Gowns from Ziad Naked’s 2017-18 fall/winter collection,The Snow Crystal Forrest.

Mood board of references used by Ziad Naked for his 2017-18 fall/winter collection, The Snow Crystal Forest.

illustration depicting a scene from One Thousand and One Nights, illustrated by Sani Ol-Molk (1856)

My chosen image is an illustration of a scene from the collection of stories One Thousand and One Nights. This scene depicts Shahrazad, the Sultan’s new wife telling her husband stories in order to delay her execution. The artist, Sani Ol-Molk captured the splendor of the story with his use of contrasting colours on the walls adorned with intricate, gold patterns. This indicates the scene is set within the Sultan’s grand palace.

I watched Ziad Nakad’s 2017-18 fall/winter, titled The Crystal Snow Forest. This collection was clearly inspired by a snow-covered wood, as depicted across the wall behind the catwalk platform. White predominated this collection however, the rich blacks, blues and reds used contrasted the inspiration. I researched various articles to discover other sources of inspiration for this collection and found one that spoke about how Nakad “proposes his romantic vision of a season in magic colors” and how his collection “gradually heats up when velvet, feathers, tulle and lace are interwoven through learned embroideries.” Initially this makes me think of Christmas However, I read on and discovered that one of the sources of inspiration was one thousand and one nights, “like a queen of an exceptional night, dressed in white and gold that illuminates this universe fit to the legends of a thousand and one nights.”

In conclusion I now have a better understanding of this collections inspiration and the variety of sources needed to fully inform and create a collection. I also have an understanding of how contrasting ideas can inform the same project and complement each other, because I could not understand how stories from cultures across Asia related to the inspiration of the snow-covered forest. However, I know understand that it was the romanticism and wonder that informed the direction of Ziad Nakad’s 2017-18 fall/winter collection.

Bibliography

Mariageenvue(2017) Ziad Nakad Couture Collection Fall/Winter 2017-18. Available from: http://www.mariageenvue.com/album/179/Ziad-Nakad-Couture-Collection-Fall-Winter-2017-18 [Accessed 18/11/2017]

Mark .J (2017) Haute Couture FW – Ziad Nakad F/W 2018 Collection. Available from: http://www.fshnmagazine.com/haute-couture-fw-ziad-nakad-fw-2018-collection/ [Accessed 18/11/2017]

Vogue (2017) AUTUMN/WINTER 2017 COUTURE Ziad Nakad. Available from: http://www.vogue.co.uk/shows/autumn-winter-2017-couture/ziad-nakad [Accessed 18/11/2017]

Fashionado (2017) ZIAD NAKAD Fall 2017 – 2018 Couture. Available from: https://www.fashionado.net/blog/2017/7/10/ziad-nakad-fall-2017-2018-couture  [Accessed 18/11/2017]

Trend Prive Magazine (2017) Ziad Nakad adds Sparkle to Fall/Winter Collection. Available from: http://trendprivemagazine.com/2017/07/23/ziad-nakad-adds-sparkle-fallwinter-collection/ [Accessed 18/11/2017]

Baly .P (2017) Ziad Nakad – Fall/Winter 2017 – 2018 Couture Show. Available from: http://www.unefrancaise.com/news/ziad-nakad-fall-winter-2017-2018-couture-show-collection/ [Accessed 18/11/2017]

Throughout this module I have explored a variety of tasks and themes within fashion which some I have found more interesting and easier to connect with than others. I found every task beneficial to my writing and I found a definite progress throughout this semester.

With the research part of this module 5&6 I have found it easier to look up online sources on my laptop than in books in the library using WebCat as online, I am more used to google system from being involved in it from the beginning of my education. From these tasks I have become more open to use the Library system and have been shown introductions to it well, I will now be able to have a varied bibliography in my future modules not only in research and communication but in every one this year. Through the Academic Integrity (task 3&4) this through me in the deep end and has shown me each way to find resources but also reference them properly. I have not had to reference many of my works before so using the Harvard referencing system (task 1&2) was new to me but I enjoyed learning it and found it easier than I anticipated and through practice will get better. Although I had to get the hang of making sure I included all the details within the reference it make it legitimate to be submitted. I mostly enjoyed writing about ethics (task 9&10) and the social problems within fashion and the world that surrounds this, but next time I would like to broaden my knowledge on the certain subject areas such as sexism and improve my vocabulary so I can explain things in a developed and intelligent way. I could do this by reading more books and read news stories about current stories and get up to date. Finding quotes (task 7&8) within the library and online  I found the most difficult in all the tasks, especially in a book when I had not used the system much as the task was one of the first set in the year. Once I found a book and a quote that either framed or conflicted my argument I found this to be much easier as I managed to choose topics I have interest in. I will need to practice finding appropriate books either from my own collection or from library and add them to a personal bibliography.

