fake, counterfeit, mock, phony, artificial, bogus...

After saying I would perhaps view my opinions on the fashion industry visually I came up with the idea of photographing a model wearing a garbage bag pinned together into a dress. My thought was elaborated when I thought of giving my model a small plastic shopping bag to hold which has been filled and tied shut as if full of rubbish, to hold as if it were her hand bag. Moreover the idea behind this shoot being that  people would wear any ‘garbage’ if they’re told it’s in fashion. First thing I decided to do was look up ‘garbage bag dresses’ and I wasn’t disappointed. The ones that drew my attention were these:

However I’m after creating a more ill fitting dress, the idea is to accentuate its idiocy. I was also slightly amused by celebrities already following the garbage bag look.

My research furthered, I began looking at magazine front covers and reading their headlines. There was so much repetition, similar stories just surrounding different people. People seem to treat these magazines as a devout Catholic does his bible; they live their life by what it tells them. Filling out questionnaires on their relationships, reading how to have a better sex life, lose weight in a week, how to put make up on and follow the inaccurately documented lives of celebrities who in terms of the bible would be looked at as saints and gods. That’s when I thought of possibly building up a dress out of these magazines covers and if not a dress possibly something else I’m not quite sure. The only drawback being that though these magazines are full of junk they’re actually quite expensive. However I’m also thinking I could just copy the covers.

Something else caught my eye while reading these magazines which lead to a further thought. Basically, I’m amazed by the level of disapproval of fakery when such high standards are set. Celebrities are scrutinised for any physical alterations made and blind accusations are thrown.

Aside from physical expectancies its also assumed we should be splashing out on fashion items as if it matters. These magazines are filled with designer adverts, the prices of these products have the ability to bring a tear to your eye – they’re abominable. So what do people do when they want to keep up with the latest fashion and all the designer brands but can’t afford it? They do the exact same thing people who want to achieve the standards of what beauty is – they fake it. The amazing world of counterfeit products, they’re cheap and deceiving. I was tickled by the words of one designer through my reading who was affirming that the quality of counterfeit products is not near as good as the originals so people shouldn’t buy them. How hilarious, nobody cares. It’s not about quality it is however about the image and making people actually believe that you spent three hundred pounds on a bag because spending like you’re stupid is ‘cool’.

And our mentality of recognisable brands being the best doesn't only reflect clothing lines:

Through all this came the idea of producing products from paper and drawing on them designer names to emphasise how its only the name that matters and not the quality of the product.

Yet it seems all these counterfeit products cultivated a fad of their own and it was one which was proud of being fake.

SImple

I took this photograph and decided to add it because I like its simplicity, the straight lines and the warm colours of the photograph.  

The Norm of The Fashion Industry

“Finally I often find myself appalled by the fashion industry and what it represents. I struggle to see myself keen on being a part of the brain washing immoral industry I sometimes view fashion as.”

The above statement was written by yours truly in my first blog entry.  A couple days after writting that blog I was stood outside Debenhams admiring a quilt cover that cost £140. After completly justifying to myself that there was no way I could afford the quilt cover I decided to move on but came to an abrupt stop. Debenhams has a massive ad print of a model modelling an outfit, what stopped me in my tracks was the fact that this model was in a wheel chair.

“Hmm...” – That was my reaction. And for no reason other than it was unexpected.   It was the first time I have ever seen a model, modelling clothes in a wheelchair. That should come to no surprise because Debenhams are the first high street retailers to use a disabled model on the high street. Maybe the industry is moving forward and becoming less superficial after all...

In the above photograph we see Debenhams current models. They are proud to have variety, we see a black size ten model, a model in a wheelchair, a size 16 model and a 5”4 model. Oh how amazing, the fact that I am actually writing about this is in itself pathetic. Anyways, I read up about some comments the general public had. Some complained that the size 16 model was hidden behind the wheelchair, other’s were keen to condemn the advertising campaign referring to it as a ‘publicity stunt’. Yes fair enough, I agree, I too think this is a publicity stunt on Debenhams part but really who cares, every advertisement that comes out by any company is in attempt to make money, now why on earth would we complain about this one?

Look at Dove (above), they started a ‘real women’ campaign that made them money so they followed through with it. The reason it made money was because women felt relieved to see ‘real women’ and this is specifically due to the deplorable situation we currently find ourselves in. The fact that front covers of magazines and papers have been encased with snapshots of celebrities with spots or cellulite accomponied by headlines ending in exclamation marks is enough evidence of this. Are we, as the general public, so deluded that this is increasing sales? Unfortunately yes.

OH! How invigorating!!

