Final Project Proposal

Create a written studio proposal based on your Seminar thesis topic by answer the questions below.  This assignment is a way to try and articulate where you are in your research and findings through a written proposal for studio. Identify key elements to be included in the proposal, such as your chosen medium e.g, Illustration, photography, construction, etc.

1. What is your inquiry? Using your Seminar thesis question, write a Studio proposal that is exploring your Seminar inquiry through making and investigation outside of writing.
2. What is your concept? What will your seminar question look like as a garment, photo shoot, textile, or social interview? Explain how your choice of making will explore your Thesis question.

I am studying  The Belle Epoch in Europe  because I want to find out the orientalist views perpetuated through the fashion, stage, and society as a whole.

Fairytale: The Arabian Nights/ One Thousand and One Nights

While conducting my research on the Belle Epoque and its relation to orientalism I realized that there were very few publications that acknowledged the orientalism that thrived in that period. It was not until I asked my fellow professors for specific examples that I was able to find viable sources that would attest to the orientalism during that time period. Thankfully many of the sources that I happened upon were abundant with visual representations of the appropriation and orientalism during that period. The visuals included collections that designer Paul Poiret designed which were seemingly ‘inspired’ by One Thousand and One Nights. He was also very influenced by Orientalism in Leon Bakst’s Ballet Russes costume designs. The Ballet Russes costumes were also a great example of orientalism. As well, other sources were socialites of the time period; Marchesa Luisa Casati who was known to throw lavish parties and invite artists to take residence in her home, influencing their inspirations. Rather than explore their work through writings, I’ll be exploring the fashion garments they have created that were influenced by orientalist culture.

Proposal:

For my final project I would like to create a zine that details the concepts of orientalism and appropriation, while documenting contributors through history to to the appropriation of these Middle Easter and Eastern cultures. The concept for the zine is very informative. It will educate people on orientalism and appropriation, while featuring examples from the past and present. The zine will sample information on Paul Poiret, Marchesa Luisa Casati, and various other contributors to the orientalist school of thought. The zine would firstly introduce and define what appropriation and orientalism are and how these schools of though were used throughout history. The zine will then give past and modern examples of appropriation and orientalism in which the readers will be able to visualize these concepts. The examples will also challenge the debate of appropriations and when it is appreciation or done correctly. Meaning I will not only be looking at these facets in a negative light but to try and show how some artists have assimilated these concepts flawlessly while keeping the meaning and significance of the culture. Finally, the last section of the zine will hopefully be contributions from other fellow victims of orientalist racism and subjection.

I am loosely molding my zine after a fellow website/forum I follow created by Arab Women who challenge similar schools of thought. (http://dardishi.com)

Working backwards from your presentation deadline (May 10), and create a timeline in your LP.  What do you need to do each week to make your project in a timely and efficient matter.  This project should not cost you more then $50.00. Make an inquiry to vendor’s you will need. Example: Printer, Laser cutter, models, location for a photo shoot?

Timeline:

April 5: Have all information/sources and evidence sorted for the zine.

April 12: Have section one of the zine complete. Create  name, layout, brand/logo.

April 19: Have section two of the zine completed. Hopefully have contributions from other women for the third section of the zine.

April 26: Finish Construction

May 3:  Finalize Presentation/ Pick-up Pages from printer (Number of Copies?)

May 10: Present to Class

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Paul Poiret: In Class Research Assignment

Sketching your Idea and Purchasing Materials

Sketch – Create a mood board or rough sketches of what your final project will look like. Include what is relevant to your final project, e.g – a pic of your model, total page numbers, locations, silhouette, etc.  If you are creating for an imaginary character, you should include a “customer profile” Where do they live? How old are they? What year do they exist? Create a muse for yourself.

Inquiry – call or inquire about any logistics you might need. Price of printing, studio space, etc.

Materials  – We will have an in class studio next class 04/12 – Please bring necessary materials to start your project. If you are not sure of how to begin making (never sewn or worked with a specific medium before), bring inexpensive materials to class to create a mini model or muslin for experimentation.

If you feel you are ready to begin, purchase or find your material’s keeping your budget of $50.00 in mind. Refer to the “NYC resources” guide under Canvas discussions for lists of fabric supply, art supply, etc.

Post in your LP, and bring materials to 04/12 class.

For my studio project I intend on creating an informative zine focused on Middle Eastern culture. I will first go on to explain what orientalism and cultural appropriation are and that they are not ancient schools of thought. The zine will be a forum for Arab women on Arab related issues. The zine will be split into sections including: politics, art, fashion, and music. I will have three articles by fellow Arab women, aka my friends. Just to give you an idea what my zine will consist of, I have detailed what articles will be used.

