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Concluding the module

To conclude this module, I would have to say that this was one of my most favourable modules, as I felt that given the skills, techniques and processes I have been taught throughout the previous modules I was confident and excited to express this through my final signature project. This module has also allowed me to be independent of my own ideas and outcomes. Given that my concept was based around contemporary dance and the formation of movement and that concept being something I am truly passionate about, completing this module almost feels saddening. 

Furthermore, gathering research both primary and secondary in the initial stages of the module was also something that excited and motivated me, as I was researching, going to dance shows, spending more time dancing and understanding movement. Throughout this module, I was also given many opportunities in my personal dance life as I was showing more commitment and interest in dance garments, formations, routines and metaphorical aspects of dance. This has in turn led me to doing an internship with a dance company over the summer in London, which I am fortunate to have got. Taking this passion and developing it into a concept was an ambitious and experimental decision and I have enjoyed learning how to push this concept. 

However, there are areas that I could have improved on which would have given my work more indepth validity and character. This could have been to show elements of dance digitally, via a video or short film to signify contemporary dance and to explore movement in a more majestic formation. Also, by using more advanced CAD skills to create a zine or lookbook to go alongside my boards, by doing this I feel I would have a much larger quantity to showcase.

Overall, I have thoroughly enjoyed this module as well as being taught skills by my tutors which have helped me to develop work at a professional standard, that I can now take on to my BA course in the next term. Having this deep foundation of knowledge that has been showered over me throughout the modules has also taught me immensely about the fashion industry and conducting professional and high standards of work. I am excited that I can take what I have learnt from this module and my previous modules further next year.

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My finalised Boards

Board 1

This Board explains the narrative to my concept and the explanation of dance and movement. Personally, I feel as though this is my favourite board out of the four. The board is a representation of how movement can be captured in various ways, simply by the way ones bodily formation stands, objects, fixtures and even in the industry of fashion by looking at how a garment is designed to signify fluidity and movement. I especially like the aesthetic of this layout and feel as though the images are powerful and encapsulating to visually engage the audience. 

Board 2

The second board is a simple visually explanation of the colour palette i have incorporated throughout my boards. As mentioned in previous posts I have kept the concept of pastel and pantone’s throughout as I felt the colours could be used beautifully against one another. The layout of this board is the most simplest out of the four as without over complicating the aesthetic it is just meant to highlight the key colours used.

Board 3

The third board expresses the significant shapes used throughout movement, looking into how certain shapes can reflect and connote significant meanings. Some shapes represent how the body moves in certain positions within contemporary dance and others by how simply looking at what is around us, such as nature we can identify movement within those subtle personalities too. By cutting out and tracing over images with structure and bold shapes and setting them as backgrounds, it adds to the effect of a visual layout which in turn is reinforcing key shapes.

Board 4

My final board is about fabrics and how these fabrics are used within the construction and designing of contemporary dance wear. With this variety of fabrics that I have put together it shows how industrial and diverse the garments can when using each of these fabrics to make a costume of commercial piece of dance wear. The aesthetic of this board is slightly different as I have included an illustration in it. It may seem insignificant and divert away from the layout, however I feel it was necessary to show how the fabrics can be used against a illustrative design of a garment. 

To develop my boards I could have created a diverse range which would allow for a more in-depth outcome, which in turn could create more dimension and quantity to my overall concept. Furthermore, in a longer time frame, I would have created additional features to convey my concept more efficiently such as a personal video conveying contemporary dance or a lookbook to share a visually pleasing aesthetic of movement.

Overall, I am pleased with the outcome of my boards and feel as though they communicate what I endeavored to deliver. Each board is diverse and different, as well as having a different meaning and purpose, which I personally feel engages the individual. Overall, I am pleased with the outcome of my boards and feel as though they communicate what I endeavored to deliver. Each board is diverse and different, as well as having a different meaning and purpose, which I personally feel engages the individual.

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Amendements

For the outcome of this page I was given some advice to remove the larger illustration that sat center of the fabric page. I agree with this change and feel as though the illustration diverted away from the layout of my boards and this wa salso mentioned to me by Louise when my work was being reviewed. Although the illustrations that were done for my work are artistically nice, I feel that they do not fit the aesthetic of the board and create a lack of professionalism. Therefore, to develop this board I have taken the illustrations away and will enhance the large image in the top corner. 

