My group was given the words polytheism, mesh and obscure. We started off by defining the words we weren't sure about, for example polytheism belief in more than one god. This allowed us to than bring our own personal ties to the words and start discussing what they meant and building off of those original thoughts. To document our ideas we originally started off with each word and jotting down what we thought about them. Than grew into a chain link and connected our ideas to each word. Going forward I feel a more broad research on the topics would of been useful before hand because now we have to backtrack our thoughts.

To broaden our thoughts on the words we were given, we went to the V&A for inspiration for our different religions. We found inspiration from the buddhist collection of sculptures, as well as the textile collection of carpets from the asian section. This allowed us to have a visual interpretation of each culture and their ways of showing how they represent their religion. We than moved towards the stained glass window display inspiring our christianity religion and how we could represent it. Using the light as a doorway for all spiritual gods. This allowed for a good starting base for our visually aspects of our project. Moving forward with the images collected, we now have a broad idea of where we would like to take our project. Going to the library will allow for deeper research into these religions.

With our knowledge from the other day at the V&A we were able to go to the library with a clear picture of what to research and look for. We collected information based on the religions and symbols used in their rituals and beliefs. However, when discussing our idea with there groups we received feedback that changed our idea around. After much thought and discussion we came up with a new idea. This was an important key to take away from today because outside feedback only strengthened our idea and made it into a stronger concept  

Reflect on your group presentation what would you change?

our group presentation was not the highlight of the project, unfortunately we couldn't incorporate a strong presentation aspect to our final piece ultimately weakening our whole concept. if i could change anything about our presentation it would be how we spoke. instead of having written out scripts, i would talk more freely and openly about our final piece. As well as, creating more visual components to our presentation and perhaps more research on how to properly present the concept. I feel that it was important to have full group participation and to be on the same page in order to create a solid outcome.

What in your opinion makes a successful presentation?

I feel that a successful presentation is when each of your group mates is excited about what they have produced and are eager to share. Also, starting with presenting the final piece first than back tracking. Visual aids are a huge deal in order to have everyone's attention. Having a 'vision board' to complete your process is also helpful to obtain the full scope of your work and research. The use of performance and demonstration as well as creating humour also make the presentation more enjoyable. 

reflect on the group process: what are the pros and cons of working as part of a team?
i feel that working in a team is extremely important because in any industry now a days, theres always team work and helping each other out. You create ideas more easily and and originality is also sparked through what some people know and don't. However, there are some cons to working as a team. members may not be on the same page as everyone else and decide not to participate making it frustrating and harder to continue on without another head bounce ideas off. miscommunication can also be a huge conundrum as some group members can be on a whole different wave length and not see eye to eye. This creates conflict and stales the the task at hand. Furthermore, i feel teamwork is very important for building communication skills, embracing new ideas and working well with others. 

How does observational drawing/mark making inform the design process?

observation drawing and mark making allows your eyes to follow the shapes and lines of the object you are observing. This will further help with seeing objects in a new way as well as capturing something you didn't see before. Observational drawing was useful for me to see the form in a whole new media and the different medias used gave a different outcome each time. Mark making was crucial for capturing the different textures and material on your paper. Different media played a major part in building textures. Scratching the paper, mixing ink and pastel were some of the techniques used. For myself mark making was a little challenging as I kept using the same techniques of line drawing to capture the texture. However, as i continued my drawing for the day i began to open up to new techniques. I started to experiment with different fabrics and mixed media to really capture the overall feel and look of the material used. 

Timed exercises are important to the creative/design process why?

It's very important to do timed exercises because it allows for you mind focus less on the perfection of the object and more of capturing the object in its simplest form. While doing these exercises i also found, that it allowed my drawings to be more free with line and shape. Furthermore, this allowed me not to worry about detail and perfection, creating something unusual. With these images produced it made it interesting and unique to see the different marks and how they can be further produced. From these timed sessions i produced interesting and unusual drawings that was further developed into textile prints. 