Within my writing I have very muddled paragraphs which is down to a lack of developed analysis and reflection in my writing. although my time management is good as we are given each task a week, I should have asked for more 1to1’s with my tutor so my paragraphs could be organised more professionally.

I have found this module interesting but challenging to my own personal battles through writing and how to research properly and more professionally. I have enjoyed contributing to the lectures and found them engaging.

Book Reference

Ricchetti, M. and Frisa, M. L.  (2012) The Beautiful And The Good. A View From Italy On Sustainable Fashion. First addition Spa in Venezia Marsilio Editori

Available at the Winchester School of Art.

Web Page Reference

Farra, E. (2017) Stella McCartney Discusses How Sustainable Fashion Can Be Sexy – And “How Technology Can Save Us”. Available from https://www.vogue.com/article/vogue-forces-of-fashion-stella-mccartney-sustainable  (Accessed 1st November 2017)

Newspaper Article Reference

The Telegraph (2017) article about up-coming exhibition. Available from: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/events/va-announces-key-style-exhibition-2018-fashioned-nature/ (Accessed 1st of November)

Author, Leaper, C. (2017) The V&A announces its key style exhibition for 2018; ‘Fashioned from Nature’ The Telegraph 1st of November web

I took a different approach to this task by sourcing my book, website and newspaper article in reverse order, because I felt it would be a simpler, less forced approach of finding each reference for this task. I wanted my references to follow a common theme which I felt would be harder to do if I referenced a book first. I originally intended to buy a newspaper however, I used the internet because it made the process faster and provided more options. I came across my chosen article when reading another one from The Telegraph’s website, about Botticelli’s works. Although, I had to subscribe to the online newspaper before I could read further. However, once I subscribed a different web page opened and I found my chosen article about sustainable fashion. This article talks about an up-coming exhibition at the V&A and it listed the names of designer’s whose works are included. This gave me a theme to work with and a list of designers to research further.

I then researched Stella McCartney’s sustainable fashion, as she was one of the designers listed. This was informative for my theme and naturally lent itself to the idea of finding a book to further my knowledge. Vogue’s article about Stella McCartney talks about the idea of using recycled materials which was an idea I kept in mind when searching the WSA library for a book to reference. I then found a suitable book to reference that explores the theory that using recycled materials is an inevitability today because it is now considered cool to care about the planet.

I originally chose to explore a book called Penguins by Stephen Martin because it wasn’t a typical national geographic book, rather it detailed the history of penguins and how they are presented in the media. However, I decided to change this book, because I felt making an aesthetic link between the texture of the penguin’s feathers and textures found in artists/designer’s work was not a strong idea. However, this led me to visit another of my favourite books titled Alexander McQueen: Edited by Claire Wilcox. This book presented detailed information about McQueen’s work as well as documenting all McQueen’s collections from his graduate collection to his last collection titled Angels and Demons in 2010.

Garment from Alexander McQueen’s last collection Angel’s and Demon’s 2010, originally modelled by Irina Kulikova. Featured in the Alexander McQueen Savage Beauty exhibition: At the V&A 14th of March – 2 August 2015. Photographer unknown.

I found my chosen image was a piece from McQueen’s final collection because I recognised another piece that was displayed with my chosen image at the exhibition. I then proceeded to search the internet for more information. It took some time to locate any useful information as I found footage on YouTube of the runway show of the collection however, this was purely visual and did not provide the information I wanted. I then searched Vogue magazine articles and found the name of the model Irina Kulikova, who wore my chosen piece at the runway show however, I wanted to find information about the inspiration and the fabrics of the piece. I eventually came across an article at Popsugar.com which included quotes by Sarah Burton, Alexander McQueen’s creative director who worked closely with McQueen, who gave details about his process and inspiration.

Burton detailed about how McQueen had “turned away from the world of the internet” and how “He wanted to get back to the hand craft that he loved”. My chosen piece had the angels of Botticelli and the demons of Hieronymus Bosch woven into the fabric, which I found out from this article. This was an informative discovery as I now had details about McQueen’s inspiration. To further my knowledge, I researched Botticelli’s paintings and McQueen’s angels and demons collection on the V&A Museum’s website.

