Diaghilev and the Golden Age of the Ballets Russes

Today, after a very interesting lecture with Clare Rose on Orientalism, we went to the V & A to see the new exhibit on the Russian ballet. I was surprised at how big the collection of objects the museum has managed to collect- knowing that costumes, drawings and other amazing information was auctioned all over the world. Throughout the whole exhibit the thing that really kept me occupied was listening to the background music, the amazing classical pieces which really made the costumes on display come alive and you could really imagine the dancers on the stage performing. It was interesting to see how differentcultures were depicted, with the orientals made out to be promiscuous and overtly sexual wearing very revealing dresses and the Russian peasant costumes made of bright silks, which although beautiful would be nothing like reality.There was one Léon Bakst dress which I particularly liked, a pink bodice with a flapper style skirt, which although was designed years ago in Russia for the character of an oriental dancing girl, captures what came to be a very popular European style of dress. If you haven't seen the exhibition I highly recommend it but keep a bottle of water in your bag- you might be in there a while!!

Photography Workshop

Today we had a photography workshop, using the SLR camera's and the equipment which would normally be used on a photo shoot, such as lights, a white backdrop and a tripod. I have never really done much photography so it was really useful to learn how to use a camera properly and control the settings such as aperture and shutter speed. It is quite amazing what you can do with a camera when you take your time and really control the shot, other than just point and shoot. I liked taking pictures of my 3D object by laying my camera on the desk or putting it right against the wall to reveal a much more interesting angle than looking at it front on. Hopefully from now on when i need to photograph a piece of work I will be able to do it professionally to produce interesting images.

Knitting disasters

Today we started knitting and unlike weave, I don't think I've taken to it straight away...

For some reason my knit kept falling off, getting hundreds of holes in it, pieces hooked up to pins they shouldn't and just looking overall very messy!! Nothing like the precise weaves, in lovely straight lines with careful, numerical patterns we've all got used to over the past few weeks... Never mind, guess we'll see if practise makes perfect!

After two weeks of knit I think I've come to terms with it, the sight of a knitting machine isn't making me cry, which is progress and I have made some nice samples, however I don't think it's for me, I don't feel able to translate my ideas and drawings into knit and I think it is something I'd be more likely to take up as a hobby rather than a career.

Loom Love

Weave

Just finished the weave block and I have really enjoyed it, although the first day was hard, learning to use the loom and the patterns and how the blocks work, it has been really good fun and I'm quite proud of what I've made. I even managed to design some of the weaves myself which was very time consuming, but worth it. Hopefully if I choose it, it'll be easier on the mechanic looms than the hand ones, my arms are hurting!

Collecting thiings, collecting people Exhibit

I really enjoyed the visit to the South African Gallery at the British museum and found Clare Rose to bevery interesting and offer more insight into artefacts which I usually wouldn't look at. In the museum it was interesting to see how the African artefacts were displayed. Africa has long been considered a secondary nation, with an uncultured and uncivilised population due to their lack of industrialisation during the industrialisation of Europe. This led to the British taking over African and Indian nations during the 1850's as they felt they they were the superior race and the native people were less evolved and primitive in comparison. As this view still prevails to a certain extent many of the artefacts were displayed out of their natural context and made into more modern displays.

This display is a selection of tablets from the Nigerian colony of Benin, even though the tablets are carved with warrior figures and were origina

lly on display in the royal palace of Benin, the tablets displayed in a grid like structure, backlit with bright white light, it puts them in a new context so they l

ook more like a work of art then the work of a 'primitive and warrior nation'.

A display such as this of ivory figurines is more traditional and as the objects are displayed in the cabinet, behind glass, they look more like artefacts. As a result they are depicted as objects which have been collected from the African nations and brought back because they resemble some aspect of the African culture. As these ivory carvings display men with spears, when looked at the view the Africans are native and fighters is reinforced and the beautiful and intricate carving becomes secondary.

I thought the Living and Dying exhibition was very interesting, offering views on different peoples attitudes towards sickness and using medication for well being. The piece by Pharmacopeia "cradle to grave' was the story of a mans life in objects and medication. There are photos, birth records, school reports, food,

objects and most importantly all the medication he had had to take, such as injections for diabetes, an inhaler and drugs given during the mans times in hospital . The objects were lined up against a long line of pills which represent all the painkillers and other drugs the man had taken throughout his life and shown in such a long line along with the objects it was quite revealing how dependant we are on drugs to help and basically save our lives.

