Week 3- Hussein Chalayan and Post-Modern Fashion

THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2012

Week 3- Hussein Chalayan and Post-Modern Fashion

Hussein Chalayan

Chalayan is an artist and designer, working in film, dress and installation art. Research Chalayan’s work, and then consider these questions in some thoughtful reflective writing.

1. Chalayan’s works in clothing, like Afterwords (2000) and Burka (1996) , are often challenging to both the viewer and the wearer. What are your personal responses to these works? Are Afterwords and Burkafashion, or are they art? What is the difference?

Not all clothing is fashion, so what makes fashion fashion? (Research some definitions  for these terms.)

In my opinion Hussien Chalayan's 'Burka' and 'Afterwords' are works of fashion. Both pieces have so much meaning and significance behind them and that is what fashion is about, its not just about the functionality or practicality of a garment that makes it fashion. In Chalayan's 'Burka' he addresses the issue of modesty and they different degrees of modesty, how far is too far? 'Afterwords' was inspired by refugees and their story of leaving home and not being able to have possesions. Chalayan transforms furniture into garments which makes it so poignant that refugees have to literally leave with just the clothes on their backs.

I like these two quotes I found about what fashion really is:

"It has the power to transform an image and make a social statement".

"To some fashion is an art form to others its almost a religion''.

Hussein Chalayan, Burka (1996) (99

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                                                                 Hussein Chalayan, Afterwords, 2000

2. Chalayan has strong links to industry. Pieces like The Level Tunnel (2006) and Repose (2006) are made in collaboration with, and paid for by, commercial business; in these cases, a vodka company and a crystal manufacturer. How does this impact on the nature of Chalayan’s work? Does the meaning of art change when it is used to sell products? Is it still art?

'Level Tunnel' is a huge art installation it is 15m long and 5m high, the expirience is from the inside of the tunnel where the viewer would go in blindfolded. The viewer is able to hear the sound of a flute which is actually sounds being played by a vodka bottle.

There is also a breeze and scent of lemon and cedar running through. The person is also fitted with a heart monitor where their heartbeat would be projected on the exterior of the tunnel for people on the outside to view.

Repose is an installation of the nose of an aeroplane and the wing of it which is decorated with swarovski elements lit up by LEDS it moves up and down slowly and gracefully The installation looks clean and sophisticated. With smooth lines and the main colours being white and blue, it gives the feeling of movement and stillness.

For me personally the meaning of art certainly does not change although it is paid for by a commercial business. Both the 'Level Tunnel' and 'Repose' have such beauty to them, they dont have that cold austere feel Chalayan is able to connect with his audience by using sight and sound. In my eyes both pieces are still pieces of art.

3. Chalayan’s film Absent Presence screened at the 2005 Venice Biennale. It features the process of caring for worn clothes, and retrieving and analysing the traces of the wearer, in the form of DNA. This work has been influenced by many different art movements; can you think of some, and in what ways they might have inspired Chalayan’s approach?

"Absent presence" is about identity and hydridity which are both characteristics of the art movement Post Modernism. He deals with idea such as multiculturalism, immigration and identity. The short film is about the recovery of lost woman from history, by the use of genetics and anthropology. It can also be seen as having scientific ideas so it could be linked with enlightenment ideas relating to science; that it has all the answers.

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Hussein Chalayan, still from Absent Presence, 2005 (motion picture)

4. Many of Chalayan’s pieces are physically designed and constructed by someone else; for example, sculptor Lone Sigurdsson made some works from Chalayan’s Echoform (1999) and Before Minus Now(2000) fashion ranges. In fashion design this is standard practice, but in art it remains unexpected. Work by artists such as Jackson Pollock hold their value in the fact that he personally made the painting. Contrastingly, Andy Warhol’s pop art was largely produced in a New York collective called The Factory, and many of his silk-screened works were produced by assistants. Contemporarily, Damien Hirst doesn’t personally build his vitrines or preserve the sharks himself. So when and why is it important that the artist personally made the piece?