Alexander McQueen Dress from McQueen’s Angels and Demon’s 2010 collection. exhibited and stored at the V&A Museum, London.

The Birth of Venus, painting by Sandro Botticelli (mid 1480s), Exhibited at the V&A Museum, London.

I found my chosen piece along with detailed descriptions about the fabric and it included the same Sarah Burton quotes that I originally found on the Popsugar.com article, assuring that this article was reliable.

I feel It’s ironic that McQueen’s last collection is arguably about the afterlife, because my immediate interpretation is that McQueen somehow predicted the events that led to his own death. However, with further research into the interpretations of Botticelli’s paintings of angels and Bosch’s paintings of demons, gave me a further understanding of what McQueen thought about his inspiration. I now understand more about this collection and now interpret that McQueen wanted to combine good and bad elements because McQueen found beauty in both. I feel these themes complement each other, but are also harmonious because they are like two sides of the same coin, as both aspects of McQueen’s inspiration are part of the same subject and demonstrate that one cannot exist without the other.

Bibliography

Vogue (2010) Alexander McQueen. Available from: http://www.vogue.co.uk/shows/autumn-winter-2010-ready-to-wear/alexander-mcqueen [Accessed 16/10/2017]

McQueen’s final collection titled Angels and Demons, images of collection posted on Vogue website.

Victoria and Albert Museum (date unknown) Savage Beauty in Numbers. Available from: http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/exhibitions/exhibition-alexander-mcqueen-savage-beauty/video-savage-beauty-in-numbers/ [Accessed 16/10/2017]

Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty exhibition – video promoting exhibition, no real explanation of pieces.

Vogue (2010) fall 2010 ready-to-wear. Available from: https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/fall-2010-ready-to-wear/alexander-mcqueen/slideshow/collection#11 [Accessed 16/10/2017]

Found the model who wore McQueen’s dress, Irina Kulikova.

IMG Models (date unknown) Irina Kulikova. Available from: http://www.imgmodels.com/model/paris/women/19255[Accessed 16/10/2017]

Found Irina Kulikova’s portfolio on IMG models website. However, McQueen’s dress is not featured in her portfolio.

Popsugar Fashion News (2010) Lee Alexander McQueen’s Final Collection For Fall 2010: All Angels and Demons. Available from: https://www.popsugar.com/fashion/Lee-Alexander-McQueen-Final-Collection-Fall-2010-All-Angels-Demons-7692975 – [Accessed 18/10/2017]

Popsugar.com article about McQueen’s collection with quotes from Sarah Burton detailing his inspiration and process.

Web Gallery of Art (1996) Picture Data. Available from:https://www.wga.hu/cgi-bin/search.cgi?author=Botticelli&title=angels&comment=&time=any&school=any&form=any&type=any&location=&format=5[Accessed 18/10/2017]

The web gallery of art website with seemingly authentic images of Botticelli’s works which include paintings McQueen could have been inspired by

Web Gallery of Art (1996) Madonna and Child and Two Angels. Available from: https://www.wga.hu/html_m/b/botticel/1early/08madonn.html [Accessed 8/10/2017]

Specific image of interest from website.

V&A (2017) Dress. Available from: http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1193821/dress-alexander-mcqueen/ [Accessed 18/10/2017]

Detailed description of the specific dress from McQueen’s Angels and Demons collection from the V &A website.

V&A (2017) copy after the Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli in the Uffizi (Florence). Available from: http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O205978/copy-after-the-birth-of-watercolour-botticelli-sandro/ [Accessed 18/10/2017]

Detailed description of the painting The Birth of Venus from the V&A website.

V&A (2017) V&A Search The Collections. Available from: http://collections.vam.ac.uk/search/?extrasearch=&q=Hieronymus+Bosch&commit=Search&quality=0&objectnamesearch=&placesearch=&after=&before=&namesearch=&materialsearch=&mnsearch=&locationsearch= [Accessed 18/10/2017]

searches for Hieronymus Bosch’s works, the other artist that inspired McQueen’s Angels and Demons collection.

