Final Project Idea (Mixed Media)

      "It takes pain to be beautiful." For this project I will be creating a piece that follows this quotes. The piece I am making will be a female plaster doll that contains different cultural binding methods of beauty. The use of plaster for this project is meant to 'physically' portray the restricted movement one would endure with the following body modifications. This doll will literally be manipulated from head to toe with different ways of cultural body modification and beautification. The hairstyle is from West Africa where the Fulbe and Peul tribes cultivate these impressive and sometimes painful hairstyles.

      The gown and corset will represent the garment of choice worn by women in the western world from the late Renaissance into the twentieth century, as a way of restricting the female body in clothing for a slimming and more attractive figure. During this time, corsets were lined with whale bone or steel, as one could imagine, this would be very painful. 

     The face of the figure will be edited in photoshop, and printed on fabric, to look as perfect and flawless as possible. I will embroider onto the face to convey the idea of plastic surgery, a popular body modification in today's society.

     In Padaung, women's necks would be covered in brass coils, which overtime, would suppress the shoulders down to make the neck appear longer. I will also be incorporating this aspect of cultural body modification to the doll.

     The feet of the doll will be molded and bound like women's feet of ancient Chinese practices would be bound to make the feet appear smaller, more attractive, and as a status symbol.

     I am very interested in the idea of conveying different cultural body modifications together because combined the doll will become very abnormal looking. This project is also meant to depict the painful procedures women endure for beauty or vanity, a suitable mate, or as a way to physically portray social status within a culture.

     

Photoshop Icon and Painting

Final Project Idea

     For my final project I will be creating a 3-dimensional piece from a plaster cast. This cast will be of a doll. The body will be manipulated, think in context of Victorian, it's mostly to feed my obsessive love for this time period. I am choosing to use plaster because I can add to (layering) and subtract from (filing) the piece as I please. I am playing on the idea of manipulation and collage. The final result will be a plaster casted doll wearing clothing that I will make from fabric. The face will be computer printed and sew onto the face. 

     But this is just an outline for what to expect....I'll add more detail to this eventually.

Oh, the Holes: Idea/Image Change

     For this project, I am going create images from different media types. I will be scanning in images (film and other media, i.e. a magazine), and editing them in photoshop and creating single images based on this "exploration" I will be doing. (Think collage created by scanning,etc.) The final book will still be printed on fabric. Other than that, everything else remains the same.

An example of what I'm going for:

Oh, The Holes: Images

Oh, the holes.

     For this project, I have decided to create images that portray the causes and effects of global warming. I am going to take images of objects and subjects that are continually increasing the downfall of the Earth. I plan on printing these images on fabric. The holes that will lead the viewer to the next page will be created either by use of text or by choosing an interesting shape within the image itself. I am considering using a model or models in these photographs to portray the idea of being oblivious to the situation. The finalized project will consist of 8 or more photographs printed on fabric and bound together to form a book.

Week 6: Assignment 1

Part 1: A

     For my client, Lanvin Paris, I am trying to communicate the idea of detail, by reinforcing adjectives that describe the item in the advertisement, i.e. the dress from last week's assignment. Words like delicate, elaborate, couture, accentuating, and elegant are juxtaposed with images that are meant to define the word used along with it.

Part 1: B

    For my second client, H.I.P., or High Intensity Pigments, I am trying to communicate the idea of accentuating ones features by using the makeup product. Edgy, colorful, intense, eccentric, and unique are used to describe the pigments and how they could make one look or feel. Again. these words are paired with images that are meant to define it further.

My Jeanne Lanvin Ad

     The image I created based on a Jeanne Lanvin couture gown advertisement.

Image Intention.

     Jeanne Lanvin was a vintage 1920's and 1930's designer from Paris. If I could work for an organization creating images, I would work for this company. Lanvin's fashions were and are meant to appeal to those of high ranks, i.e. celebrity, or during the beginning of her designing time, aristocrats.

     For this assignment, I chose to create a stereotypical Jeanne Lanvin-esque advertisement image. I was going for creating the type of image of Lanvin's early work and Cristobal Balenciaga's vintage gowns and how the ads portrayed beautiful, delicate couture gowns in "harsh" environments like city streets, deteriorating spaces, or lavish empty rooms. 

     The images that were produced are meant to convey the idea of beauty in some uncommon space. This idea of portrayal intrigues me and I am going to attempt to re-create this idea with my image.

Sex sells in advertisement.

Clothing ads(Source: Marie Claire magazine, Sept. 2008 issue)

Clothing Ad for Cesare Paciotti Clothing

     I chose this image because of the content and context. The idea that "sex sells" is obvious here. The intention of this ad is to make viewers or consumers want to buy the clothing. This ad becomes somewhat misleading because the clothes seem to be only optional. More appealing to the eye is the model herself, then what she is wearing. She is scantily dressed and somewhat seductive. Ads like this one are mainly based on the idea of sex and how it is conveyed in the image used to hopefully persuade buyers.

Clothing Ad for Baby Phat

     In this image, the consumer is supposed to want the clothing that the model is wearing. This ad portrays the model literally sprawled on a bed, seductively of course, as a way to persuade consumers once again with sex as the underlying tone.

KY Lubricant Ad

     

     This advertisement is literally about sex. Even so, the company who creates the product is attempting to portray sex as 'a moment that becomes an eternity', but only if you use the product pictured of course. Images like this one are not so subliminal in the portrayal of the product, however, it is meant to create that idea of needing this product to get, or 're-create', what is being conveyed in the advertisement itself.

PETA Ads (Source:Google)

          I chose these three images because the message being conveyed is that of a positive one. However, that idea that sex sells is still very much obvious here also. Apparently, the creators and followers of this organization know that sex sells and have obviously incorporated that into their ads. It has that attention grabbing effect that consumers seem to crave for, but is it a strong enough portrayal to convince them and keep them interested in the sole meaning of the ad?

     

Compressed Images