ARTIST’S STATEMENT (REVISITED) – VISUAL CULTURE SEMINAR

— Uncategorized —

Streetwear, also known as Street Fashion, is a noun defined as casual clothing of a style worn especially by members of various urban youth subcultures, while the word Urban is an adjective defined as in, relating to, or characteristic of a city or town, or denoting or relating to popular dance music of black origin.

Truthfully, most would say it denotes or relates to popular culture of black origin (especially those of black background). As of late, most urban interests have become trends that have exponentially increased in the interests of other communities and cultures. While some may argue that this is cultural appropriation, others would insist that it is inspiration and admiration.

Ultimately, my project goal is to express the untold story of the other side of the Runway; inform fashion consumers on the origins of current fashion trends in today’s society and how the populace of the areas where the trends originated live.

i decided to create a fashion line that consists of streetwear silhouettes with heavy influence from high fashion, somewhat making a mockery of the collaboration and putting my own spin on it.

PROTPTYPE PT. 2 – VISUAL CULTURE STUDIO

— Uncategorized —

THESIS: Though what is identified as “The Streets” has usually been ignored by most of the world, through many art forms it also inspires. The most recent collaborations non-exclusive to urban-inspired streetwear and culturally-infused consumables, make a mockery of an actual culture, transforming the true lives of many families into mere luxury items that they can’t even afford. This is disrespectful to the actual culture and prominent across many of this generation’s interests. Using the method of extensive research and field work, this essay will explore the collaboration between “The Streets,” and the Runway, and how it effects each side of this controversial and explosive trendy fashion-faux-pas.

 

RESEARCH: Since Chanel is such a well-known Fashion Designer and has influenced even big name designers of today (See: Jeremy Scott x MOSCHINO) I decided to make my initial prototype after their 90s lines. I took the prints and knitted/luxurious look and made it into a crop hoodie and a pair of trousers, two staples in today’s streetwear roster. I made this into a winter look, also pairing along matching cropped bubble pullover (with hood) and bubble pants – some urban-inspired trends you’ll most likely see amongst the streets of Brooklyn. The next look was for Summer, inspired by the perforated leather Chanel models dawned in the mid-to-late 90s. I created a stitched-leather overall, with a mesh bodysuit under. Both my designs feature Chuck Taylor Converse, another streetwear staple and just one of my favorite shoes, period. The first design features a shoulder bag in a classic Chanel purse silhouette and the second design features a backpack in Chanel-inspired prints with a skateboard deck to match. I am extremely happy with both of these designs. 

 

TIMES SQUARE – DRAWING/IMAGING

— Drawing+Imaging, Year 1 —

 S

MoMA POST – DRAWING/IMAGING

— Drawing+Imaging, Sustainable Systems, Year 1 —

Faith Ringgold, American People Series #20: Die, 1967

Space is pretty shallow, because of how graphic this painting is and how the shapes in the painting are so defined. The composition of it is the reasoning behind why I say this; the colors are also really bright and contrasting so that adds to the graphic-ness of the overall image. It is also a large painting – so size does play a part.

 

Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, The Myriad Motives of Men, 2014 

This painting appears so deep because of the lack in range of colors used – they are all very dark, even the light colors seem dark in a sense. By limiting the amount of colors on their palette, the artist was about to make the viewer perceive the painting as deep although there may only be about 6 different colors used in varying ways throughout this entire piece.

 

Erik van Lieshout, Untitled, 2014

This painting is shallow, because the lines and shapes in it are so loose and without real definition. It’s pretty cool/interesting, because the figures and buildings are just recognizable, with dabs of color randomly throughout it attracting the viewer’s eye.

 

Diego Rivera, Agrarian Leader Zapata, 1931

This painting is deep, considering the composition; it looks like the artist took his time with it and added great detail, causing the painting to get deeper with each brushstroke. There is a variation of colors across the wheel, and different shapes and shadows that draw together and make for a well-resolved piece.

 

Pablo Picasso, The Studio, 1973

This piece is shallow – it is composed of lines shapes and colors in their most basic form. Abstract, it seems to be a rendition of a studio, lending hints of figures and objects commonly found in one. The perspective is head on, which also adds to the shallowness.

