Aphex Twin / Chris Cunningham - Flex (good quality)

Aphex Twin / Chris Cunningham - Flex (short film)

Found this Video on Youtube and it is very inspiring especially seeing the body movement and flexes. Some part of the body look like being folded when the body gesture transformed from one movement to another. The inspiring part was when all of these movements and transformation through body flexes were done under water which gives allowance in rotation.

It helps me with generating ideas that some folded section of my garment pattern can be applied onto the body part, changing the placement by rotating it according to the ecliptic direction.

Proposal

Expressing Pattern

Abstract

In fashion I have always been fascinated by the way how to produce a high quality garment, especially in haute couture and traditional tailoring. They have been all about the art in cutting and making by using existing formulas of shape construction to fit around the body.

What is the pattern that constructed our body? The question gives me interest in exploring the human anatomy as garment patterns. Skins, flesh, bones, organs and muscle tissues are the pattern and structure that constructed human anatomy as reflected in technical construction of a garment.

The 4th year project allow me to have personal expression in my design. My thought on what I would like to achieve is to create a collection working close to the body, exploring design outcome through step by step experimentation and exploring any possibilities such as combining structured design with soft design and analyse how it can give a new design perspective from what used to be known for it challenge and nearly impossible.

Design Approach

For the triumph lingerie wear competition in ‘Shape Sensation’ theme, I looked at the shape and bones structure of the body anatomy. In the research I was also inspired by the 14^th and 15^th Century medical art illustration by Versalius, the performance of the muscle as fabrication. Each illustrations show a skinless man in muscles, the muscles lines is interesting to me because of the proportions and I started to look at anatomy pattern in life drawing. Since the research was only briefly for triumph competition, I pursuit the research further for my collection.

The first approach is by the continuing research on body anatomy from the triumph competition. Images that inspire me such as the Versalius muscle illustration gave me an idea to use muscle anatomy as my pattern. Each muscle group line is digitised using illustrator software and printed in real life human scale as a 2D map of patterns.This pattern map will be my own template that later will be re-position for example the legs pattern is position as a body or the arms pattern is use for the legs. Patterns that are traced will than be re-scaled to fit the real body. While exploring pattern position, some part of the pattern will be drafted to get the particular corner and angle stand out from the body to create the 3 dimensional form.

To be able to get the 3 dimensional form, material consideration is very important to get the perfect structured architectural shape. In contrast the soft material has to be taken into consideration because some soft material will not support the 3D shape such as knitted fabric. Each pattern will be explore on man and women body to analyze the different design outcome and what design outcome will be achieve.

Key point of approaching design

• Generating a set of pattern blocks in illustrator
  
• Mapping process in 2D form
• Re-positioning different pattern on different part of body
• Achieving 3D structural shape and form in hard material
  
• Incorporate design with soft material
• Exploring same pattern on both genders to analyze different garment design.
  

Methodology

• What can I use for exploration and development process?
• What will be the garment outcome?
• How to express the garment excellence performance?

To create my own pattern system to approach the design, I find the human muscle anatomy and illustrate the pattern digitally in adobe illustrator. The digital pattern is the pattern that will be used to explore tangible garment designs.

Placing different pattern blocks on different body area or mapping on the body, pattern draft than will be re-draft using pattern making method to achieve different silhouettes that can be wearable.

Each final design will be toiled using different material to see which material is best to express the garment outcome. 3D structure design will be explored using material such as woven fabric in wool, linen, denim or even PVC while Soft part in design will be examine with material such as chiffon and knitted fabrics to produce drape or body hugging garment. Using different materials can effect the whole design outcome particularly the performance is structure, texture, drape, sheer effect and sharpness.

Selected material and its use on different part of garments will give option to certain techniques of construction for example tailoring technique for most outer garment, structured part of the garment and detail such as pocket.

Aim

• What is the collection mean philosophically?
• What is the purpose of this collection?
• What can be done within the parameter of design?
• What is the expression from the design process?