The two texts “Excerpt from Other Criteria: The Flatbed Picture Plane by Leo Steinberg” and “The Yale Lecture by Richard Serra” explore two different mediums and methods of working. Steinberg explores the medium of painting and also examines the different perspectives and definitions of what a painting can be. Serra on the other hand explores sculpture and the process of sculpture as a whole.

Steinberg explores how painting has evolved over the years and has pushed boundaries in perception and those who cling to the dated ways of painting have a capped perspective on what could be created. As he writes, “It is part of a shakeup which contaminates all purified categories. The deepening inroads of art into non-art continue to alienate the connoisseur as art defects and departs into strange territories leaving the old stand-by criteria to rule an eroding plain.” touching upon the fact that painting as a practice has progressed and the relationship between the artist, the painting and the viewer has developed and needs to progress to remain relevant and current. Painting has moved away from the more classical beginnings and have moved into the more abstract region, allowing for new processes to be formed and explored. Steinberg is flexible in his opinions in that he recognizes that artists of a more current era have influence such as Duchamp but those who are from the more “classical” era are still experimentitive and progressive such as Rauschenberg as he writes, “I once heard Jasper Johns say that Rauschenberg was the man who in this century had invented the most since Picasso. What he invented above all was, I think, a pictorial surface that let the world in again…Rauschenberg’s picture plane is for the consciousness immersed in the brain of the city.” Explaining how even those from a past era can be innovative and forward thinking.

Serra explores how sculpture and sculptors have neglected the creation process of the sculpture and how the industrial roots of the sculpting process is something to be included and featured in the piece but is often ignored by modern sculptors. He explains, “Sculptors for the most part have ignored the results of the industrial revolution failing to investigate these fundamental processes and methods of steelmaking, engineering and construction.” hinting on that the industrial background of sculpting is nothing to be ignored or forgotten and in his opinion is an asset to a piece. He goes on to explain that modern sculptors are more focused on the end and final finished product and are often steered by corporate funded projects. “Corporate sponsorship for the art breeds economic opportunism and reinforces palatable artistic conventions. Artists who willingly accept corporate support likewise submit to corporate control. In effect, they become puppet creators.” Serra explains that sculpture in this current era has forgotten where it has come from i.e it’s industrial beginnings and processes. By submitting to corporate art projects sculptors end up created pieces for the wrong reasons and the purpose for art becomes misconstrued as he describes , “Cultural and educational inequalities based on economic inequality are a reality which needs to be revealed and not glossed over by a populist notion of art for the people.” In short Serra dissects why sculptors need to go back to the industrial roots not only to show and appreciate the creation process of the sculpture and that the introduction of technology and corporations have altered why art is made.

Overall, Serra criticises sculptors on forgetting their industrial roots and past and explores how modern technology and the temptation of corporate sponsored projects have taken the meaning of the work to a diluted region where it adds as a distraction or pathetic attempt of stitching up social issues. Whereas, Steinberg encourages painters and paintings to be pushed forward and to not become trapped in the classical methods with a narrowed perspective on what can be created, “The deepening inroads of art into non-art continue to alienate the connoisseur as art defects and departs into strange territories leaving the old stand-by criteria to rule an eroding plain.”

My practise is based off the scattering of ashes after a funeral, my idea is based off of Buddhist dharma teachings that explain how nothing in life is permanent. With this in mind I wanted to create pieces be it a painting or a drawing or a sculpture and then continue to burn them. I would have the pieces film whilst having them burned to prove that the piece featured has been burnt and ashes have not just been gathered from elsewhere, if these pieces were to be exhibited I would have a film of each piece being burnt next to the canvas of the then burnt piece. Once the pieces have been burnt i would arrange the ashes onto a canvas to display the destroyed piece, I would try and have the canvas quite 3D and textured to show all the layers and how fragile ash can be. I wanted to show that artists should not be afraid to destroy something and that we shouldn’t be so precious about what we create as the destroyed or broken outcome could make something even more interesting that what it was before. I also wanted to show that something so harsh and destructive as fire could create something so delicate in the sense that ash can crumble away at a mere touch and give a very textured outcome due to the different rates of burning and heat.

Sappho and Erinna in a Garden at Mytilene by Simeon Solomon depicts Sappho embracing her fellow poet Erinna in a garden at Mytilene on the island of Lesbos.

