Off the Top of your Head

Post-Modern Millinery 

Concept- Cliches based on the post modern tendency towards a short cultural memory and our lack of awareness for how things originated and what they really mean. We take cliches to heart and spew them out at every opportunity. 

I was interested in how unavoidable a hat is, both to the wearer and the observer. The extra weight or height or anything covering your face changes the way you stand, wearing something big and/or bold instantly draws attention to you.    

Iago's soliloquy in Othello, the first known use of the phrase to "wear my heart upon my sleeve". To wear your heart on your sleeve is to be wholly open with your feelings but Iago uses this trait to deceive and manipulate by feigning trustworthiness. I wanted to express these conflicting ideas with bright, in-you-face colors and some form of mask hiding true intent.    

Plastic - man made, transparent (mostly), water tight, air tight (chocking) 

Confetti - Showering others with love, fake, unintentional, celebration

Tracy Emin neon sign - brash, uncompromising

Final designs: 

                 Rose Tinted Glasses                                             Thorn in My Side                                                      

Project Brief

OFF THE TOP OF YOUR HEAD: postmodern millinery.

Design THREE hats on a postmodern theme.

For inspiration, you should research THREE of the following: a postmodern architect, a postmodern artist, a postmodern poet (or writer), a postmodern music composer, a postmodern chef or a postmodern film director.

 

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Modernist Personae

project brief

project brief:

Modernist personae: a ballet

In conjunction with Context lectures (Mondays) and Context seminars (Tuesdays), you are asked to develop a character or persona based on your researches in to early 20th century cultural history (the period of Modernism, considered in the lecture series to run from 1914, the onset of the First World War, to 1939, the onset of the Second World War). The persona, or character, should be developed in response to the research you undertake and explore in relation to the lecture series and your seminars. You are asked to think about the character's history, age, sex, personal narrative, appearance, dress, employment, patterns of consumption. Having developed this character, you are asked to develop a further 4 personae or characters, related in some way to your central character. You should develop them, like your central character, in ways related to your study of modernist history. To help you along, you should consider a piece of music which might be used in a ballet or dance, based on these characters. Your choice of music should also be related to your researches and should be from this period. It might be a piece of modern 'classical' music - or a selection of more popular music. The period under study saw significant developments in ways of spreading the reach of both classical and popular music. Radio broadcasting, cinema and gramophone recordings all helped the rapid spread of popular songs and music. There were lots of experiments too in the realm of 'classical' music - with innovative composers such as Stravinsky, Schoenberg, Webern, Berg and many others.  The clothing research you carry out should be related to the period and the characters you are developing, and should consider the clothing fashions of the period for both men and women. Your final grouping of personae should contain at least one male character. While your research should be attentive to the realities of dress in this period, you are free to explore, extend, heighten and exaggerate the design of the final costumes which should reflect the line of enquiry taken by your personal response to the Modernist research.

Work required: research and developmental sketchbook work for one central figure and four related characters. 5 final costume illustrations,in colour, with fabric samples and technical drawings to support your design sheets.