A further development to the board could be to highlight the types of fabrics that I have used. As I have mentioned on the colour palette page the different  pantone colours and their codes, the same strategy and layout I will use for my fabric’s board.

The outcome of this Board is a lot better and consists of a more professional approach that still communicates the same layout as all of my boards. The illustrations that were used completely changed the outlook of my boards and created an artistic persona, when I am trying to maintain a sophisticated business aesthetic to the images and layout, thus this layout works a lot better for my concept.

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Illustrations added to the fabric board.

The illustrations that I previously spoke about have now been added to my fabric board. In relation to the images, I have taken away the images of the small illustrations of the garment as I felt it overpowered the board as the boxes were very prominently white ad this took away some of the focus. With the illustrations I cut out parts of the fabric I used for my forecast and stuck them onto the illustration that was drawn. This was to show how the use of the fabrics I have chosen can be used functionally on a garment. 

However, I am not decided if the  illustrations are needed as I already have an illustrated image to signify the fabric choices. I like certain aspects of the board, I have a slight query as to whether the illustration is vital for the board as it is so prominent in white colour that it takes focus of the board. I am however open to amendments and constructive criticisms that can improve ans develop this board further.  

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Improvements for the fabric board

A simple amendment I was asked to add to my board was incorporating net as it is a relevant fabric used within contemporary dance. I strongly agree and even though it is not a big change to the board it is a necessary change that will in turn help the board communicate the use of fabrics that are incorporated in dance. 

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Fabric Board

My vision for this board is to create a range of exemplar fabrics that would be used in as part of the trend I am focusing on. The fabrics that I have focused on and have started to collate range from satin, georgette, thick and thin mesh/net, silk and few pieces of cotton. I chose to use these fabrics as part of my board simply from experience and what I see dancers wearing. As well as this, when I was researching into fabrics I was aware that many of the fabrics are similar to the fabrics mentioned above. Therefore, from finding scrap fabrics and visiting fabric shops I have collated a range to use as part of my board.

For this board I want to keep the aesthetics similar to the previous boards as it is part of my overall layout. I created some mark makings (that have been posted previously), which I will edit onto the board. Although the mark making do not serve purpose to the fabrics, it creates dimension on the board which I felt has worked nicely on some of the other boards, therefore it is just the matter if preference that I feel will enhance the aesthetics. 

As mentioned above I have included some mark makings that were simply edited on Photoshop and along side have added some images to illustrate some of the garments and their fabric properties. As understandable, It is not a clear indication as to what fabric is used in the image, but it is a satin fabric infused with lycra. The alternative two images are a guideline of how the fabrics and garments are constructed.

The fabric palette:

I have now added my fabrics onto the board. After layering them together and editing them on Photoshop. As part of the fabric’s I have used, I have tried very hard to find the exact colours or colours near enough to resemble my colour palette. Going for a combination of nude and pastel colours as well as the dark burgundy colour that have all been used on my colour palette board, I constructed my fabrics in a layering format. I tried many layouts regarding how I wanted the fabrics to be presented, but could not find an aesthetic that worked with the visual interpretation I wanted. Therefore, using this layering method from a sample I found on WGSN, I recreated the same layout with my own fabrics. 

The next step that I want to do in order to make the board better is to add an illustration that whereby I can then infuse some of the fabrics I have used above within the illustration. By doing this I feel that it will easily and more effectively communicate to the audience how the fabrics can be used on the garment. 

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Dior Poison Club (Official) This post is in relation to my previous post on the article that explains how fashion has joined...

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Dance and Fashion joining forces

For decades dance has been featured in fashion and has made so many remarkable and iconic moments. For example Coco Chanel launched a line back in the 20th century that was inspired by ballet dancers. An article referenced below states all the designers who have used dance as an inspiration for their collections, some of the designers’ collections have been monumental and will always be remembered. One designer that embraced dance with some much expression was Dior, the Youtube video  “Poison Club Dance Battle” which was filmed when launching the brand’s new Poison Girl fragrance. The article states how “fashion has taken to dance with new enthusiasm”.

