‘The Fiboconachi Hat’
Yes, this title was inspired by my teacher and her creative humor!
For this project, we started by visiting Wave Hill (alike to a botanical garden) in the Bronx. We also made trips to the MET and the Guggenheim as mentioned in a previous post, but I decided to have my source image come from Wave Hill as the Fibonacci sequence is most commonly found in nature. I decided to choose a picture that focused on a leaf for my source image as I knew the leaf’s shape and structure naturally have the Fibonacci sequence in them.
Along with this, I used the following internet-sourced images for inspiration:
The function of my head covering is to protect the right eye from weather, unwanted sights, etc. by only covering part of the eye and not obstructing vision. There is a metal leaf that can rotate down to cover the eye and back up to be a part of the exterior top of the hat. I imagine this being worn on a runway rather than a common market, as I think it can go well with a couture fashion collection in a unique way. Being featured on the runway, the eye covering can be left for endless interpretation and speculation by the viewers.
I chose to Fibonacci the leaf shape in 3D form because it was my source of inspiration for Fibonacci in the first place. By doing Fibonacci on the leafs I also realized I wanted to go for an asymmetrical look for this project.
I used the Linear material of faux suede against the header comfort. This was inspired by the coverings soldiers wore under their armor for comfort in the medieval times. I also used and elastic band that goes around the neck to keep the headpiece in place (which is a linear material.) The planar materials I used included steel wire, sheet metal and a stud. all of these are found on the exterior of the headpiece, ensuring no rigid material comes in contact with the head.
The most challenging part of this project was definitley making the moveable part that covered the eye. I was planning on making a fabric hinge type of mechanism, but soon realized that the hat will have to be tighter to the head and have extra support by the moving part, so I added the elastic. I got to use the knowledge of wire craft from my shoe and hand model again in this project. My favorite part of the project ended up being the use of the faux suede because all my classmates commented on how soft the material was. I wish I had more time to improve on the elastic and maybe have covered it in a matching material for a more aesthetically pleasing overall finish. With this project, I have learned to overcome striving for perfection in each and every project that I do, and rather focus on the craft and learning the technical process of the project. Although an absurd final project, I am happy with the results.