Bethan Treen Candidate number: 1760

Investigating the Importance of Line, Shape, Identity and Pattern within Art and Fashion. It was when I began breaking down the lines and shapes of a fan that I became interested in the definition and replication of line (Image 1). The lines repeated were like ridges of paper, so strong and forceful, so unlike the fabric the fans were made from, forced into points by struts behind them (Image 2). It was this defined shape that could be reproduced through a media strong enough to hold its shape through a simple crease. This would create a sharper and more simplified line, one that could in it self be replicated again and again easily. Works like unfolding by the artists Steve Rooney and Sue Williams (Image 3) influenced me in making sculptural works using creases and concertinas, and using strong lighting to photograph and make the creases of paper more obvious (Image 4). Their complex and skilled work developed my interest in mixing these defined lines with the idea of shells, as the sculpture across has an almost prehistoric or fossil like structure and feel to it. This pieces curves, being very hard to remake without the correct types of paper, gains the audiences attention and the shapes which remind one of shells, yet have an other worldly feel, help to give the idea that mixing realism with expressionism is an interesting idea to work towards and one that I would like develop and explore (Image 5). This simple shell like sculpture is one that I made with the intention of lighting it strongly or photocopying it to gain the linear struts from paper to paper or plastic slides. (Image 6) And this piece explores directly connecting the fan shapes and lines with the realistic shells and dress making patterns. I particularly like this piece as it really shows through subtly and adds depth and detail to the overall, much like an embellishment on a dress.
2

Image 1: referencing fan folds

Image 2: referencing fan struts

Image 3: sculptural artwork by Steve Rooney and Sue Williams

Image 4: Strongly lit concertinaed card

Image 5: Sculptural shell from development work

Image 6: shell patterns concertinaed experimented with in art work

Maggi Hambling, a British artist, also experimented with the use of shells in her sculptural work. (Image 7). I use The Scallop Sculpture as an example because of the strong bold lines and textures, although it is not a dressy piece I do feel it fits in well in creating a ripple and frill like shell whilst being rustic and natural. Her work shows a large broken shell with cut through words from an opera, all of which was locally influenced and remains a permanent fixture on Aldeburgh Beach. The idea of local influence is one of great importance to many artists and I would like to include this as a key feature in my work. Her skill in making the huge shell from metal shows a detailed and expressive 3D view that is greatly influential and well loved by the surrounding community. I am particularly interested in making my work 3D in a similar way to express my project as it is what seems fit within the context of the project and the main focus of the ideas I am working with. The concept of Hamblings structurally sound sculpture is one that I am keen to reproduce and work from be it in the media of paper, metal, wood, or even replication of a fan through stitching and bending with struts to make something fan or dress like yet more sculptural (Image 8 ) and almost more delicate. This is of interest to me as the outcomes of such works, in my opinion, are endless in style difference and development. The idea of bold lines and duplication in shape also reminded me of the work by Kandinsky (Image 9). He, as shown in the picture Traverse line (across), used the explicit and constant use of lines and structures duplicated to create a constant working pattern. Many of his works, in this way, remind me of fans and dresses, a constant repeated structure. His brilliantly expressionist work uses repeated lines to gain its shape, meaning and movement, almost like gaining speed through his works, a tempo which I find I very original to his work and one that I like a lot.
4

Image 7: Maggi Hamblings The Scallop Sculpture on Aldeburgh Beach

Image 8: Struts in experimental fan. Manipulation of Materials.

Image 9: Transverse Line, 1923 by Wassily Kandinsky

This tempo is heavily influenced by music and this is obvious in his pieces, and they almost become like scenes of dancing as it does in Composition VII (Image 10). This piece fluidly moves, swiftly changing into deeper and more exaggerated shapes and colours. Its thick edges give the piece shape, people, a place and time. I can imagine the waving of fans and dances influenced by the music playing. The use of colour influenced my earlier works in this project by being very bold and strong (Image 11), however as I have moved through I have found that if I isolate this colour down to smaller sections it can impact more on the overall piece. The thick and persistent lines are a constant attention grabber, and it is these lines that are of most interest and use to me. These overlapped and repeated lines also remind me of a dress patterns themselves, showing different sizes and areas of cut. (Image 12) Its lines and sweeping shapes can not only be used to construct a dress, but they themselves can construct a part of a smaller, more detailed picture. They also remind me of struts in a fan that holds it rigid and together, pulled shut, waiting to be opened, but its bends show an artistic idea of sculpture, metal struts that are parallel but bend with each other (Image 13). The points of his lines get narrower as they come to a point, holding a part in a certain way, like the bones of a dress. However, it is not only the lines and strong struts I am interested in but also the curves and bends that are evident in his pieces. They remind me of the details to a dress, the buttons and bodyline, the frills and flourishes that make a dress what it is. These, once again taken down to their simplest form can create that which adds to a structure in a different way (Image 14). Once an object such as a button is taken and stripped of its detail, in the same way that I have done to a fan, then it too can become something different and can be used in a different way, even when constructed of something like paper.
6

