Surveys, Hangers and labels

On clothing

Thinking about the use of 2nd hand clothing,  and it was suggested that by using it it would cancel out the fact that thay were made in a sweat shop. I do not believe this to be a fact, let me use an example.  To skin a tiger for its fur would be considered unethical but buying it second hand doesn't change the way in which it was created.  If a 11 year old girl is beaten after a 12 hour shift for not producing enough or not meeting her quota, and is in tear and pain to create your garment,  buying it 2nd hand is not going to change that fact.

Vacuum forming with lettering

The idea behind this was to create a wall of transparent company logos that are known to be unethical in the manufacturing of their products.  Behind the wall of brands I would have prehaps a siloet(s) of a child working behind sewing machine. This would allow the public to think of the people behind the brands.

Label templates

Labelling

I am curious of how much the public look at labeling.  I know with food it is a major part of it as it gives info if it is organic, battery farmed,   free range, corn fead, fair trade and even has country of origin and where it was packaged. I know too that there are laws and regulations that are back by government to make sure this happens.  But I believe that this is because it is in the news alot and we have been trained through the media to look for these things. However with clothing it is different as I believe we look mostly at the style, fabric, colour,  then we look at the designer labels and price tag, and then on to size. I have never looked at the labeling in a shop for any more than that and I am sure I am not the only one.  When it comes home the labels are then thrown in to the bin, and the internal label is only looked at when it's time to wash it. It's usually at this point that some labels say where they are made.  I think it is really about re- educating the public in to looking at labelling,  however none of this matters as there are no laws stating that the ethics behind the production has to be shown. If more of the public demanded it then this would bring change.

Lace experiments

So far I've really enjoyed some of the effects that lace give. I've vacuum former,  cast and photo copped it. I am planning to explore screen printing with it as well as vacuum forming it round words, which is something I have tried before but never with lace.

Vacuum former

Approach

I believe the contemporary way to look at the emperor's new clothes is the way the heads of the fashion industry (taylors/ charlatans) create this illusion (lie) of there products. They convinced the rich and wealthy (emperor and ministers) to buy in to the product and the public can only inspired to own such things.  This is despite the emperor, the ministers and the people knowing the truth that these items are made in sweat shops by people who don't even get paid a living wage.
I was surprised that despite some of the fashion house claming there ethics policy's there parent company's don't share.  Vivian Westwood is an environment activists yet her company has no environmental policy or any way to source materials.  Stella McCartney is against the use of fur in fashion, yet her partner company gucci not only use fur but have no way to track where it is sourced meaning it could have been illegally poached.

Research

I plan to look at the translated story, then consider some different illustrators that looked at this story and produced work on it.  I will also considered the various messages that could be taken from the story such as moral,  Marxist or political.  I will look at how artists approached the story as well.

The emperor's new clothes

The emperor's new clothes is the new brief we have been given. This brief gives me the opportunity to do experments with material in the vacuum former, which is something I have wanted to try for a while.  I am really interested in how different knitted designs will appear especially the likes of cable knit and argyll jumpers.  I would like to try lace as well as I have recently been experimenting with lace on other work. I am curious as to how different styles of stitching will look too

Final work completed!

Donnachie's oddities and collectables

Some experiments that lead me to think about creating my own business.

New approach

As I am no longer using the condom army for my final,  I was thinking of other ways to use them.  I am going to paint a few in different styles and see what interest thay create.  If I could sell them as individual collectors items and give a cut to HIV Scotland.  I would need to find out more about packaging and taxes.

Condom army to be dropped

Though I believe that the condom army is better than the slabs with the ice I am going to have to go with the latter. This is because I cannot expect the cleaners at the hospital to pick up each individual one to clean underneath and place them back to the exact position there are intended. I thought if I prehaps place them on plinths that were on wheels but the work would still have be lifted and cleaned.
The slabs would be displayed as a relief and easily dusted down.

Warhol; pop, power and politics

An exhibition of warhol called pop, power and politics was held at the Scottish parliament which I was able to visit. The work covered a wide field of his techniques and though I preferred the worked were the human hand was more obvious, though was really interested in the types of inks used in the more mechanically  produced works. He seemed to use an ink what I can only described as a silk or high sheen finish. It is something that I would like to look more in to and discover other processes involved in silkscreen.

Kapoor exhibition

This exhibition of me really did make the trip worth while.  It was an experience that could only have been had by visiting the exhibition as no photo from a book or Internet could really described his work.   A lot of work he did with mirror and highly polished stainless steel created illusions and messed with the spectator depth perception.  This gave me a headache but I would definitely do it again if I could.

Holocaust memorial

This work is to commemorate all those who lived and died in the Holocaust.  The work at first appears to be a massive field of concrete blocks varying in hight by 30-50 cm from one another,  and the title allows the spectator to concluded that these blocks represent the huts that contained sleeping quarters and gas showers. When entering in between the blocks they appear all to be in rows and organised in such a fashion that they appear mechanically produced,  but of course the concrete is a sharp reminder that the Holocaust was man made.  Factory's of death.
The slight down wards slope becomes more severe the deeper into the work you go and as the blocks rise up above your head, the ground below you feet rises and falls causing the viewer to feel some anxiety and confusion, as the mechanical layout of the blocks turns into a maze.  The spectator realises that what you viewed from outside the work was not even half of what was there.
To find your way out you are forced to use all your senses to not lose your group, be wary of other visitors (of which there were many but were hard to find within the maze)  and of course sight leading you to the other side of the work,  by effective creating light at the end of the tunnel.
This of course is a highly sensitive subject, which I feel waa handed well the artists.  I didn't take to many photos as there were some visitors who were deeply moved by either the work or personal experiences.

Berlin trip

Berlin has a very different attitude towards modern art and architecture.  It is everywhere on every street and it is almost as if to see old works by old master you have to pay, but modern art is free for the every day people.  Art contended with in galleries seems to be an old way of thinking.