I think it is important for an artist to make a piece personally when it is a painting such as Jackson Pollocks works. Its very personal and expressive with the paint dappled on in a very thoughtful manner. The artist really gets up close and its all hands on. Not to say that Chalayans collections are not as expressive or personal, however he definetly would have needed the help of people from other industries to pull of his idea of having this dress that was remote operated, it can be transformed and moved. To me they are both considered art but it really just depends on what processes are required to achieve the final idea.

Im just thinking of how this relates to me personally. For example at the moment Im doing an art installation of the studio brief, in which I got help from the technicians at the 3D lab to help me with certain processes that own my own I would not have been able to accomplish. The end result of that doesn't mean that because I've had help from other people; therefore it is not art. Rather it was essential for me to get that aid to achieve my end result. 

References:

http://www.dezeen.com/2009/01/27/dezeen-podcast-hussein-chalayan-at-the-design-museum/

http://arttattler.com/designhusseinchalayan.html

http://fashion.about.com/cs/historycostumes/a/whatisfashion.htm

http://usedmagazine.co.uk/?p=1542

http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/10/view/2858/level-tunnel-installation-by-hussein-chalayan.html

trespassingjournal.com/Issue1/TPJ_I1_Aksel_Article.pdf

http://www.euppublishing.com/doi/abs/10.3366/drt.2012.0030

http://www.husseinchalayan.com/#/home/

http://www.designboom.com/eng/interview/chalayan.html 

http://www.husseinchalayan.com/blog/ 

Week 2 - Post-Modernism - Ai Weiwei and Banksy.

SUNDAY, JULY 22, 2012

Week 2 - Post-Modernism - Ai Weiwei and Banksy.

POST-MODERNIsm

This week's ALVC tutorial covers Post-Modernism. Use the ALVC texts and definitions from the internet to define the term and answer the following questions;


1. Define Post-Modernism using 8-10 bullet points that include short quotes.

1) "For some it means modern; for others it means the revision of modernist practice"

2) The belief that man is perfect and that humans can create s perfect society.

3) "Modernist culture is Western"

4) White people was seen as its racial complexion

5) Seen as "anti modern" worldview of God, self purpose etc was done away with

6) "Values are baseless" and "that life itself is meaningless".

7) Concerned with process and "becoming" it is opened

8)Takes part in uncertainty "accepts ambiguity"

2. Use a quote by Witcombe (2000) to define the Post-Modern artist.(page 24)

"A post mordern artist is self aware and conciously involved in a process of thinking about him/herself and society in a deconstructive manner...accelerating the process of self-consciousness"

3. Use the table on pages 47 and 48 in your ALVC handbook to summarize the list of the features of Post-Modernity.

Pluralism in society and culture, disunity socially, nationally and ethnically. Visual media subtituting reality. Popular culture dominating high culture. challenge of seriousness replaced with play and irony. 

Use this summary to answer the next two questions.


4. Research Chinese artist Ai Weiwei's 'Han Dynasty Urn with Coca-Cola logo'(1994)
in order to say what features of the work could be considered Post-Modern.

Ai wei wei's Han Dynasty Urn with Coca-cola logo can be considered as post modern because it disrupts the dominance of high culture and mixes it with popular culture. Ai takes the ancient traditional Urn and boldly paints the Coca-cola logo onto it, by doing this he is mixing something that has so much history (the urn) with something has less history and not as well respected or valuable (coca-cola logo). His work is playful and has the chracteristic of irony, it "challenges official seriousness". These characteristics make Ai's work post modern.

'Han Dynasty Urn with Coca-Cola logo'(1994), Ai Weiwei

Ai Weiwei dropping a Han Dynast Urn.

6. Research British artist Banksy's street art, and analyze the following two works by the artist
to discuss how each work can be defined at Post-Modern.(Use your list from question 3.)

Banksy's "Flower Riot" illustrates the disunity in social culture however at the same time it is play and is ironic because the flowers are said to represent peace. Banksy has contrasted an image of violence and peace, which is what makes it ironic and takes away the seriousness of it.

In his work "Los Angeles" a caveman is shown carrying fast food, the image is quite simple but effective which is a typical characteristic for a post modern work, it does not show yo much concern for depth. Once again Banksy has mixed something from mankind's history (the caveman) with something modern (fast food tray), by doing so he mixes high culture with popular culture. The work is also playful just like all his other works, and ironic.

