origami oh my!

Origami tessellation
Chris Palmer

Above images have been created by Robert J Lang
These include:
-origami tessellation
-origami pattern for a scorpion
-mathematical origami

I've been taken away by a lot of crafts. The one that really attracts me is origami. I'm thinking of using the element of origami in my collection. Whether it be to create the silhouette or decorate the surface, origami's three dimensionality really enhances the aesthetic of garments and makes an obvious reference to craft.

Origami is the Japanese word for folding paper. It is commonly used to create three dimensional objects. I feel it is a compelling type of craft. I am astounded by the angles involved, the patterns and repitition that can be created and the three dimensional structure that can be achieved.

At the same time however, I am weary about taking up this origami challenge. I can't even fold a paper plane let alone understand complicated origami objects. Anyway here are a few images of amazing origami techniques used in clothing, along with some links that have really wowed and excited me about venturing into the world of origami.

CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE
Johan Galliano for Dior '07'
Madame Butterfly


Geomorfos/Geomorphis experimental fashion
MUST SEE!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGp1EQ4Zvhw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qbu5mlmC2eo&feature=related

mola mola mola

To get a taste of some traditional textile craft, Ally gave us a brief intro of some techniques in quilting, knitting and mola. This was all quite insightful and rather interesting to see how interpretations of a technique varied according to the maker. Also through the practise and trials of a particular technique, the possibilities of new methods and processes were bound to occur. Playing around with these techniques also reaffirmed me that knitting is definitely not for me. It’s a tedious and repetitive process that requires much patience, coordination and tension control. I’m not even gonna go there! I have 12 weeks max to produce a collection which is the exact amount of time it would probably take me to knit one garment. Hahaha!

Anyway, I also trialled quilting which is quite fun and can entail a lot of creativity if you really get into it. I’ve actually become fond of sewing onto layers of fabric and wadding, and; I would love to see how quilting could be used in fashion beyond puffer jackets and quilted vests.

CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE
My attempt in quilting

Mola was the most recent technique I played around with. The story behind it is quite fascinating to me personally. Mola is a textile craft that evolved from traditional clothing of the Kuna women. The Kuna people and their culture inhabit the Caribbean side of Panama and Colombia. Mola is a decorative technique that layers different colours of fabric together. Patterns are cut out with each layer and then hand sewn down to create vibrant images. It’s like an inverted or reversed version of appliqué.

CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE
Kuna woman with mola imagery

CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE
Mola art

CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE
My mola samples

I am not sure if this is the direction I am willing to take but it’s worth exploring. I know that converting the method into fashion may seem daggy, but that is where the challenge lies. How can mola become modern and relevant to fashion? Project Alabama is just one label that plays on the concept of mola. Their designs focus on a more commercial setting. This suggests that the potential of mola can be further explored and the possibilities of design are endless.

CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE
Project Alabama Archive dress

CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE
Project Alabama Archive quilt

more of the BACKLUND...

Before I move on with my research, I just couldn't help but share some more snippets of Sandra Backlund's other collections. The creative structure, the materials and the use of dimensions are surely elements that I will take in with great consideration.

CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE

Sandra Backlund
In No Time collection
CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE
Sandra Backlund
In No Time collection
CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE
Sandra Backlund
Ink Blot Test collection

the KNITTY GRITTY

CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE
Sandra Backlund

Body Skin and Hair collection

I know right! Can you believe at how far knitting has come? The designs above were manually created by Swedish knit extraordinaire, Sandra Backlund. I came across her work in the must see FREE exhibition ‘the Endless Garment’ which ends on Sunday the 21^st of March. It has been curated by RMIT’s very own Robyn Healy and Ricarda Bigolon. The knitwear exhibition showcases garments that have come straight from Paris and Milan. On top of that the exhibition is currently housing an amazing assemblage of international designers, most of which do not even stock in Australia. Among these include Issey Miyake, Yoshiki Hishinuma, Nikki Gabriel and even our beloved stretch wear expert Ricarda Bigolon.

However, it was Sandra Backlund that really stole my interest. The three dimensional bulk alongside the collage of knitting techniques, which is significant in her style of work was what astounded me. Seeing her garments up close and personal was already a privilege, but how much more I appreciate her work now that I have discovered that up until her 2010 collection, everything was handmade. Up until this year her garments were only made to order. Think of the labour and time that went into her pieces. Her work is a reflection of a personal connection with the handicraft process which is obviously important in her work. Sandra Backlund has served as an inspiration to my appreciation for contemporary craft. Her collections give me hope that there is room for aged techniques in contemporary fashion.

However at the same time, her work is a reminder for me of what I am NOT. I am in no real way “crafty”. I would love to produce such unexpected and eccentric pieces using knit, but my first attempts of knitting has been nothing but an epic FAIL! Hahaha. I know that I have yet to find my craft, or that inspiration that will set my direction for this semester. But at least I have a starting point and a level of quality that I hope to at least TRY to achieve.

NOTE: Don’t miss this opportunity to visit the exhibition I have mentioned.

The Endless Garment
12 February- 21 March 2010
RMIT Gallery 344 Swanston Street
Melbourne 3000

And don’t forget to check out these awesome websites of designer’s that have been mentioned in my post.

www.sandrabacklund.com
www.yoshikihishinuma.co.jp
www.nikkigabriel.blogspot.com

CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE
Sandra Backlund
Control-C collection

design CRAFT?

Coming from a background of no real understanding of the word, my preconceptions of craft were always automatically associated to kindie art activities with potato stamps and finger paint. It was either that or my mind would wander about this stereotype of nannas on their rocking chairs cross stitching, knitting and crocheting jumpers, scarves and little household decorations. This is what craft has always been to me. But since stepping into Ally’s class, my preconceived ideas have constantly been altered and challenged at best.

Now, through research, I’ve realized that craft is often associated to this notion of trade skill and workmanship. It is often related to artisanal practices and disciplines where time and dexterity are invested into creating quality and uniqueness. It is about the manner of constructing, of making and of creating something with great care and with much consideration. It prides on the idea of being individually created and being handmade with minimal use of technology, thus opposing the uniformity of the mass produced.

It is to my belief that the evolution of craft today has gone beyond an artistic approach to skill. Rather it is definable by the relationship of the creator to its piece. It is about this emotional and personal connection that is instinctively generated throughout the process of making, affixing sentiment to the end product. Though time and proficiency is still necessary with craft, today experiencing the process is just as essential. Craft is laborious but it is worthwhile.

It is the privilege of any human work which is well done to invest the doer with certain haughtiness. He can well afford not to conciliate, whose faithful work will answer for him." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Let a human being throw the energies of his soul into the making of something, and the instinct of workmanship will take care of his honesty."- Walter Lippmann