My Goal is to have 5 really solid experiments throughout this process. Hopefully I can realize this, as I’ve already started the first. See images below for timetable.
Timetable
Invisible Men + Thoughts
Overall, the purpose of the exhibition was to pair designer garments alongside military, functional, and utilitarian outfits. This was done because these types of garments have dominated menswear design as a source of inspiration throughout time. Some of the original garments subverted the original inspiration, while others replicated the sources. The original meaning and function has been lost from iteration to iteration. In the pamphlet, this approach to menswear design is described as almost, “fetishistic”.
I found this exhibition very enlightening because there is a stark contrast between menswear and womenswear when it comes to functionality. All of the garments had a “purpose” some of which included (but were not limited to):
- protection from heat
- protection from cold
- protection from biological, chemical, nuclear, and radiological sources
- protection from animals
- protection from human beings
- camouflage
- protection from water
- protection from electricity
- protection from being stabbed or shot or tazed
- functional carrying of objects on the body
- disguising the face
In contrast, meany womenswear garments don’t even have pockets!
I started to think about how utilitarian or functional garments might be different if they were created for a modern woman’s needs. Some of these needs may include:
- wanting to be hands free
- wanting to blend in/stand out
- wanting to have “eyes in the back of your head” so you can watch and protect yourself more easily
- maybe having a weapon for self defense built in
- having a better range of motion
- more comfortable shoes
Fire Suit 
Ghillie Suit (2016) 
Weather Protection 
Taser Training Suit 
- capes – synonymous with the ideas of concealment, disguise, and invisibility; acts as a garment that hides the body; has made a resurgence recently because the garment is genderless
- Overalls – cover up what is worn underneath allowing the user to hide identity; functional use to protect clothes; used in many professions that are considered “mens work”
- Black Jacket – subtle differences that are almost undetectable to the untrained eye; respectability and formality
- Camouflage – making objects hard to see (crypsis) or disguising them as something else (mimesis); motion dazzle confuses the observer with a striking pattern making the object harder to locate; Disruptive Pattern Material (DPM)
- Armour – status of protection and bravery
- Urban Protection– Moreno Ferrari/ how to make daily life better for “modern men”
Oct 21 New Documentation
I sewed gloves and leg pieces into the sack from my previous test. I also attached buckles to the corners. I love the process of how the garment is put on. I played with shadows and the mirrors thinking of self image and trying to “fit in”.
Discomfort: New Approach
During this test, I was impressed with how badly my neck hurt. The most uncomfortable position was the first one pictured below.
I did another experiment where I tried to dictate the movement of my limbs a little more by sewing in gloves and stockings. The idea that I had was that having a “cultural body” has an environmental element as well. I also liked the idea that it was something that we voluntarily step into, whether it is comfortable or not.
I think I’m going to sew it together into a sack shape again. I thought that produced some more interesting shapes. Or I am interested in having friends hold it and drape it around me as I step into it. Then it would illustrate how others might dictate what we do.
The final thing that I’m interested in doing is making something that bends my neck over to show that uncomfortable position.
My Life is Ruined / I Changed my Plans
I had this “super cool” thing planned:
But as I started draping this zero waste look onto the mannequin, it was not communicating ANY of the ideas I explored (a thought confirmed by Benji). So he recommended I start some other tests. I wanted to communicate discomfort and it wasn’t happening at all. I did another experiment which I think was more successful… check next post
Uncomfortable Painting
Today I conducted an experiment painting on a very large scale in a variety of uncomfortable/restricted manners. I have included a video and photos, and I am excited to start cutting the fabric tomorrow.
What I noticed is a clear difference in the types of marks made. For example, the marks of the fabric on the wall had a very different direction and pressure sensitivity than the marks on the floor.
Also, I found it so hard to paint with some of these poses. What created the most discomfort was:
- a limited field of view
- not being able to see my limbs while painting
- having to be bent into uncomfortable positions
- having to balance on one limb
- having to use my toes
Going to research: Jackson Pollock; Uncomfortable ways to cut fabric; straight jackets
10/10/2019: Fashion Group Tutorial & New Plan
-Using the Living Hinges as an environmental device; exploring dimensions outside body
-Make the effects larger with shadows and lights
-explore atmospheric elements
-restrict movement as a part of experiment
-How do people connect with the space around them
I plan to take an area under the stairwell and conduct an experiment. I think I’m going to buy a large bolt of fabric and make a big sheet to put in the environment, and use my body to paint the shadows of the reflected living hinges. I’ll try to restrict movements throughout this experiment.
Is want to experiment with drawing and painting the shadows on a model.
I like the idea of using the body to make the fashion. Perhaps using the painted patterns as a sewing pattern. And in this way I can turn the idea of fashion making the body on its head.
Quotations from FETISH: FASHION, SEX, AND POWER by Valerie Steele (Chapter on Corsetry)
“I am neither for nor against any particular item of clothing- and I am cognizant of the fact that sartorial enthusiasm can have a variety of meanings. (58)
sadomasochism- psychological tendency or sexual practice characterized by both sadism and masochism.
sadism- the tendency to derive pleasure, especially sexual gratification, from inflicting pain, suffering, or humiliation on others
masachism- the tendency to derive pleasure, especially sexual gratification, from one’s own pain or humiliation.
…”Pearl’s idol, Fakir Mustafar, a key figure in the world of body modification, has identified “three basic types of people” who wear corsets today. First there are what he calls the “corset nonconformists,” who want to “change the shape of the body… and realize some kind of aesthetic ideal.” (This is, presumably, the category in which he would place himself.) Second, there are the “corset identificationists,” who associate corsets with felinity and feminine undergarments.” They are not necessarily particularly interested in “sculpting the body” (i.e. tight lacing), “but by wearing the corset they seemed to have a kind of gender transformation.” (He does not say so specifically, but many transvestites fall into this category.) Third are the “corset masochists,” who tight-lace “to create erotic discomfort.” Considerable overlap exists among these categories, and some people do not fit neatly into any one category. There are also, of course, the followers of fashion— fewer today than in the nineteenth century, but not to be discounted.” (63)
Book Presents some interesting ideas about corsetry and its social aspects. I didn’t realize that there were so many niche aspects of corsetry (which is, itself, already a niche). Overall, this was a good read. Steele even does some myth busting when it comes to health, tight lacing, and feminism, which I think, was necessary.
Test # 2 on Suey
For this second test, using up-cycled mens shirts, I tried to create as much discomfort as I could. I also wanted to play with the idea of changing the positioning or stance of the body.
Again, this experiment plays with rearranging the limbs in non-conventional ways. I’m really interested in this idea but I’m a bit stumped on how to push it further and connect it with elements of time and/or permanence.
This afternoon I will be laser cutting the acrylic mirror. I then plain to stain the mirror and use strategic lighting to make beautiful patterns on the human body. I’m a bit nervous to execute this because the project would juxtapose itself. The body would be “glorified” but it would also highlight how the body can be reshaped or formed by fashion. I need to think about how I will capture the elements of time or permanence. This may be a moving image kind of thing//or an arrangement of many images together showing the passage of time. Perhaps I could photograph the final piece in natural/changing lighting as well (although London is not particularly sunny).
Progress Update + Thoughts
Today’s Experiment: I laser cut two living hinge DMC Boards and attached them together. I then experimented with placing it at various points on my body. The first one pictured below really captured by obsession with the illusion because it almost looks like my hand is cut off. I noted that if I do something like this in the future, I would need to consider both sides of the material used. Also, I need to consider scale and shape. IT may have been cool if the end of the board in my hand had increased in size and wrapped around my head or something.
In this following photo I feel like I captured the discomfort; shaping body effect- which I really liked. I definitely need to consider if I even want hinges though. I may just laser cut holes and attach with some kind of twine or something. it might be easier and offer more variety of the way I can attach my pieces.
Samantha's RCA Process 