After a bit more time spent looking through sites and stuff I came across this:

It seems a reality show started for disabled people similar to ‘Next Top Model’. Again I read comments regarding the show and most people seem to just be complaining about how these poor poor people are being exploited. Yet I think people in reality tv shows are always exploited aren’t they? Look at shows like Big Brother, I never watched it but I remember how Jade Goody was ripped apart by the media while on the show, yet became a National Treasure towards the end of her days. I also remember watching some late night repeats on tv after work and coming across Kim Woodburn gagging while eating some repulsive ‘food’ ( I think it may have been kangaroo balls ), it was hilarious, so much so it brought a tear to my eye. That’s exploitation but we have no problem with it, because we don’t pity them but we do pity disabled people, yet should we? Obviously these women wanted to be on this show and I’m pretty sure they were aware of what they were doing and the controversy behind it. Why are so many people trying to act like they need to be protected more then someone with both their arms?

Kim Woodburn

And the link to her gagging, just incase you missed it and are interested:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2a40ripfrE

“Why on earth would any person want to put themselves through this show? And why would I want to watch? I know we all have our own disabilities—physical and emotional—and imperfections to overcome in life and, yes, we are all capable of achieving our dreams. But modeling is not for everyone. And that’s OK. Neither is being a surgeon, a writer, or a nuclear physicist. I’m all for promoting awareness and equality, but should it mean subjecting one’s self to certain humiliation and rejection? There’s nothing encouraging about that.”

-       Amy Angelowicz

Oh shut up Amy! Are my thoughts, I’m pretty certain the reason why they are putting themselves in such a situation is because they want to and can. Furthermore its people like this, strong individuals who take a step to make a difference in what they believe, the ones who listen to all the hate but shrug it off that do make a difference, same as all those women who humiliated themselves when they decided to join the workforce in a man’s world a few decades ago. And why isn’t modeling for everyone? Is the point of fashion modeling not to display clothes? Are we as people of the world not all different? Should we continue to live in la la land with Amy ( amongst others ) and pretend the only people who should model clothing are the photoshoped, unhealthy sized models we look up to now? Or, now bear with me here, should we embrace these changes? People with physical disabilities are all around us so I can’t quite grasp the big issue here.

Anyways in conclusion to my research on the whole fashion and models thing, I suppose I have learnt that there are steps being taken to change our mentality which is encouraging however most of the responses seemed to be discouraging. All the same most ‘new’ things start off that way, so give it a couple decades and maybe we’ll see a difference. In the mean time I have decided that the fashion industry doesn’t have to be as pathetic as it is if people continue in making changes and the public are more frequently exposed to ‘different’ people till eventually they stop thinking its weird and start thinking its normal. And perhaps I may take some photographs  to express myself visually on the matter.

Looking into Space

The following three images concerning reels of thread mounted on a wall were taken in Liverpool at an exhibit. I have a certain liking for colourful things, so was immediately interested in all the different colours in front of me before I had any idea what this was all about yet. There was thread streaming across the room and adjacent the walls were a few tables with bundles of clothes piled up on top of each other.  Additionally there was a man at the end of the connected tables sewing some of the clothes using thread from the wall. I was intrigued as to its purpose and whether it was chiefly aesthetic with some abstract idea behind it all which I would fail to grasp. I read a small plaque explaining the small exhibit.  The artist, whose name I regrettably fail to remember, has been asking people to hand in clothes with need of repairing in order for him to mend them himself. The amusing bit is that his adjustments would be made apparent as the colourful thread would be sewn on the outside of a rip rather than discreetly hidden underneath. Aside from how interesting the reels looked on the wall, I thought it was a fascinating little idea behind the project, it’s simply fun, and in its own ways celebrating colours and imperfections. The space reflected this jovial project, it was open, the artist was right there as he mended the clothes and spoke to everyone with a big smile on his face. It was a warm friendly atmosphere in this small space which reflected greatly this man’s work.



This grey room filled with photographs is another engaging project a Japanese photographer produced in 1981. The photographer photographed himself every hour of everyday for a year, in the exact same spot. He used orange punching cards to record his punctuality and dedication, to which he had a witness approve their authenticity. Rows and rows of photographs surround the room, the same size, of the same man, with the similar impassive expression on his face for every photograph, he wore the same uniform and took them in the same space. So many things of this exhibit relate to a factory. The repetition, the order, the similarity, the timing, the production, the punch cards and the idea of ‘slavery’. The artist was a slave to his own project, unable to venture off far away or to do anything for too long without interruption this imprisonment of his own work took a lot of dedication and perseverance. The images do not work on their own rather they work as a collective and I find the space further enables the artist’s work to capture the correct understanding from his audience. The space was vast and empty, it was grim and grey matching his uniform and there was a great sense of monotony and order in how the images were presented on the walls. In addition to all of this, what astonished me was how he only missed 94 shots due to sleep. What I proceeded to do immediately after reading this was to take out my calculator. I decided to take on average 4 hours worth of sleep every night, which is fairly minimal and multiplied it by the number of nights in a year, which equals to 1460 hours of which he claims to have failed to wake up only 94 times. The sheer discipline behind the project and how well the space works with the piece is what really makes it as admirable and gratifying as it is.