Seeing the piece in the flesh and seeing the figures expressions close up really hit home for me the struggle and frustration that the artists underwent. You could see and feel the frustration and hints of agony within the painted figures, the pained expression on their faces conveys the restrictions the artists encountered within their own relationships. Solomon was of the era when homosexuality was illegal and to be found in a same sex relationship was a crime, although new council in Italy allowed painters to depict same sex relationships as long as they didn’t act upon their feelings depicted in their works. Due to this new council on what could now be depicted artworks such as these began to emerge, even though such works as this were permitted I still felt saddened by seeing this piece up close as you can tell the artist just wants to show love between two people, the fact that they are the same gender is irrelevant. To have your love and relationship considered a crime must have been a special sort of personal torture, starring at the painting gave me the realisation that people take the freedom to hold hands and kiss in public for granted. I realise society still has room for growth but the suppression is nowhere near what it used to be for people like Solomon, we must not forget the waves and the changes that these people instilled in society for us to be where we are today.

What does the term ‘Avant-Garde’ mean?

Avant-garde is a French term that in English means ‘vanguard’ which is essentially the front line of an army or the ones that go ahead first. it was first used as an artistic term in the early 19th century and is often attributed to the french social theorist Henri de Saint-Simon, who in 1825 said; “We artists will serve you as an avant-garde, the power of the arts is most immediate: when we want to spread new ideas we inscribe them on marble or canvas.” [de Saint Simon, H. (1825)]

This term is often used to describe new art movements, avant-garde art itself first flourished in 1850 with the realism movement pioneered by Gustave Courbet and the mantle was later handed to other movements and pioneers such as surrealism lead by André Breton, cubism pioneered by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, the Abstract movement developed by Hilma af Klint and Wassily Kandinsky, the list goes on. this term means to innovate art, refresh it for a new generation of creators, abstract from the norm and try something new, this is the way art has always evolved and how it will continue to do so no matter what form it takes. Art isn’t just a form of media, it goes far beyond that, it can be a tool of cultural and social change, a tool in which the creators and observers alike can use to express themselves in an unfiltered fashion.

Is avant-garde still possible in the modern age, specifically in games?

with the broadness of the term and our new ways of sharing information i’d argue that avant-garde is still alive and kicking, although many artists borrow from one another a majority of artists seem to be capable of going on their own personal movements, many gaining notoriety and praise for innovation and expression and even inciting messages and ideas to society via social media and id also argue game design has become more avant-garde now than ever before, of course there have been many classics in game innovation (super Mario 64, Ocarina of time, oddworld: abes oddyssey, shadow of the colossus, okami etc) but the rise in indie/independent game development along side art directors taking centre stage in larger companies ‘artistic video games’ are now more prevalent than ever.

Perhaps the biggest factor in the rise of artistic games  is the fact that most people with a creative vision and certainly many artists have access to game development tools they can use to paint an interactive piece of art onto a digital canvas. Games such as unravel, little nightmares, ori and the blind forest, hollow knight and monument valley are some solid examples of games that have stunningly stylish visuals, wonderful soundtracks, unique game play and vague interpretative story telling that leave profound impressions on the players long after the game has finished. The beauty in all this is that it allows your audience to actually invest themselves within your art as some kind of avatar rather than just being an observer, this allows players to form strongly emotional and deeply personal attachments to a video game and its atmosphere.

in conclusion, i strongly believe games are moving in an avant-garde direction with constant innovation being made in artistic direction and new ways to convey a narrative and generate an atmosphere. despite some industry practises and developers holding the industry back, creativity always finds a way to surface and change everything.

As an addendum id like to add that 2016 was a huge year for games with a creative art direction and narrative structure along side experimentation for what exactly games can do to convey art and create flourishing world design and compelling character design.

Bibliography

–Tate. (2017). Avant-garde – Art Term | Tate. [online] Available at: http://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/a/avant-garde [Accessed 27 Nov. 2017].

-Tate. (2017). Realism – Art Term | Tate. [online] Available at: http://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/r/realism [Accessed 27 Nov. 2017].

-The Art Story. (2017). Cubism Movement, Artists and Major Works. [online] Available at: http://www.theartstory.org/movement-cubism.htm [Accessed 27 Nov. 2017].

-Campbell, C. (2017). Introduction and video special | The games of 2016. [online] Polygon.com. Available at: https://www.polygon.com/a/2016-game-preview-100-games/introduction-and-video-special [Accessed 27 Nov. 2017].

_Ustwo.com. (2017). Monument Valley. [online] Available at: https://ustwo.com/work/monument-valley [Accessed 27 Nov. 2017].