Bridge Project #5 

REFLECTION & PRESENTATION: Cross-Course Reflection

Bio:

I am a Manhattan-based Fashion design student born and raised in Britain. My major influences are rooted in abstract and experimental design with a strong interest in Haute Couture and Luxury Fashion. I believe you should create with purpose, and that what you create should reflect the time in which it was made, I am particularly interested in using the current social and political climate as inspiration for my work.

What themes and working methods emerge in several courses?  

• Sustainability
• Linking themes to anxiety, sustainability, social and political issues, and homesickness 
• Embracing change 
• Conducting thoughtful research and reflection 
• Becoming more aware of my own aesthetic and slowly starting to refine it 

What skills did you learn in one course that you utilized in another?

• Despite already having had a reasonable understanding of how to use Photoshop before I came to Parsons, throughout my first year I managed to utilize and develop this skill to really elevate my work and make it stand out, especially in terms of presentation. Sustainable systems influenced both my personal interests and subsequently my approach to new and innovative ways of designing. 

What connections do you see between your academic studies and studio making?

• By developing my academic skills I feel like it allowed me to create more thoughtful pieces, making with intent and conceived inspiration rather than making for the sake of making. This emphasis on having a succinct and clear thought process and having a sharp concept is apparent throughout my work across all my classes. 

What made some projects/ papers more exciting? What did you enjoy most about these?

• I focused on making sure all of my work is something that I am proud of and, therefore, represents me as an artist and designer. I do not think there is any point in making pieces purely to pass and get a minimal grade. I want all my work to be the best of my ability and be something that I am proud to share online as an example of my skill. I have done this by building up my personal portfolio online (https://zaraannettelouiseboyd.myportfolio.com/) and on Behance throughout the semester. 

When could further research have helped?

• The only times in which I could have added more research would have been when I had multiple projects on at the same time within a short timeframe, this would have meant that I might not have been able to conduct research such as museum visits or library trips uptown, however, I do pride myself on the elaborate amount of research which I put into all my projects throughout the year.

Select two highlights from your first year. This is a deep look at your work.

 

Highlight No.1: ‘Sometimes I Get Lost In The Grand Central Ceiling’- Drawing and Imaging 

I chose this one of my highlight projects from my freshman year, not just because I am extremely proud of the piece as an artwork, but also because of the process.

This project explores the visual language of abstraction and distortion as it’s used to make texture, mood, and meaning.  I was tasked with ‘creating a symbolic portrait of a place’. The place I chose was Grand Central Terminal in NYC. I conducted an extensive amount of research into Grand Centra’s history and its place as a landmark of NYC. I also visited the site several times at different times of the day to collect images and also experience the atmosphere. One of my favorite facts is that the ceiling of the Main Concourse showcases a beautiful astrological mural of the Mediterranean winter sky, complete with 2500 stars. I loved this aspect of the site and used it as a key point of inspiration for my final piece. I chose Grand Central since it was one of the first places I went as a tourist and became one of my favorite spaces in New York. I used to always try to return to it whenever I visited NYC during my childhood. The space itself means a lot to me as it holds many good memories and I recall using it as key artist inspiration often. Grand Central is also a very famous and recognizable landmark in New York. I felt like it was meaningful and poignant to honor my first experience living in NYC and the end of my first semester at Parsons by using a landmark which also means so much to me.

The basic concept for my final was to create an abstracted image that represents my connection to this space and evokes the emotions I feel when there. I intended to create something which visually has a lot of movement and vibrance. The color scheme is inspired by the grand concourse and the linework and overall illustration inspired by the famous ceiling illustrations. The piece itself was distinctively abstract and representative of a feeling, atmosphere, and mood rather than a visual literal depiction of the place. I decided to go with this approach since throughout this semester I  predominantly worked in a more observational style and I wanted to express myself more authentically, which this brief gave me the space to do.

For my process, I created a series of rough sketches, a digital moldboard, and also visited MoMa for more inspiration (where I found the piece ‘Composition’ by Henri Matisse a significant influence). I then created more sketches, this time digitally and developed these still I had a solid concept on what I wanted my final to look like. I created the final on Photoshop, layering, and editing using the multiply tool and selective color edit to increase contrast and tone. I then printed the digital composition off big on thick matte paper (30×22”) before working back into it with hand-rendered media (white acrylic pen and paint) which focused on organic line created with intent.

It is a purposeful, meaningful, and abstracted illustration that authentically communicates my emotions whilst also representing my aesthetic style as an artist. The piece represents me in a very authentic way and communicates my goals. I used visual language to create movement and evoke an emotion using provocative colors and visuals. The hand rendering illustrative designs guide the viewer’s eye around the image and provide them with active and effectual engagement with the piece, which is what I wanted to do The piece was intended to evoke emotion and active viewer response. It represents me, my interaction with space, and my aesthetic artistic style. 