“The coupling of fashion and dance is by no means a new phenomenon. The two metiers have a long and storied relationship, stretching back at least to the beginning of the 20th century”.

In the article a designer called Hussein Chalayan stated  “Any designer or person that works around the body, I would find it abnormal if they’re not interested in dance, because that’s the body in movement,” Chalayan says. “The interest in it is so intrinsic and pivotal, that I can’t separate the two, because what you wear could accentuate or restrict or enhance or expand movement.” To me that summarises why dance and fashion are combined together and why dance is playing a more prominent role in fashion today. 

Article by HELENA PIKE MARCH 3, 2017

https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/intelligence/fashions-dalliance-with-dance 

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Critical thinking

Whilst progressing on my outcome, I was advised to also look deeper into dance and the impact of it today. From researching into this concept and being shown articles that I felt needed to be addressed I came across an article by the Guardian, which I thought was interesting.

 The article stated  “The English Baccalaureate (EBacc), a league table measure introduced in 2011 by the government, only judges schools on the number of students that take up maths, english and science, a foreign language and either history or geography at GCSE. This has resulted in many schools having to prioritise traditional academic subjects over the creative arts. A reduction to school funding has also forced schools to make cuts to the curriculum with fewer creative subjects being offered. Ministers have said they want to see 90% of students taking the EBacc, which does not include any arts or design and technology subjects by 2025.As a result, over the past 5 years the number of young people taking art, design and technology subjects at GCSE has fallen by 33%. Performing arts GCSE entries has fallen by 26%, while media, film and TV studies entries have dropped by 22% and drama entries are down 14%”.

Another statement that was provided by an artist name Jeremy Deller who had recently been in a new flagship academy at a meeting held in a room full of mirrors. He asked “what’s this” and was told the school had got rid of its dance teacher and now used the dance room for exams. “What a terrible thing for young people, what an incredible waste,” he said He further added  “This means that young people are being deprived of opportunities for personal development in the fields of self-expression, sociability, imagination and creativity,” The Guardian, 2018

This article and the statements given were very disheartening to read as I personally feel that this is one of the worst decisions the government could have made in relation to education. Students need a forum to be self-expressive whether that be drawing, performing arts, music or any artistic subjects. Personally if I was the one making the decision, I would strongly agree that dance and music especially allow people to feel part of a community as well as it being a way for some to express their emotions. 

In today’s society the pressure for students is increasing day by day and they are put under so much stress which is the reason why mental illnesses are on the rise. They are constantly pressured to compete and to have the best grades, when it is not the sole priority that makes or breaks a person’s life. Therefore, I feel these creative and artistic subjects shouldn’t be taken away and should still be allowed in schools for the most beneficial of uses.

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Key shapes Board

This Board is focused on the key shapes associated within movement of contemporary dance. This page is focused on certain shapes within ones bodily formations, shapes from inspiration of my research and designer influences. In relation to designer influences I have focused on how certain garments have specific shapes as well as looking at how illustrations can convey a sense of shape and structure. 

1)

This is my initial first stages on what I have started on, the image on the bottom left is of a ceiling in the studio I dance in. This made me think of certain shapes and layering of movement. From this, I used the polygon tool to cut out certain shapes from that image and changed the colour and opacity to create a background. As of yet I have not established whether this would work against my images but as I develop my page I will be able to understand if I can contrast these shapes against certain images.

2)

The second stage of developing this page was adding some more imagery, whilst maintaining and sticking to the layout I have chosen. The image of both dancers at the bottom works well with the background I cut out using the polygon tool from the images. I chose to use this image as the shape of the arms were very precise and blended effectively against the background shape. Furthermore, that image is from the Dior collection that was inspired by dance. This shows how the trend I am trying to expand on is simple, elegant and can be taken so much further in a fashion aspect. The other images have certain qualities that can show the different formations of contemporary dance and certain movements of the body. For example the top right picture shows is flexible and mimics the flow of the matieral around the body. I feel that these prominent and key shapes are also what can add to the trend. 

