Creating a container of light entails several things, and throughout my journey during my Space and Materiality class I have often looked inward for inspiration. My work usually falls under the theme of mood or emotive feelings. I like to utilize the color blue due to its versatility of conveying different moods. For this piece, I wanted the container of light to be myself in order to carry on the motif of feeling.
Using cultural reference, I looked at my own culture, that being Egypt, and pondered about the meaning of blue. The color blue in Ancient Egypt symbolizes protection power, and good health used mostly in the eye of Horus that would be worn as jewelry. I took this concept and decided to create a raincoat made out of clear blue PVC vinyl. This encompasses the idea of protection, as a raincoat protects its owner from the elements. I also decided to incorporate blue neon lighting in the shape of an eye to further convey the Eye of Horus. The raincoat dually draws attention to its vibrant lighting as well protects its wearer due to the utility of the garment.
I used a coat I made previously as a reference for how I wanted the garment to drape on my body. Additionally, I looked towards clear raincoats as a foundation for how I wanted my design to look like. The process of creating the garment itself was to first take my measurements of my body, then creating patterns of the raincoats on pattern paper. The process of patterning consisted of drawing out the different portions of the garments based on my measurements. I then followed up by laying the fabric on top of the pattern paper and cutting out the fabric based on the pattern paper. I then sewed the different portions together and added snaps and buttons to the raincoat. Additionally, I used bias tape to hide the inner seams in order to make the garment look finished. I then added on the neon lighting by loosely wrapping it in the shape of an eye around the garment to complete it.
Overall, I am very pleased with the result of the garment although it was challenging, I was ecstatic that I was finally able to create a garment and use a material and technique I am passionate about. The garment itself was very fun to create and vastly improved my skill due to the fabric being a difficult one to manipulate. Space and Materiality has consistently pushed me out of my comfort zone, forcing me to use and become skilled in techniques and materials I have never operated with. I am now well versed in multiple mediums that I can use in the future within my major.