Image 10: Composition VII Wassily Kandinsky

Image 11: Strong colour, influenced by Kandinsky works

Image 12: Dress making patterns

Image 13: A twisted fan, in jewellery wire

Image 14: Button taken down to simple linear structure.

And it is the concept of making something real into an expression of a shape that drives me to experiment further. This ambition creates a more abstract force, allowing me to develop an interest in making a larger object, for example, a fitting object; a dress. And instead of the dress being the main feature it is the background. On top, is placed the minute detail of the dress making pattern, making the scaling of the pattern different and thus playing with the concept of the inner workings of the dress (Image 15). A pattern, its lines and complex, mathematical shapes, could be seen to hide its true from until it has been put together to make a dress, sleeve or garment. Though using art as a tool, this statement can be untrue; a pattern itself can be an area of interest and visual definition. Not only can a pattern be used to show how to make a dress but can be part of an overall garment, its finishings; its ruffles and frills. These can all reflect a broken up picture from their sweeping or ridged movement and shape. Meaning it gives only a partial view of the lines and wording on the pattern (Image 16), and so the dress itself. The lines are also broken in that the edges are not matched up to make an object. The artist Katherine Allen-Coleman experiments with this concept, though perhaps in an opposite way (Image 17). It was from her original ideas of combining both, and using parts of an overall dress, like stitching instead of line and buttons to add an extra dimension that I am gaining a better understanding for this idea and style of work. Her piece in image 17, part of the Paper Dolls series shows a tonal dress with light contrasting background. The tissue paper effect at the back has aged the writing and pattern behind allowing it to blend in. The buttons bring life to the piece and attract the audiences initial thought which is then taken by the rest of the finely detailed dress.

Image 15: experiments with detail on fans to make a structure the background

Image 16: a dress making pattern used in a different way.

Image 17: Katherine Allen-Coleman Dress making art work Part of the Paper dolls series

It is these buttons and finishing touches, as previously mentioned, that I would like to bring into my work, But perhaps to obtain different and abstract effects.(Image 18). In doing this I aim to recreate a deconstructed form in a different way. Instead of working the way Allen-Coleman does though I would like to develop the idea of reversing her work and rather than making the dress and detail smaller I would like to increase the scale and make the whole larger. Allen-Colemans work creates a small, delicate view of a person, bringing ideas of their life, experiences and where they live into her pieces (Image 19). Her work in this image Little Black Dress subtly hints at an owners face within the piece, saying something about them and who they are, or perhaps it points at something completely different. The image is quite composed, tonal, yet subtly striking and moving in that it poses a mystery to the viewer. And although these people are created in her mind it attracts the attention of a viewer by making them think about that person in a different way. They need know nothing of the person in Allen-Colemans head, only what is in the finished piece. This concept says as much about the person as the dress they are wearing, an outsiders view, an opinion one forms by the persons visual appearance and nothing more. (Image 20) In this piece, one of my personal favourites, she uses a map inside the dress, giving the piece a completely different view point. The sweeter, pink colours give a girly summery feel and the dress making pattern in the background still follows suit in giving detail within detail.