3)

The final part of the board was just adding some more images and text to help the board receive the point across and to make it an obvious statement that the board is related to shapes. The text stating “ocean of movement” was taken from the interviews I conducted and the text at the bottom is a subtle title, but I am undecided as to whether that text is necessary or I need more text to support the aesthetics. Furthermore I am not sure what more to add to this board and feel as though I have come to a slight closed road as I want it to be impactful but not too overpowering, as sometimes simple is better. However, I have asked for some feedback and thus from this I will either amend or conclude this page and start on my final board which is situated around fabrics. 

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Finalised Narrative Board

The finalised board for my narrative explaining movement in contemporary dance. I am pleased with this board and have to say that it is my favourite out of what I have created so far. This is because I feel it comes together with the use of images and background layout. However, creating the splashes of paint that I have infused in the background, was the most difficult as it required a lot of patience and was a very intricate process, but was finally achieved. 

Furthermore, I edited some images to create layering effects resembling movement and glitching certain images. The images were also individually edited and worked to achieve the desired outcome I wanted. I wanted each image to be powerful and effective and I think it has been achieved in this board. The text is the one thing that I am not 100% sure of, I think this due to the placement of text or the font, but I feel something may be missing. The text was taken from the interviews I conducted earlier on in the module asking what movement means in the form of dance. That was one of the responses that I got so I thought I would embed that on to the board to create a personalised feel toward the page. 

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Narrative Board

I have started this board with the intention of conveying my narrative. Therefore, the images related to this board will consist of designer influence, primary images and imagery that sets the tone for dance and movement. I want this page to be impactful and the the most significant out of the four boards I am creating.

I have started this board with the same consistent background that I used in  my colour palette page, this background is something I have chosen to embed throughout all of my boards. Furthermore, along the lines of maintaining consistency I have chosen to have each of the images on my four boards with white frames around them. I feel as though it gives the images some dimension and contrasts with providing the board with space, which overall helps with the flow of my layout. Some of the images such as the bottom right corner have been saturated with colours from my colour palette. From the help of Natalie, I was advised that this still embeds elements of my colour palette as well as giving each image a different feel as the board is already quite dark with its imagery.

This board can be improved a lot further as I want it to convey a visually powerful interpretation of my concept. To develop and enhance the aesthetics of this board I will Photoshop images of paint splashes in the background, as I personally feel it will give the board definition. As well as this having some text to define the the role of movement within contemporary dance. In addition to improving the board, the images can be manipulated with more sophistication rather than simple images with boarders. Having learnt more from Photoshop as I have progressed onto each module, I have been able to learn new techniques associated with editing and manipulating images, which would be a shame to not showcase through my final project to reach the best outcome I can.

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Finalised colour palette board

I showed my first board in relation to my colour palette to Louise and Natalie and overall they were pleased with the layout and the content. However, I was given some minor amendments as to how I can make the aesthetics of my board a little better so that it maintains professionalism and sophisticated structure. Therefore I have updated my colour palette page since the previous post I uploaded regarding the board.

From the previous board I was told that the images were to close together and the board had no space for the images to breath and be effective against the layout. To add, some of the images such as the image of the leaf was suggested to be too prominent and took the focus away from the content of the page. Therefore, not making it such a focal feature on the board, I have blurred it off and created boxed frames for each image to sit in. I feel as though this gives the board more space and and the advice I was given was for sure beneficial and has worked effectively in enhancing the page. Furthermore, I was told that some images related to the colour palette had no relevancy and thus I took them off or replaced them to fit the criteria and sustain the aesthetics of the board.

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Setting my brief

Back tracking to the start of this module, Myself and peers were told that as part of our concept we needed to set our own brief’s. I was confused as to where to start with this as I wanted to make my brief impactful, yet still maintaining a sophisticated tone. Answering a strict set of guided questions that needed to be answered within the brief I embarked upon critically thinking about what message I wanted to communicate through my concept as well as combining my passion for dance I started to write my brief. 

Setting my title, introduction and vision of my brief:

How I am going to achieve elements of my brief:

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Photoshoot

A couple of weeks ago after dance rehearsals, I was fortunate to gain help from one of my friends who conducted a photoshoot that I am using in my concept. My friend has had years of experience within photography and she knows all the tricks of the camera. Therefore, when I told her how I wanted some images to look, she told me what would work and what wouldn’t work in the space provided.