I often felt very overwhelmed and unheard in this class, especially in terms of my creative voice. For this project, my teacher gave me some very harsh critiques during the process which were not needed or even relevant to the brief of the project. This was the first time I stood up for myself and my aesthetic style. I often find myself being very polite and becoming a bit of a pushover when it comes to critiques but for this project, I made sure I stuck to my vision and worked to create something which ultimately I was personally very proud of, which was al I really wanted to achieve. After this project, I made a point in all my classes not to compromise my creative individuality for the sake of a grade. 

 

Highlight No.2:  ‘The DNA of a Designer’ (Richard Quinn)-

Integrative Studio 2

 

For this project (Bridge Project # 2), I chose Richard Quinn as a designer which I wanted to deconstruct and research. Using his work and his process to inspire me I approached this project with the aim to learn more about his career, his personal design process, and his techniques/ attitude towards design and the industry. Specializing in womenswear and textiles, his collections are bold and emotive creating a forward-thinking unafraid vision. Quinn creates garments with considering the incorporation of innovative fabrications, focusing on combining unique handcrafted skills with refined high fashion. 

Quinn has since released many very successful collections, all of which I have followed closely and been immensely inspired by.  I have always been very interested in the way he approaches design and the way he manipulates fabric and uses almost garish print in a thoughtful and iconic way.

For this project I want to take a current Liberty London print (inspired by Quinn), blow it up and digitally edit and transform it to represent something that embodies my personal aesthetic, whilst still actively considering Quinns work in an attempt to honor my research and my appreciation of his process and artistry. I wanted to combine my aesthetic with design principles and concepts I learned from Quinn alongside developing my print design skills. So, I took a print from Liberty London’s ‘The English Gardens collection for Spring/Summer 2020’ it features ten exclusively-designed prints inspired by the grounds of famous castles and country houses. I particularly liked working with this collection of prints since it is very relevant to me as an international (British) student and links back to my childhood which was filled with many fond memories of visiting famous stately homes and National Trust buildings.

The fabric print which I ultimately used was the ‘Eltham Tana Lawn™ Cotton’. Using the digital program ‘Procreate’ I explored ways I could distort and manipulate the print whilst incorporating contrasting colors, different interpretations of space and patterns, and leading lines inspired by my own art style. I ended up with 4 alternate patterns.

Reflecting on my last studio project, I wanted to make sure that I was taking advantage of the facilities here at Parsons. When I was considering how I would approach this project I knew I wanted to use Quinn’s design process and brand ethos as the key inspiration. Quinns iconic prints are all made in house on Epson printers and much of his work is based on using sustainable practices and processes. This workshop (which uses 70% less water and 80% less energy than traditional techniques) allows him to produce fabrics in exact quantities based on production needs and thus eliminating waste (on these Epson printers). I chose to create my fabric print using the Fabric Prototype plotters here at the college (the same type of printer Quinn uses). I printed on both georgette and cotton percale because I wanted to see how the prints would communicate on different textiles.

I then created an original dress design (inspired by Quinn’s silhouettes, style, and approach to prints) which ultimately combines what I learned whilst working on this project and my own design aesthetic.

This project is one of my favorites because not only did it allow me to essentially ‘collaborate’ with one of my all-time favorite designers, but it really pushed me to use all the resources I had available to me whilst letting me be free and creative with the outcome. Since this project, I have continued to design my own textiles in my free time and am currently looking at how I can continue to follow in Quinn’s footsteps and approach my work in a sustainable yet innovative way. This project was definitely a turning point for me as a student since it showed me what I can do and I got a fab response from it. It was great to get such positive validation for my hard work and it really made me feel like my whole freshman year (however tough it was) was starting to pay off. 

What new questions do you want to pursue in the future?

• I want to focus on addressing issues that I personally resonate with such as sustainability and anxiety since I feel that it generates more authentic work. 
• I will place a focus on sustainability not as a trend but as a way of thinking and moving forward.  I also want to continue to refine my personal style and aesthetic and continue to strive to make myself stand out amongst my peers.

How might one project generate another?

• I believe that, as shown in my portfolio, most of my work tends to influence forthcoming projects. I learn from my mistakes and carry through techniques and processes which have been successful. I will definitely continue to do this and let my journey be guided by my accomplishments and learning from my errors. 

What new skills/techniques do you want/need to learn?

• I am keen to develop my skills-based in sewing and construction, especially since this will be a key focus of my major.i also want to become more confident on illustrator and after-effects as well as more of the adobe suite since I feel as though these are skills that will serve me well in the future. I additionally plan to develop my business skills, hopefully by taking some fashion-based business classes through my minor (Fashion Communication) over the next few years. I likewise want to also broaden my skillset across different areas of fashion. I have already started to do this by signing up for a Fashion Journalism course online at London College of Fashion this semester alongside my Parsons studies. I was also due to attend Parsons Paris this summer but due to current circumstances, this has been canceled.