'Flower Riot', Banksy

Los Angeles (2008), Banksy

http://artasiapacific.com/Magazine/78/DevastatingHistory

http://forums.macrumors.com/archive/index.php/t-685801.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4563751.stm

http://theworldsbestever.com/2008/02/new_banksy_pieces_surface_in_l.php

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2009/03/11/how-china-conquered-the-art-world.html

WEEK 1- Nathalie Djurberg's 'Claymations'.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012

WEEK 1- Nathalie Djurberg's 'Claymations'.

Nathalie Djurberg's 'Claymations'. 

Swedish artist Nathalie Djurberg's intricately constructed claymation films are both terrifyingly disturbing and artlessly sweet.

The new works created for the Venice Biennale explore a surrealistic Garden of Eden in which all that is natural goes awry.

She exposes the innate fear of what is not understood and confronts viewers with the complexity of emotions.

Nathalie Djurberg was awarded the silver lion for a promising young artist at the Venice
Art Biennale 09.

(http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/10/view/6886/nathalie-djurberg)

'Experiment' (2009) Venice Biennale

  

Research Djurberg's work in order to answer the following questions;

1. What do you understand by the word 'claymation'?

The word claymation is a combination of "clay" and "animation". Djurberg is known for her eccentric slow motion claymation short films, that can be erotic, violent and slightly disturbing.

2. What is meant by the term 'surrealistic Garden of Eden'? and 'all that is natural goes awry'?

Surrealism means that it is something unexpected and out of the ordinary. Most people have a conception that the Garden of Eden was this perfect and idealistic place. However Djurberg's work does not present to us the expected. Her animals don't look perfect they look quite cumbersome and quirky. Her Garden of Eden does not fit the stereo typical concept, and that is what makes it 

surrealistic.

Her clay sculptures depicting nature are awry. The definition for awry as said on Dictionary.com  : "away for the expected", "crooked" or "askew". Djurberg's sculpture are definetly askew it's twisted and not quite right.

 3. What are the 'complexity of emotions' that Djurberg confronts us with?

Djurberg's works confronts us with discomfort and a sense of unsettlement. It evokes a conflict of emotions viewers are put into a trance as we get mesmerised by her work as if being intergrated into the strange world that is around us. 

Her works make me feel as though I'm in another world but at the same time it feels familiar because it is nature except its almost grotesque looking. I find her work fascinating and although it maybe an uncomfortable environment to be in I'm drawn to it. It feel dangerous and unsafe but its so intriguing hard to resist. 

4. How does Djurberg play with the ideas of children's stories, and innocence in some of her work?

Most of Djurberg's stories have a lot in common with children's stories. Her stories include the usual good guy and bad guy. She also uses the usual animal characters like the wolf and the bear.  By using clay it evokes the feeling of naivety and playfulness, it makes the story seen innocent and harmless. The music by Hans Berg is cheerful and lighthearted which adds to the feeling of innocence. 


However in her stories things take a turn "and gruesome elements" occur it becomes shocking it no longer is a children's story, its scary, no longer innocent.

5. There is a current fascination by some designers with turning the innocent and sweet into something disturbing. Why do you think this has come about?

In my opinion I think its because as artists, designers, human beings we are always wanting to express ourselves and how we are feeling. Things in our world are more often than not how they seem. On the surface it might seem innocent and harmless however the reality is ugly and disturbing. Our world is not perfect and that why I think designers want to depict that in their works because it is real in honest, something that everyone can relate to.

6. In your opinion, why do you think Djurberg's work is so interesting that it was chosen for the Venice Biennale?

I think her work is fascinating because its so different from everything else she provides a fresh perspective that is intoxicating and really captivates you. It really immerses you into a whole other world. I love how it brings out a conflict of emotions and makes you feel so many emotions at the same time. It makes me feel uncomfortable however at the same time I want to see more and go deeper into the awry world she has created. 

7. Add some of your own personal comments on her work.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/awry
http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/nathalie-djurberg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZGjhxYVhmo
http://we-make-money-not-art.com/archives/2009/10/nathalie-djurberg-who-won-the.php
http://artnews.org/artist.php?i=1211