To symbolise how I think about life today I would possibly choose objects which represent our culture today, such as a laptop, ipod, Blackberry phone or a page from Facebook. I think the age of consumerism is also important so I may choose objects from Primark, endless shopping carrier bags, or maybe food items such as MacDonald's wrappers to represent the fast food generation. This is very different to how my Grandparents would have symbolised life as they may have used objects like ration books, spades and gardening equipment and washing equipment as they were growing up in war torn Britain and had much harder lives. The objects would probably be more personal as they would have been passed on through generations, and not part of the use it once and throw it away generation we live in.

Science Museum and Trash Fashion Exhibit

The Trash Fashion exhibit really opened my eyes to just how wasteful the textile industry really is and how the consumer society we live in is only promoting this and extending the environmental impact of the industry on the environment. Every year more than 1 million tons of textiles end up in landfill- either from industry where wasteful pattern lays mean that 15% of the fabric is thrown on the floor and wasted, from shops which have to guess sizes and shapes of their consumer and end up burning or throwing away many clothes which are unsold, or from people and customers who throw away on average 26 items of clothing a year. This all results in a lot of waste which takes years to decay and an irreversible impact on the environment.

When fabrics are dyed if not done carefully then the 70+ toxic chemicals can run into the water supply and leave it contaminated, which destroys the environment and makes it unsafe for human consumption.

Donna Sgro

In answer to this problem Sgro has created Morphotex. This is a fabric which appears as if it has been dyed, however really the fabric was developed to mimic nature by copying the structure of the morpho butterfly so the colourless fabric reflects the light and seems to shimmer and glow. I think this fabric is really beautiful and could have many uses in the high end fashion markets because of the finish the material has.

Kate Goldsworthy

Polyester garments can actually be easily recycled however once any dyes and finishes are added to them they are impossible to break down. To overcome this problem Goldsworthy has used a laser to effect the surface of the dress. This process allows her to decorate, cut, join and create pattern and texture on the fabric without the need of polluting chemicals and dyes therefore the garment can be recycled once it is finished with.

One main problem of the textiles industry is the biodegradability of materials as synthetic fibre's take centuries to degrade however although natural fibres may biodegrade a lot faster, they also release methane which contributes to global warming.

David Andersen

In response to this a plastic form called PLA (Polylactic Acid) has been developed from plants such as corn, wheat and sugar cane or beet which breaks down naturally and doesn't pollute as it degrades. Not only is this material made from a renewable and sustainable source which doesn't have a negative environmental effect, it can also be broken down and recycled. There could be an impact on the environment with growing more crops, however there are areas of the world where hundreds of tons of food ends up as waste and this would be perfect to use. This dress shows how plastic,

which would usually not be considered a fashionable material, can be used to make beautiful creations which could be worn to any special occasion.

There is a growing need to create clothes which people love and will wear for longer as they don't want to throw them away. This does mean making clothes more expensive however through using 3D technology to create a garment which is designed specifically to fit you, but this would mean less waste fabric and less waste from the consumer culture.

Challenge of Materials Gallery

Materials I liked the texture and appearance of or had never seen before.

Polytheme Foam- (Black squishy material) Has good chemical resistance, it doesn't corrode and has good dynamic properties. Is commonly used in cushion packaging, car seals, life jackets, body protection and helmet liners.

Linen- (Soft green fabric) Natural fibre made from flax. It is the oldest vegetable fibre with samples recovered from ancient Egypt 3500 years old. Phoenician traders used to market the fabric in the Mediterranean ports to be worn by Greek, egyptian and Jewish priests as a sign of purity.

Wood Cement- (Web like structure, hard, bone coloured material) Made from long fibres of seasoned softwood timber which is coated in Portland cement and bonded under pressure to form strong boards or slabs. It has good structural, acoustic and thermal properties and is fire resistant. It is used in soundproofing radio, TV and film studios and cinemas.

• Rubber- (Material which looks like wood but is squishy) Natural material produced mostly in Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia where a mature tree can yield 3kg of rubber a year however this is increased through cloning. The raw material is mixed with acid to create sheets.

Rough Guide Theory Task

I was investigating the nice posh area of London, Dover Street, Bond Street and Picadilly and I had focused my drawing and enquiry into flowers in the area, not only real flowers, but also flower shapes in architecture, on posters, in windows and anywhere in the area I could find them! Continuing with this theme I decided to choose 3 items with imagery of flowers and I visited the David Tempest Gallery on Saint James Street, Fortnum and Mason's, and a London Souvenirs stall where I looked at water colour paintings, a biscuit tin and a keyring respectively

I chose 2 watercolor paintings from the David Tempest Gallery to look at. Each one was a print reproduction of the original and framed very simply in black frames. The slogans were quite witty and the paintings were accurate cartoon drawings even if they were simple. The pieces were all cartoons don't make use of shade or tone with the paint to create a 3d effect, they are all very flat, but this is the appearance the artist is trying to achieve. When I see these objects I can imagine them in a young bachelors hallway or a young couples house in a set, or maybe a son or daughter buying for one of their parents who was into gardening. I don't think they are fine artworks and wouldn't take pride of place above a mantle place however the person buying them must have some money as they are expensive for just prints and the gallery is in a very posh area where the customer would have to shop and browse art galleries.

Painting 1- Closing down the garden for winter: Painted in 1959 and first published in Country life magazine 22nd November 2007- £900

Painting 2- I know I said I was only going to look...: Painted in 1956 and first published in Country life magazine 3rd April 2008- £900

I then went to the department store Fortnum and Mason and found these Rose biscuits. They were £7 for a 350g aluminum tin of the rose flavored biscuits. The bright pink tins were quite light and very nicely embossed with a rose flower pattern on the front in a gold/pink color with a darker pink/purple outline. On the back of the tin was the writing “Violets are blue, Roses are red, These little biscuits, Just go to ones head” in white italic writing, then underneath that were listed the biscuits ingredients in gold, which read, “Wheat flour, salted butter (20%) (butterfat, water, salt), sugar, ground almonds (11%), rose petals (2%), natural rose petals, gum, flavoring, color: carmine, natural flavor: rose water” and underneath that, again in gold writing read “Allergen advice, contains nuts, cows milk, wheat and gluten” and then the storage advice “Store in a cool, dry place” then underneath that was the barcode. The biscuits also had a black sticker on the tin saying they has won a Great Taste Award.

I think this object is the sort of thing a tourist would take back for their family when visiting London and the iconic shop. As the store is a very high end store many of the items sold are extremely expensive and this is a lower price someone could afford to buy a nice looking and tasting gift for a female relative. The tin is very nicely decorated and they do display the stores name and a nice souvenir item, however they could also be bought by someone who has the money to shop regularly in the store to get out at a dinner party, or have out as nibbles at a special occasion or even just bought to eat on an everyday basis, although i think the price of the biscuits and the decorated tin would leave this prospect open to only the richest!

For the object from a market I chose a keyring from a London souvenirs stall on the roadside near Picadilly. The keyring was made in china from metal and doubles up as a bottle opener. It cost £3, however two could be bought for £5. On the keyring is a raised area with a picture of a red and green rose and the text England underneath. The keyring is only very cheap and quite tacky looking and would possibly be bought by a child who wants to buy a friend a present from London, or as a joke present for someone who supports england rugby as the red rose is on the england team shirts. i think it would be given more to a male than a female because it is a bottle opener and stereotypically men are more likely to drink from bottles of beer.

If any of these objects were put into a different context I think they would appear inappropriate or aimed at the wrong audience. The witty cartoons would be the right price point to sell at Fortnum’s however most of the art in there was a much higher price and much more classical in style with traditional images of hunting scenes, portraits and flower and food scenes. If they were on the market stall the humor would be appropriate for the everyday customer however they are far too expensive and a person passing a market stall would probably not know the artist or have the time to browse lots of watercolor prints.

If the biscuits were sold on the stall they would be the right sort of item- a tourist souvenir, however they are far too expensive and nicely decorated to be sold on the stall. They are also made with quality ingredients such as real rose petals which does make them worth their money and this quality would probably not be sold on a souvenir stall where you are more likely to find cheap chocolates. They are also the wrong type of for a high end art gallery to sell. The keyring would also be inappropriate to be sold in the gallery or the department store because of the cheap materials and design. In the gallery there were key rings and bottle openers however they were made from strong metal in a classic design with engraved slogans and in Fortnum’s I would imagine the objects they sold been of a much higher quality because the store retail to a higher end market and standard of customer who is willing to pay more for quality, not just a cheap souvenir.