• When is it appropriation and when is it appreciation. 
• My Keffiyeh is not your fashion accessory. 
• An interview with the Kuwaiti artist Ghadah Al Kandari.
• Piece by Nadia Al Sayed-creator of @forthesakeofhumanity
• Piece by Sharifa Al Thuwaikh, more focused on literature and poetry.
• Piece by creators of the website dardishi.com

These articles will fall under categories in the zine:

• Fashion
• Politics
• Music
• Art
• Literature

Order of Zine Pages:

1. Cover.
2. Table of Contents/About Paragraph.
3. When is it Appropriation? When is it Appreciation?
4. My Keffiyeh is Not Your Fashion Accessory.
5. Interview with Ghadah Al Kandari.
6. Piece by Nadia Al Sayed.
7. Piece by Sharifa Al Thuwaikh.
8. Piece by Dardishi.com.
9. Index/sources.

Cover of the zine

Artwork for article.

Artwork for interview.

Artwork for op-ed.

Printed Matter – Exhibition Visit

Attend the following exhibition that is the medium of your project. Answer the below questions during and after you attend the exhibit, as well as any additional notes while viewing.

1. Pick a piece of art that speaks to you, and photograph it. Explain in your LP a caption underneath on why you chose this piece.
2. Is this art relevant to your final project and if so, how?
3. What size or dimensions will you exhibit your final project?
4. How will you display your final project? E.g picture frame, model, website, etc.
5. Will you need additional materials or lighting to present your final?
6. Will there be music?

1. Pick a piece of art that speaks to you, and photograph it. Explain in your LP a caption underneath on why you chose this piece.
   1. I chose this zine in particular because it was one of the few zines on display that had a medley of photography and digital art, which I heavily used in my zine.  It is a collection of photos by Kevin Harry that documents the beauty, tenderness and spirit of people of color. A zine made by a person of color for people of color, similar to my zine made by Arab women for Arab women. 
2. Is this art relevant to your final project and if so, how?
   1. This art is relevant to my final project in that it is a self produced and published zine. As well, it features mixtures of photography and digital art similar to a few of the pages in my zine.
3. What size or dimensions will you exhibit your final project?
   1. I have yet to decide whether or not I will be executing my zine on a digital medium, meaning a website, but I will definitely be printing out the zine. The zine will either be half letter size or full letter size whichever prints out in better quality. If I do go through with the website it will feature all the work in the zine but include more visuals and audio examples as it is now possible to do so.
4. How will you display your final project? E.g picture frame, model, website, etc.
   1. The final project will be displayed as a completed and printed zine. Again, if the website is made, I will display the final project on its website.
5. Will you need additional materials or lighting to present your final?
   1. I will not additional materials to present my final. All I will require is my printed zines, and possibly the computer and projector in the room.
6. Will there be music?
   1. There will be music incorporated into the project if it is executed digitally.

Additional zines that interested me:

Logo and Brand Trial- Business Cards

Pros:

• I would like to keep the design very simple, and have my name be the brand
• I like how simple and streamline the design I created for the card is

Cons:

• Maybe I should try adding color
• Do not have a lot of information to add on to the business card

When it all Comes Together

The Final Art Works for the Website:

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The first 3 artworks, not including the title page, are made for the articles written by me. The last three of the artworks are for the articles written by my fellow Arab friends.

The Following artworks correspond with these articles:

1. Marghoub- Title Art and About Page
2. My Keffiyeh is not your Fashion Statement- Article By YMD
3. Interview with Ghadah Al Kandari- YMD
4. When is Appropriation? When is it Appreciation?-YMD
5. The Role Model who Defies all Stereotypes – Faten Abu Ghazaleh
6. Arab Identity – Nadia Al Sayed
7. “Give me the flute, give me a place I call home”- Zeena Beale

Preview Photos of the Website:

Website link: https://marghoub.squarespace.com

Include a summary at the bottom of your post with any reflections about the process of this final project. What did you learn? Did you accomplish everything, and was there anything you wish you could’ve added or done differently?

Well initially I thought that my final project would be a printed zine, but as the semester progressed my project completely evolved. Rather than make a zine Alexis inspired me to make my very own website on squarespace. The website not only took a lot of work out since I do not have to print and put together the zines, but it did make a platform that may be subject to more attention. A website is more easily accessible to the general public, and can easily be shared with the contributors to the website. Thankfully, I was able to accomplish everything I desired with the website and was able to learn how to make a website successfully since which was tedious as this was my first time making one. The website features a clean and minimalistic design that allows for the main focus to be held on the posts themselves. Overall, I am very happy with how the website has turned out and I only hope that I continue on with the project.