exaggerates or disguises the human form.

So from here, I think I'll look at silhouette. Starting basic. And then fill in the gaps. That sounds like a nice process. Like, slowly building up from the foundation. There's potential too, for exploiting known or traditional garment forms. Excessive detailing. Interesting colour combinations. Yes, yes, yes. This all sounds good for me....

Now for bed.