This project of expressing fashion has given me the opportunities to express my understanding on how fashion dominates body image. The series of pattern is the key to help changing perception of the way body garment was built and ‘form follow function’ theory. It will be the alternative way to construct garment instead of using basic body pattern blocks. Even demonstrating design interpretation by exploring the possibilities of combining different design forms such as structural form with fluid or soft texture.

Outcome

• How will the concept communicate to the audience?
• How can I express my process as a designer beside expressing the concept?

Final garment from a process in body mapping has to be demonstrated on a real body to give evidence for its tangibility and functionality. Each garment pieces from the collection is developement from experimented shapes and forms, from one to another. Process will also be captured in a short video format to show how the collection grows in an abstract form. The collection will also be expressing the perfection in cut and technical production to exhibit the complexity and craftmanship detail in design process.

Crystallographica by Irina Shaposnikova

This is a video I found from the Antwerp graduates last year, like the ideas about anatomy is crystalized and also the communication through video graphic with mirror affect to translate the garment language. The connection of movement and reflection are very poetic!

Irina Shaposhnikova 09 from pierre debusschere on Vimeo.

Creating Pattern System

By analysing the Vitruvius theory, I looked back at the body anatomy from the beginning of my research to find what can be used to create a pattern system. The human anatomy is constructed by muscle group, usually the muscle group has partial proportion that is different from the propotion we see on the surface which has been covered by flesh and skins.

At this point I will need to look at both gender muscle anatomy to find evidence between the similarities and differences by constructing digital pattern using illustrator software.

When drawing the pattern, I used ruler tool to measure the real standard human body size of each gender to get the closest picture to real body image and proportion. Then the digitalized pattern can be printed out in real human size by certain percentage.

The size of each small pattern pieces will be measured to get a set of measurement numbers. Garment designs depend on the exploration of changing the pattern measurement numbers or engaging different pieces, even adapting to the ecliptic movement to evaluate how this patterns could work around the body propotionally.

Birth of a Concept

‘Anatomy Rhythm’ - for Triumph

It is all begin from a project for Triumph Lingerie competition. This competition is about designing possibilities for lingerie that is trendy, innovative way in construction, unique and fun. Motto for the Triumph competition 2010 is ‘Shape Sensation’.

I have always been interested in women corset lingerie because the idea of body modification and going beyond the generalization of normal human body image. This interest raised questions about what is that make the form of our body shape? What is the basic construction of human anatomy? What is it that supports the body movement?

So I begin to explore the anatomy of human body, the anatomy architecture of bones, muscle and body parts. It came across I found some really interesting images of medical experiment books from the 14^th and 15^th century by Versalius with illustrations of anatomy as art in performance.

Looking at the movement of the body with anatomical muscle lines and proportion, it leads to graphic illustration of basic construction in drawing proportional human body by constructive guide lines. This guide lines are in different shape and form according to the body part, but that gives thought to the computerized 3D body constructions with mesh lines. Mesh lines are harmony, they are equal vertically and horizontally but what generated the form and shape digitally is the depth and stretch.

The harmony of lines gives the sense of music rhythm of which it plays according to the music notes. Intensity of sound is determined by the length of time in holding a certain keynote, the longer the keynote is being hold the longer the sound will last. When the sound starts from intense to slowly fading, sensation of smooth and softness is felt in the flat continuous flat pattern sound. This musical sensation is similar to our body movement, repetitive and harmony. But what gives different sensation is the intensity and strength of the movement such as speed, pose, act and flex.

Everyday we use shape to describe an object, but what makes it has a particular name? It is the line of silhouette that we recognize as it ‘shape’. Each line of shape gives different perception to the person who sees it and sometime it can create mood to our vision. The flow of a shape is like rhythm in music, the tension and intensity or a soft flow of sound.

Human body constructed from many type of shapes, particularly muscle grouping. The human body is living object and shape from part of body changes when moving around, demonstrating flexibility through stretches. Stretches often create sensation to our body, pulses felt stronger as our skin draws in tight, creating anatomy rhythm of our body.