 I thought about this shoot prior before it happened and wrote down what I wanted to gain from it, how I wanted my images to look and also the setting of where these images were taken. I mentioned to the girls I dance with wha my concept is and showed them some examples of how I wanted the images to look and just like that they helped me to achieve the looks I wanted. I used a studio that I dance in as I know the atmosphere and so did the dancers that were used in the shoot. Having a dark background clashed with the outfits, which is what I like most as the dancers had light hair and very prominent features which contrasted effectively when looking back. We also managed to get some big blow fans as a way of making static images consist of elements of movement, this didn’t start well as we didn’t know how to adjust settings and had trouble with it interfering with the noise. Subsequently, we managed to get help and we got back on track. Furthermore, when it came to edited the images I simply used Instagram to apply some subtle filters and background markings to divert away from the sleek and contoured look.

I did encounter some difficulties when preparing for the photoshoot. The aim was to have garments that also related to my fabric forecast that I have used within my boards. However, the quality of the garments I was going to use from the different costume departments were not of a high standard and some did not fit the dancers. This delayed us as we only had access to the studio for a few hours. Myself and friends dealt with this efficiently as my friends already had dark lycra shorts on under their dresses, and tops bralets and sports trousers were brought from a H&M that was luckily close by. Overall, I had a lot of fun doing this photoshoot with my friends as it was familiar and comfortable and we were able to have a laugh as well as still working professionally. 

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Stella McCartney for sustainable performance wear.

Even though Stella McCartney does not specifically focus on dance wear she has in the past few years endorsed the idea of sustainability throughout her collections. When looking on her website and her collaboration with Adidas for performance wear, she has put some much valuable consideration into the fabrics she has chosen and the history of how these fabrics have been made and naturally extracted.

On her website she talks about the manufacturing of her fabrics and why certain natural products have more quality than those fabrics made by manufacturers in warehouses. For example organic cotton is used in performance wear, even though it is rich and can be heavy the amount used and extracted is ergonomically taken so that the cotton is still breathable and comfortable to actively move in.

The materials used in the active wear range that McCartney designed when collaborating with Adidas, 70% were made from polyamide which is made from reacting carbon-based found in heated environments. This new and innovative material is used more commonly in sport and athletic practices as it is breathable and has been approved as sustainable. 

These materials can also be used by contemporary dancers in a more aesthetically pleasing way. I feel this new inspiration of using sustainable and scientific fabrics is changing the dynamics of performance and active wear so that it is more comfortable for dancers, durable and environmentally friendly.

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Investigating further into fabrics

ai-Dee Dancewear is for women who embrace the beauty found in simplicity and the artistry of nuance. Our eco-friendly leotards are designed with clean lines and crafted from high-performance fabrics to support and showcase the artist within. I realised looking back at one of my posts that when I was discussing the new and innovative fabrics I did not extend my research in a way that would benefit my chosen concept. To add, as I have been researching so many other fabrics related to sustainability, science and fabric technology used by designers have come to my attention. Therefore, I am going to extend on my previous post on fabric technology related to contemporary dance wear. This was also feedback that was given to me by my tutors as a way of further critically analysing fabrics.

Some research that I came across was by an upcoming designer Kathrine Hartsell who is the founder of the brand Jai-Dee , who specialises in dance and performance wear. On the brands website, their ethos clearly explains the innovative and economically friendly way of how their costumes are produced and the concept behind it. 

I was intrigued as to what materials this designer has used within performance wear. When taking a further look at her work one thing that kept standing out to me was the idea of how this designer/brand focus so deeply on sustainability and creating garments that contribute to bettering our environment. The brand uses 100% recycled materials that range from plastic, carbon fibres, ocean and sea waste, paper and many more valuable materials. They have produced leotards from all of the materials stated above and have done this by continuously sourcing every bit of material that can be recycled and then manipulated in a natural and hand made way to have a finished item of clothing for their own customers, who are also their students of dance that help in promoting the brand by wearing their ethos.

The recycled materials that they use are one; not only beneficial and sustainable for our environment, but they have also been proven to last longer than lycra material which is what most contemporary dance and performance wear is made from. Lycra has a way of tearing as even though it moulds so nicely and effectively to ones body it does not have the strength or the durability to sustain high impact movement. 

Leotards made from 100% recycled materials by the brand: