Final Project - Initial Research

My idea for my FMP is based around pleasing the human senses. I would like to design and make a costume piece for dance that satisfies more than just the eyes. There is so much scope in terms of finding new and innovative ways of making something that is aesthetic to the ears, nose and hands as well as the eyes.

Here is a few sketchbook pages of my initial research and from my research week in Paris.

I went looking round charity shops and picked up anything I could find that made sounds. I wanted to find things that wouldn't obviously make sound. Examples of these were: a lampshade, glass beads, a badmiton racket, forks etc. Above is an example of drawing with the objects I found eg. a fork with acrylic ink.

Magazine research into images that typically smell nice.

Magazine research into images that typically feel nice. Hair is something that is always advertised as being 'soft if you buy this conditioner' etc. There is some sort of unnatural obsession with having soft and shiny hair.

Inspiration from French architecture and colour for costume for dance.

Inspiration from French architecture and colour for costume for dance.

Inspiration from French architecture and colour for costume for dance.

Inspiration from French architecture and colour for costume for dance.

Inspiration from French architecture and colour for costume for dance. Looking at texture as well.

Designing using images that subconciously say to the eye that they smell nice.

A collection of perfume samples from Paris woven together. This page smells lovely!

A sense of place

For this project I was given a location and through primary research such as photography, drawing and textile work I recorded the location. The idea of this research was to investigate new and innovative shape, pattern, texture and colour combination.

From this research I took an interest in the amount of fences around. I loved the shapes they created when looking at them from different perspectives. But more importantly I was interested in what they symbolised. On one hand, one might look at them as symbolising feeling trapped and controlled as they are a way of keeping something in like animals. On the other hand they could symbolise security and protection which represents motherly behaviour.

I took this analysis and related it to the story 'One Flew over the Cuckoo Nest' by Ken Kesey. The link between the patient's feelings and the fence analysis are quite similar so I decided to design a uniform that the mental patients would wear in the hospital inspired by fences.

Deconstruct Reconstruct Sketchbook work

Here are a few samples of my sketchbook work of my Deconstruct Reconstruct project.

The project was to take apart an object and reconstruct it into a Fashion, Costume or Textiles piece. I chose video tapes as they are part of the 'throw-away' industry so I felt they would be the perfect object to make into something new!

After lots of research I decided to design a costume for the Evil Queen from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (one of the video tapes I had).

Primary Research

Primary Research

Primary Research

Primary Research - working with repetitive line

Secondary Research: History of Snow White
Costume Designer - Colleen Atwood

Experimenting on the mannequin

Costume illustrations