The photographs I took (above) were aimed in recording the lighting, the grimness and the order in the room.

                          

Oliver Zahm

http://www.bryanboy.com/bryanboy_le_superstar_fab/2010/07/olivier-zahm-on-fashion-bloggers-i-hate-them-im-doing-a-blog-to-kill-them-all.html

The Red Room

Last week as a class we were given the opportunity of venturing off to Liverpool for the purpose of visiting several different exhibitions. I took the photo below at one of the showings. One of the things that I find stands out in this photograph is the colour. In the artistic world red has always been my favourite colour and it’s because I find it to be the most powerful colour. Below are some evaluations which I read over the internet on the colour red.

“ A stimulant, red is the hottest of the warm colours. Studies show that red can have a physical effect, increasing the rate of respiration and raising blood pressure.”

“The expression seeing red indicates anger and may stem not only from the stimulus of the color but from the natural flush (redness) of the cheeks, a physical reaction to anger, increased blood pressure, or physical exertion.”

“Flashing red lights denote danger or emergency. Stop signs and stop lights are red to get the drivers' attention and alert them to the dangers of the intersection.”

“Red is the color of fire and blood, so it is associated with energy, war, danger, strength, power, determination as well as passion, desire, and love.”

So red seems to be a passionate colour stimulating raw emotion. I appreciate that all colours effect us in different ways, however red I find is the most penetrating and effective of them all.

I produced this simple small chart above on paint. Now,  this may be due to myself being completely biased, however I find this is a perfect example to show how red is the most penetrating colour. In further establishing my argument take a look at advertising campaigns like coca cola. I can assure you it is not down to sheer coincidence that their colour of choice is red. This of course is all defined through the study of semiotics. Red is apparently the first colour babies are able to see when born, it is the colour children tend to favour and the colour adults commonly like.

COCA COLA

Note how even several football kits are the colour red.

Hence why I may find myself drawn to this photograph.  

For some reason there seems to be a problem on my hard drive so I’ve had to copy the image, so I have basically lost the quality of the photograph, however I’ll still use it on the blog.

This is the original photograph. What I like aside from the colour is its sense of ambiguity. This photograph was taken in an art exhibition, now with the viewer unaware they assume it’s an enclosed room and perhaps ideas begin to run through ones head as to where this place may be and what it is for. And I think the colour of the room will greatly influence the different interpretations of the purpose concerning this space. Personally I think the red almost has a sleazy effect to the image, particularly in relation to the neon light and the black leather seating area.

What I have done here (above) is increase the brightness of the image as its very dark and I want more red to be evident. However with the increase in brightness there is a loss in the clarity of the sign reading, The Marx Lounge.  

What I did to solve this problem was use the magic want to isolate the sign and increase the brightness of the rest of the image. I then used the cloning tool to clean up the outlining areas.

Teapots and Studio Work

As a foreigner I like to adapt to my surroundings. Being in England I hope to accustom myself to a bit of the English culture, in aid of doing that I have taken up collecting novelty tea pots – Very British. My collection started off with a chicken, so far have four others; a cup cake, a bunny in a dress and apron whose holding her own little tea pot in which the real tea actually comes out of (adorable), a black cat and a house.  Yesterday myself and a few others booked out the studio and what better subject to practise on than my teapots? Nothing.

This shoot is purely experimental, just to practise with lighting and becoming more comfortable with the studio. To start off with me and my assistants, Simon, Chris and Aislinn, set up the scene. I wanted to use a purple background because I thought a nice bright colour would be a fun addition to the photograph. I don’t want the photographs to look old fashioned and boring I want to show people that novelty teapots are fun and not only for old people, contrary to the remarks I usually receive. I also had an idea in my head of how I wanted the image to look.  I would photograph the tea pots individually, I would place them on an old fashion table I have at home because I think it looks appropriate. I wanted the lighting on the actual tea pot to be clean and I wanted a certain brightness on the backdrop glowing around the teapot.

Our initial set up was as above. We placed a soft box on the right and a snoot directing light onto the backdrop behind the teapot.



The above images were the first couple of shots, they were ok, but not what I was after. I realised there was an imbalance and I wanted a soft box on the other side as well.

So the above photograph shows the new set up.

I think I took this image horribly wrong. The angle and where the table is at in the image is just uncomfortable.

I quite like the two above images, I think the subject is used better in its space. I also think the lightings ok but I’m sure I could do more, but it’s a decent start.

Next, my cupcake teapots.



The teapot photographs just look a mess. The teapot is over exposed, the back drop looks a mess. I haven’t done well here but am keen to improve in our next booking in the studio.