Image 18: abstract dresswork experiment

10

Image 19: Katherine Allen- Coleman Little black dress

Image 20: Katherine Allen-Coleman Art work. Part of the Paper dolls series

11

It almost says something about what the dress wearer could be thinking, where her mind is, or where she comes from. This perception gives the pieces a defined place, a life, helping in all to portray a style and time. Thus it is an interesting idea to pursue; the map, a place, a time in history, affecting the style of dress or even class of the wearer gives another level of historical and artistic meaning. For example, how would a wartime woman wear her dress, what happened to her house, even family? What would the dress of a girl who lived in the mountains look like? Or what will my own dress look like at a masquerade ball? What would it say about me, thus informing others of my identity, not through words but through image? Within the fist two seconds of someone seeing a dress, what can they tell about that person from that dress? Then, if I can develop my work so that the minute detail and inner working of both the dress pattern and elements from a mysterious life show through, then I can develop this notion further into making a sculpture that manipulates the viewer to see exactly what I want them to know about a person rather that just creating a dress from a place and time (Image 21). And once you have told a viewer what you want them to know, thats when their mind will piece the rest of the dresses life together. It is this exact feeling and thought process that I would like to create with every viewer who sees the dress, plus the mood of excitement and awe at the material it is made of and the overall look of the piece. How such a dress can be brought to life and structural stability was shown to me through the works of Jolis Paons (Image 22), Gary Harvey (Images 23& 24) and the Scott Paper Company (Image 25). Though Gary Harvey and the Scott Paper Company are more fashion designers than artists their work still fits in well with the themes and methods that I am exploring so it is fitting that I use their work for my development and influence.
12

Image 21: Development Piece

Image 22: Art work by Joan Paons

Image 23 & 24: Dresses from London Fashion week by Gary Harvey.

Image 25: Scott Paper Company Dress

13

Their works show that a realistic paper dress can be constructed and worn and this has influenced my development final piece heavily. Paons work reinforced the idea of structure, using many concertinaed and layered pieces of paper in the lines; where as, Harveys work has a random and crazy flare to it. This randomness is more appropriate to the topic of Trash Culture and Fashion with a conscience, the titles in which he was aiming to interpret. During this exhibition he worked in reusing old garments and papers to create the new. Once again, this follows and inspires me in my ideas of deconstruction to create a new form. Both Paons and Harveys work also say a lot about identity. Paons uses a phone book to construct the dress, to me this says something about the wearer; perhaps they are popular, and perhaps they seek popularity or are just searching for the right person. It introduces a question in the viewers mind, why was that specific material and type of paper selected? This is something that I will have to consider in my work; the type of paper I decide to use. Also I have noted that the colours in these dresses are very subtle and muted, a key feature that I have repeated in my later works as to bring more attention to the details on the dress rather than the colours within it (refer back to Image 21). However, in that piece it is also evident that I have brought in flecks of colour, this is a feature which I feel brings a personality to the dress and would say something about the wearer. Harveys dress too says something not only about culture in general but the wearer; does that person like reading? Or are they wasteful? Do they wish to preserve and save things? And what does it say on each sheet? The Scott Company dress simply reinstates a key element in my project, bringing the pattern out onto the dress, but once again, does this say something about a potential wearer? It is questions like these that I believe to be so vital in my final piece.
14

I do not wish my final piece to be so realistic that one can just pick it up and wear it. I feel that the analytical work and research of artists reinforces that decision. In this way I dont want any person to have the opportunity to wear it. The dress will belong to a mystery person, made for her, representing her; no one else should want or need to wear it because it wouldnt be theirs. I feel, from the work that I have already experimented with it should carry some weight, not just mentally but physically. The length and structure, the finishings and different parts should all carry meaning in themselves. Moreover, the dress that will be produced out of the work that I have done already, should include strength in its materials, lines and highlight key elements from my artists ideas that I have taken and adapted, as well as my interpretations and the development lines, styles and features. It should in all be an evaluation and completed statement of the words line, shape, identity and pattern not just in fashion but in the art world too. The artists I use and the development through my writing and analysis should help me to produce a successful final piece. And my investigation into the key elements of my project enables me to carry on and develop further.

Word Count 2,843

15

Bibliography Books and magazines Sister Wendys Story of Paintings 1944 Kindersley Limited Craft magazine The 20th Century Art Book Phaidon 1966 Phaidon Press Limited The Etiquette of Dress Copper Beech Publishers Ltd Costumes through the Ages By Erhard Klepper. Dover Pubns. (1 Feb 2000) Websites Scott Paper Company in 1966: http://stylefrizz.com/200808/would-youwear-a-paper-dress http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/sudley/exhibitions/unfolding/graphi cs/lead_unfolding.jpg Jolis Paons: http://textileartscenter.wordpress.com/2010/07/06/the-paperdress/ GaryHarvey:http://www.koldinghus.dk/Files/Billeder/Udstillinger/2009/ Biennalen%202009/GaryHarveyNewspaperdressFotoIdaSchmidt.jpg abstract-art.com www.dresspaintings.blogspot.com www.wikipedia.co.uk www.maggihambling.com

16