DENIM
'STUART FRANKLIN, 1996'
- Denim was originally sourced by wool, which used to be a rather sustainable way of production. Now the source has shifted to COTTON.
COTTON HOLDS A MASS AMOUNT OF SUSTAINABLE ISSUES- it requires around 4,000 litres of water to grow the right amount of cotton to produce a pair of jeans. Therefore Denim is now one of the most problematic industries in fast fashion. This to me solidifies I will absolutely use recycled fabric for this project as I don't want to contribute any more.
Selfridges Hot Air: MATERIAL WORLD
Notes on the short clip-
STACEY DOOLEY: confronting the public about fast fashion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOe_M3GutdY
I was looking through the comments of this video and I found this one really intriguing, many people were questioning where the water goes because surely 4,000 litres of water doesn't just get absorbed into a plant. Yes, this is not the case, however the wasted water is then intoxicated and cannot be used for it's normal function.
Denim is a huge contributor to this process - using second hand denim is key in this project and researching into it has shown me why.
Here; Yoshiki cleverly has sliced the denim to reveal a beige colour under, texturally I think this really works. in the context of my work this technique could be really interesting if I sliced the denim in specific patterns to match the silhouette of trees/my journeys, and behind the slits some more elements of information could be revealed.
WEB
When researching the word WEB, most results consisted of images/ information about the internet: this juxtaposition between what I found on my digital detox which was merely nature based and what the internet perceive as the most notable meaning behind a web is really interesting and to me solidifies society is generally consumed with online services rather than nature.
The words which stand out and that I would like to explore in the natural sense are:
MESH LATTICE NETTING
HANNAH BRABON
To me, insect webs and and silk cocoons are extremely textural. Some can be delicate and soft, whereas some (like the caterpillar silk blanket mentioned earlier) are overpowering and texturally very harsh and chaotic. Because of this, it's integral that I consider textures when creating my samples/potential garment. I came across Hannah Brabon on the internet when exploring artists who use texture in an interesting and exciting way.
MONTRI TOEMSOMBAT - COCOON
Montri Toemsobat interest into the skill of caterpillars is something which is strongly conveyed within his work – his installation is far from passive, its grotesque finish is what makes it such a memorable piece. The caterpillars are left to create a nest over a mannequin over a long period time and the finish is truly captivating.
This idea of leaving nature to complete its actions is something which certainly sprung to mind to try myself – I feel I have partly done this by leaving my spiders to create their own webs, of which I will analyse to take shape and form from. If I was going to extend this project I would definitely take a leaf out of Montri's book and use a form like a mannequin or relevant sculpture to allow nests to cover, only as I think it would be visually extremely exciting.
NUMEN
(USING TAPE TO CREATE THESE COCOON LIKE INSTALLATIONS) 2011
Numen is a collective group of artists who work in the field of conceptual art, their work which attracted me most is that of the collections 'TAPE' and 'NET'. Both these collections were as a result of their later work which veered more towards creating objects without a predefined concept. Focusing more on shape, texture and scale which is evident in the photos surrounding this text. Something that really stands out in both installations is the use of tension, I have really tried to reflect this in my samples but am currently finding it quite difficult. I'm thinking of potentially hardening some fabric in this way to mirror this stretch like movement as I think it's visually so impressive.
I looked on MAGNUM PHOTOS, which is a source of vintage and current photos which relate to a certain topic you type in. I searched DENIM in the hope to find out where trends lie, what time period most of the photos came from and who was wearing the denim. It was extremely successful as I felt I was given a insight into what kind of denim was popular, when and who it was worn by.
DENIM DYE:
- Denim used to be made by INDIGO DYED WARP YARN, however now, like sourcing denim, trends have changed drastically due to mass production taking over. SYNTHETIC DYES ARE NOW USED to create the multiple shades of blue, this is massively problematic when denim pieces are thrown away due to contamination of water.
I wanted to familiarise myself further into some of the effects of fast fashion as I am aware Denim is a huge contributor. The facts that I came across in this video honestly shocked me, the fact that a pair of jeans uses 4,000 litres of water minimum when it comes to growing the source. Using recycled denim for the project is a huge priority now I have watched this video, or potentially using a look alike which is less impactful on our environment.
YOSHIKI HISHINUMA
I came across Yoshiki's work in a book in Kings Cross Library which focuses on different ways you can tailor, coat and finish denim. Yoshiki's work particuarly caught my eye due to his interesting use of finish on denim, he almost removes denim's classic qualities such as hard/rough connotations, and instead replaces them with this glittery unique glaze. Manipulating surface is something I definitely want to do when experimenting with where I can push denim, the pattern he has produced could maybe be replicated with spray paint due to the dotted finish.
I then looked further into Yoshiki's denim work, he manipulates it incredibly well to reach a point where the denim is partially unrecognisable - I would like to try doing this in my own style maybe by pulling all the threads out of the seams of denim to be merely left with a frayed piece of fabric.
DIGITAL DETOX
MORE INFO ON CONTEXTUAL PRACTICE:
Ultimately I want to research into the word WEB due to what I came across on my digital detox.
LINKING TO ME: Spider webs/webs are a big fear of mine, FACING THIS.
I started looking into the natural connotations of the word 'WEB'. The daily mail immediately sourced me with this consuming article about a web which caterpillars formed in Northamptonshire over a hedge. The explanation into HOW and WHY this web was created is something which has urged me to look into the process of webbing more as it may be something I can recreate myself with denim.
10's of thousands of caterpillars weave this silk blanket over a series of days in order to protect themselves before they turn into moths.
-Using webbing as a shield? Protection? Oblivion to humans?
Ways I could convey webbing? CREATING LACE, NETTING, KNIT ETC to symbolise a web
TOMAS SARACENO
Saraceno is a sculptor who has been my main point of inspiration artist wise - his work is truly unique and captures the beauty of spider webs which I hope to familiar myself with during this project.
Within this collection he has created sculptures which contain intricate spider webs. These spider webs are weaved by one large spider itself over a long period of time - once the base is done, Saraceno adds a bunch of smaller spiders into the box to add on and develop the weave. I think the finish of these boxes is absolutely fascinating, he removes the stereotypical stigma around spiders/webs which is negative and chilling, and instead replaces it by representing spiders in a talented and beautiful way.
As I am so scared of spiders myself, I hope as I familiarise myself with their actions, and what they produce I will start to see them from a different light. Saraceno has certainly made me do so for now (probably as there is no spiders in the boxes!) I would like to recreate Saraceno's work in different ways, maybe trying to get my own spider to make a web or just zooming into the detail and recreating it through drawing/collage/material.
LOOKING INTO THE IDEA OF CONSUMPTION/CATCHING
After looking into the visual comparisons between cocoons/spider webs, I started looking into the conceptual similarities between the two. This idea of consumption, trapping and covering sprung to mind so I would like to see if there is a way I could convey this visually.
NETS are used to trap things in a very conventional way, I will do some research into WHY and the HISTORY behind netting.