 

Pablo Picasso, Three Musicians, 1921

This painting is deep-looking, because of the darkness of the background and the lightness of the foreground. There is also this variation from pattern to solid colors in the background and foreground, which allows the viewer to believe the two are more contrasting than they really are. The fact that the figures are composed of shapes helps the deepness too; the painting is abstract.

 

Georges Ribemont-Dessaignes, Silence, 1915

This painting is shallow, because the shapes look very light and on the surface. There aren’t any shadows really, just a contrast from the top to the bottom of the painting – sort of like a gradient grey color. The shapes are also brightly painted and viewed head-on.

    

Giorgio de Chirico, The Song of Love, 1914

This painting is pretty deep, looking at the shadows and detail placed in each aspect of it. If you even just look at the glove, you’ll notice the detail in the folds of the fabric, and how it’s hanging from the wall. Though the way the objects are placed in the painting may be unconventional and not make much sense in terms of real life, the painting looks realistic because of the perspective which makes it deep.

   

André Derain, Bathers, 1907

This painting is deep because of the shadows. The painting is really only composed of about three or four colors – orange, yellow, green and blue, and the warmer colors represent the light while the cooler colors represent the dark. Even with only four colors, the way they are used makes the painting look deep, and is also probably the reason this painting is so appreciated; it was done in such a harmonious and beautiful way.

   

Pierre Bonnard, Basket of Fruit Reflected in a Mirror, c. 1944-46

This painting is deep, due to the layering of the paint and how the shapes are made. The brushstrokes are lose, which makes it seem like it could be shallow, but the overall composition of the painting brings it all together making it deep. It is ranging in color and shape, and the perspective is head-on with distance in the background.

FIGURE DRAWING POST – DRAWING/IMAGING

— Drawing+Imaging, Uncategorized —

     

CURRENT EVENTS POSTS – DRAWING/IMAGING

— Drawing+Imaging, Uncategorized —

Outrage Follows Twitter Joke About the President’s Young Son

To me, the initial image was slightly boring. It was just a picture of someone getting out of a car, apparently one of the Kennedy’s. I wanted to pull solely from the image and the title to create my rendition of the article, so I drew a young, white boy crying with the Twitter logo hovering his head like a halo. The young boy sports the same color hair as his father; which suggests that the positioning of the logo isn’t a coincidence in pertinence to the President’s reputation.

 

Hidden Nuclear Site Reborn as Tourist Draw

This picture was dark and ominous – to me, it looked like a spaceship or some kind of vessel that would be out in space, so I began to create my own Universe on the page. The image and the headline are far more interesting than the article, though. There are also a few people in the image, and the viewpoint that the photo is taken from is pretty cool too, adding to the ominous effect of the entire picture.

 

With Many Schools Thriving Nearby, Those in Harlem Are Left to Fail

The headline and the image were pretty telling about the article. It’s obvious that schools in less-wealthy areas aren’t well kept and barely get any care at all. The schools in these communities are targets of the School-to-Prison Pipeline, a Systemic form of oppression specific to communities of Color (especially brown and black). In pertinence to this topic, I drew a school bus and one of the buses used to transport convicts to and from prisons.

 

This image was of some type of laboratory, which immediately for some reason inflicted thoughts of the process the meat we eat undertakes before reaching our plates. I ended up drawing these weird images of a bull and a ram, two animals close in nature but different in anatomy. My sign (Aries) is also represented by the Ram, while the Bull is representative if the Taurus Zodiac Sign.

The image was dark and creepy looking, but the perspective it was taken from reminds me of drawings I was made to do in my architectural design course. They were perspective drawings, and you had to do them from a certain viewpoint and make them pretty realistic.

 

This image was of the old Penn Station Departure Board, which was taken down in late January. I often think about the fact that most New York City Train Stations are actually really old and need work done, or as my Sustainable Systems teacher told me they were greatly affected by Hurricane Sandy and are damaged beyond repair. The fact that something so significant in the culture of New York and the Subway could just be torn down so easily is weird; I’m honestly surprised no one decided to protest it. The image I drew over the two pictures is representative of NYC Subway Culture and the different types of people who inhabit it.

 

Trump in Meeting, Urges Automakers to Build Factories in United States

Truthfully, our current President is probably about to start some wars that we never even saw coming. I tried to deny it but it is completely true. In this image, he’s at the head of the table, running his mouth as he usually does but probably not even really saying anything. It’s so crazy to me how a man can speak so much and really not even say a word.

 

Civil Rights Group Rebukes Trump Justice Department Over Delay on Two Cases

The picture and the caption to me went perfectly with the images I created, because that’s what the article seemed to represent. The picture, being in black and white, seems more serious in nature and is of some man named Jeff Sessions; apparently the attorney general nominee who people don’t like. The caption seems to fit the picture, if you just think about it: a picture of an old white man in the government with a headline about Civil Rights.

 

 

PROTOTYPE: FIRST ATTEMPT – VISUAL CULTURE STUDIO

— Integrative Studio 2, Uncategorized —

 

TOPIC: The relationship between Streetwear and High Fashion and how it effects both sides of the spectrum. 

THESIS: Though what is identified as “The Streets” has usually been ignored by most of the world, through many art forms it also inspires. The most recent collaborations non-exclusive to urban-inspired streetwear and culturally-infused consumables, make a mockery of an actual culture, transforming the true lives of many families into mere luxury items that they can’t even afford. This is disrespectful to the actual culture and prominent across many of this generation’s interests. Using the method of extensive research and field work, this essay will explore the collaboration between “The Streets,” and the Runway, and how it effects each side of this controversial and explosive trendy fashion-faux-pas.

EXPLANATION: As my first attempt to prototype my idea, I drew the images you currently see being passed around. My initial plan was to take classic high-fashion designers ideas and transform them by pairing them with classic streetwear silhouettes; things you don’t commonly see on the runway. I can see this as being an extremely successful project, as I have already found a great amount of interest in the topic. My next step is to finalize these designs, and create them in abundance, so I can then begin to actual put together the clothing. I will also prototype the clothes with real-cloth models, just not in the exact prints I’d make the final in, and bring those in to display to you all as well. 

BRIEF:

 

RESEARCH: Since Chanel is such a well-known Fashion Designer and has influenced even big name designers of today (See: Jeremy Scott x MOSCHINO) I decided to make my initial prototype after their 90s lines. I took the prints and knitted/luxurious look and made it into a crop hoodie and a pair of trousers, two staples in today’s streetwear roster. I made this into a winter look, also pairing along matching cropped bubble pullover (with hood) and bubble pants – some urban-inspired trends you’ll most likely see amongst the streets of Brooklyn. The next look was for Summer, inspired by the perforated leather Chanel models dawned in the mid-to-late 90s. I created a stitched-leather overall, with a mesh bodysuit under. Both my designs feature Chuck Taylor Converse, another streetwear staple and just one of my favorite shoes, period. The first design features a shoulder bag in a classic Chanel purse silhouette and the second design features a backpack in Chanel-inspired prints with a skateboard deck to match. I am extremely happy with both of these designs. 

BRIDGE PROJECT #3: FASHION INFOGRAPHICS vs. “THE STREETS”

— Integrative Studio 2, Year 1 —

 

In America, about 45 Million people currently live below the poverty line. This is approximately 14.5% of Americans.

According to the 2014 Census, 27% of all African-American families are impoverished.

The location in which these Black families live in and the experiences they face on a daily basis are known as “The Streets.”

 

 

Streetwear, also known as Street Fashion, is a noun defined as casual clothing of a style worn especially by members of various urban youth subcultures, while the word Urban is an adjective defined as in, relating to, or characteristic of a city or town, or denoting or relating to popular dance music of black origin. 

 

Truthfully, most would say it denotes or relates to popular culture of black origin (especially those of black background). As of late, most urban interests have become trends that have exponentially increased in the interests of other communities and cultures. While some may argue that
this is cultural appropriation, others would insist it is purely inspiration and admiration.

 

SEMINAR THESIS:

Though what is identified as “The Streets” has usually been ignored by most of the world, through many art forms it also inspires. The most recent collaborations non-exclusive to urban-inspired streetwear and culturally-infused consumables, make a mockery of an actual culture, transforming the true lives of many families into mere luxury items that they can’t even afford. This is disrespectful to the actual culture and prominent across many of this generation’s interests. Using the method of extensive research and field work, this essay will explore the collaboration between “The Streets,” and the Runway, and how it effects each side of this controversial and explosive trendy fashion-faux-pas. 

 

PROJECT GOAL: To express the untold story of the other side of the Runway; inform fashion consumers on the origins of current fashion trends in today’s society and how the populace of the areas where the trends originated live.

From the data I have researched, I have selected information such as the income of the households in urban communities in comparison to the income of the people employed by the companies that take inspiration from these communities to aid me in proving my thesis. I have also looked at the price points of different luxury retail items from collections created by these brands in relation to the aforementioned incomes, which will depict just how expensive these clothes are. Aside from that, I also draw upon multiple streetwear graphs and information to help you all comprehend my project.

 

INSPIRATION: I took inspiration directly from the SUPREME site for this infographic; it is minimalistic and simple, just as the brand’s design. It features six of the rarest box logos, all red, with the bottom one being the most diverse and representing the 1 out of the 6 “Hypebeasts” that actually knows the origin of the brand.

 

PRIMARY SKETCHES:

Initially, I
wanted to make very informational graphic images but it became too hard to get the images in the graphs to actually make sense in pertinence to the topic of my Seminar project and Studio project. Ultimately, I settled on creating a demographic that wouldn’t be too hard for the viewer to swallow but also wasn’t saying too little.

 

RESEARCH: I heavily researched the brand, discovering the upbringings of SUPREME all the way to the most recent archived material. SUPREME, though minimal, is rich in culture and the love for skating. The brand, to this day, finds itself blowing up amongst skaters and walking pedestrians alike – it’s gained a lot of traction especially with the most recent Louis Vuitton collaboration. Most saw this as ironic, seeing the fact that the designer was actually legally involved with the skate brand for the unsolicited usage of their classic tartan print.

SOURCES:

  1. http://blackdemographics.com/households/poverty/
  2. http://www.complex.com/style/2013/04/the-30-best-fashion-collabarations-of-all-time/y-3
  3. https://www.glassdoor.com/Salary/Louis-Vuitton-North-America-Salaries-E14447.htm
  4. http://www.highsnobiety.com/2015/11/03/best-supreme-box-logo-t-shirts/
  5. http://www.highsnobiety.com/2015/11/03/best-supreme-box-logo-t-shirts/
  6. http://www.highsnobiety.com/2016/03/15/supreme-clothing-collaborations/
  7. http://www.complex.com/style/2015/10/best-american-streetwear-brands-right-now/
  8. https://www.census.gov/prod/1/statbrief/sb93_2.pdf

(ELP is not letting me upload a picture of the infographic, will email it to you)

 

ASSIGNMENT #6: SCIENCE MODULES QUESTIONS

— Sustainable Systems, Year 1 —

ASSIGNMENT #3:

NATURAL DYE KIT RESULT QUESTIONNAIRE

NAZAR´EA JEAN

Sustainable Systems 2017

  1. What Plant material did you choose and why? Where did you get it (farmers market, grocery store, etc)? Where do you think it was grown? How far do you think it traveled to get to your hands? 

We chose to use red carnations, because out of all of the materials they were the most outstanding color. They were purchased by Ming from a random vendor, and they had to have been grown nearby and cut relatively recent due to the state of freshness that they were in at the time we were conducting the experiment. The flowers probably had only traveled from a garden to the vendor where Ming transferred them to my hands.

2) What color did you expect before you boiled? 

Mauve/Pink.

3) What color did you expect the wool/cotton would turn before you put the fibers into your natural dye liquid? 

Mauve/Pink.

4) What color did you expect before putting your fibers in the mordant? 

Mauve/Pink.

5) Alum is an acid mordant. Might other mordants impact the color differently (other common mordants: vinegar-acidic; ammonia-basic)? 

Other Mordants would impact the color differently, because of the concentration of whatever chemical holds the color in the material and etc. It would vary across the board. The acids also effect the color, and whether it washes away heavily or lightly.

6) Was the color different between the oily and clean wool samples? Describe the differences. 

The color was slightly different between oily and clean – the only real difference was the shade of the colors. One was warmer while one seemed to be cooler. It was hard to really differentiate.

7) Was the color different between the cotton samples (dyed-not washed, dyed-washed, dyed- mordant-washed)? Describe the differences. How was the color different between the cotton and wool samples? Describe the differences. 

The cotton sample that was not rinsed with water is the closest to a classic baby pink color. The one that was rinsed is a more washed out baby pink, and the one treated with mordant is more peachy than pink. The wool samples were able to collect clumps of color it seems, because there are areas in the wool that seem to be more dyed than the rest.

8) You dyed two natural fibers (cotton and wool). Hypothesize (guess) how the natural dyes might work on synthetic fabrics such as polyester. 

The dyes probably wouldn’t be as effective on synthetic fabrics, since those are harsher therefore harder to dye. They wouldn’t produce any noticeable color changes.

9) How satisfied are you with the outcome? 

I’m pretty satisfied with the outcome, considering I didn’t know I could dye fabrics in such a way at home on my own stove!

10) Attach a cotton and wool sample to a note card and bring to class to present (see instructions in the assignment for labeling). 

11) To do this tiny natural dye experiment, you used water in many different ways and disposed it in a sink. List all the things the water picked up and you put down the drain. How does this dirty water get clean again? 

The water picked up the remaining color dye from the flowers, any dirt in the fabrics and dirt from our hands as well. It is cleansed again through a cycling process that the NYC Sewer Systems undergo – water is distributed back out to the ocean, where it is again reused.

12) Now think of the tons of fibers that were dyed this year for fashion (see the steps, processes, and chemicals used in this flow chart describing “Wet Process Dyeing”: https://textechdip.wordpress.com/contents/wet-processing/). Imagine one innovation that fashion or home décor designs might reduce pressure on clean water necessary for drinking and bathing (what could you eliminate, reduce, change, improve)? 

It would be cool to see clothing items sold with personal dyeing kits, (all natural, of course) so that consumers could go home and dye their clothes on their own if they wish. That way, less dirty water is produced and customers have a cool new way to personalize their clothing.

12) Reflections: Will you do more natural dyeing? Were you surprised? What might you consider if using natural dyes in your own projects/products? What has not been considered? Why do you think natural dyes are uncommon? Do you think natural dyes are safer for the environment? Why or why not? 

Natural dyes are probably uncommon because the process is tedious and the color isn’t as strong as most may want it to be. I am pleased with the outcome and will probably be dyeing some clothes of my own in the near future naturally. I was surprised to see that it actually worked, but convinced that I could become more sustainable by doing something like this on a regular basis. Natural dyes are definitely safer for the environment, as they provide another less harsh way of dyeing clothing.

13) Connecting Dots: In the Film “Tapped”, you saw how water bottles that were not recycled, ended up polluting waterways. Watch this 5 minute video about turning water bottles into fabric: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyF9MxlcItw. What are the advantages and disadvantages of using recycled material as compared to virgin (harvesting cotton or mining oil)? 

Using recycled material limits the amount of material being trashed and/or burned because there is no where for it to go. This is smart, because instead of putting trash into the ocean or burning it and creating harmful chemicals, Americans will be reusing the materials in ways they didn’t even know where possible.

ASSIGNMENT #5: POST UN-RESPONSE

— Sustainable Systems, Year 1 —

MY ASSIGNED ARGUMENT: Convince reluctant countries to buy-in to global climate change agreements given the realities of the north/south, rich/poor, developed/developing countries divide.

I decided to defend my argument through posters and propaganda-like strategies.

The first of these images is made to look like an ad of some sort. It opens a dialogue about the relationship between America’s gluttonous consumer-nature and the floating mass of garbage that has collected in the middle of the Pacific Ocean – which, ultimately, is a direct result of consumerism in a sense. The fact that Americans are so prone to purchasing means that we end up buying things as replacements for perfectly fine household items and etc. This leads us to create more trash, and with nowhere to put the trash it ends up in our oceans. Other countries are experiencing similar repercussions, so in seeing this image they’ll be notified that the two do correlate, and be more likely to buy in.

The second of the two images is another poster in the same exact style, this time sporting a picture of a factory emitting harmful gases into the atmosphere and a polar bear leaping from one iceberg to the next. The text reads, “NO CORRELATION? THINK AGAIN.” and “CLIMATE CHANGE IS HAPPENING, AND YOU SHOULD BE ALARMED.” This image is supposed to evoke emotion in the viewer, as the picture of the polar bear is sad to see (since the ice caps are melting). Most effective climate change ads feature imagery as such. It also makes the viewer think there is something they don’t know; so other countries will be reeled in through that method.

Both of these ads, while minimalistic and simple, also get across a message: that climate change is happening, and you should be alarmed.