Our jackets personalities came out today, we started to observe our jackets to get a sense of what type pf person would wear our coats. as i was observing my own jacket these key words stuck out to me: texture, tailored, stretchy fabric, 70s, 30 year old women, stains (hard worker), button was rustic (more casual), not a lot of money, bow pads-equestrian. All these words helped paint a picture of what kind of women wore this jacket. As we went about our day we did technical drawings to really observe the detail of our jacket. this allowed for me to see my jacket in a basic shape and form rather than looking ad paying attention to the texture. Our main focus no in our sketch book is to start thinking about how our designs and drawings should be played out. i need to continue working on this as i have a lot of negative space around my drawings. in order to make them look like they belong i think ill begin to try and overlap the drawing a little more as well as adding more detailed drawings to the side and even collage images. 

Today was a tougher day, we started to really deconstruct our jackets and i found it hard to grab inspiration from my own. when i saw everyone else blazers i noticed more detail and different fabrics encompassing the inside. Contrary to mine, mine was simple on the inside with shoulder pads and interfacing. Therefore when it came time to drape and contract a sculpture/garment it was hard to make mine original and interesting. This was due to the lack of construction on the inside. Going forward with this project I'm going to continue draping on figures in hopes of coming up with something interesting. i will continue my research to artist who work with deconstruction. this will further help me discover new ways of taking a regular object and developing  it in a new/innovative way.

For this weeks project we were introduced to two ladies who graduated from CSM and are now partners in their own business. They discussed some very useful information on CSM courses, their techniques in how they researched and combined their sketchbook work. They continued to talk about how research is the most important tool and how they would spend months researching. When we began our observational drawings they came over and talked to use individually about our projects. I received very useful information saying: i should zoom into aspects of the Croatian costume that i enjoy rather then looking at the full picture. As well as, what part of the glass blowing process i find interesting and to connect the costume and the process someway. Today i felt was a successful day altogether due to the feedback i had received a long with the idea of capturing close ups of images to make my samples. 

we were given the challenge of creating 5 different samples in each primary colour creating an overall 15 samples. It was hard for me to think beyond the basic words we were given: textile, collage, flat, pale and saturated. However, as i begun to look at my media and think about what those words meant to me and the colour i became easier to create different samples. I really enjoyed the challenge we were given next to take the 15 samples and choose 3 previous drawings from our sketch book and recreate the image three times. it forced me to think 3 dimensional in some parts and abstract in others to create unique samples. i found this exercise very useful as i was not using my go to material to create these 9 samples. 

During the the beginning of the day we were set in groups and were critiqued by our fellow peers. Due to my process for this week being Murano glass and my traditional dress wear being Croatian folk dance called Kolo. i decided to focus on movement of how the glass is expressed, along with the transparency and organic shapes Murano glass makes. For Kolo costumes i focused no the beautiful patterns expressed on their skirts and scarves a long with the embroidery on the head pieces they would wear. Moving forward with the groups critiques, i was given great advice to focus on the transparency of the object and how the design is shown through the glass. Along with, sculpture so breaking away from 2D adding in unconventional objects. Continuing on the idea of one of my pieces made with the textural paint. this was really great advice as i was able to see a different view point of my process that i hadn't seen previously. Going forward with my day i noticed my sketchbook needing a little more attention therefore i was asked to be critiqued by one of my peers. I was given great advice moving forward saying that i should work on the scale of my drawings and compositions, overlapping of drawings and collaging, cutting around the photos to make it more personalized and lastly, using the whole page. This advice was a huge help because now i am able to fix where my weak spots are and continue to strengthen my progress.

today in my group we presented our new research to our group and i received some great feedback. during this critique i realized a disconnect between my research and my direction of my project. This allowed me to go back and think about the connection of my research to my work. i did this by finding  aspects of my research i am most interested in and by there i was given advice on how to connect my interests. Repetition, using recyclable materials and creating samples, along with researching past CSM graduates for their making of recycle fabrics were the critiques i was given. Going forward this has allowed me to see a clear picture of what i would like to do next. i will begin to look up unconventional recycle materials, and start experimenting with them to see what works and what doesn't. As well as, researching the CSM graduates and making a similar sustainable fabric. I feel the feedback i received today will  allow my project to develop in a new way that will have an image of what it will turnout like in the end. 

i went into Archway to work on my jacket with a clear image of what i wanted my new jacket to look like. i kept in mind my five words that i had come up with he day before: hourglass, sustainability, 1900 feminine silhouette, repetition and volume. This already was a better starting point than my last project because i knew what outcome i wanted. I started my deconstruction process by taking apart the liner, already i found lots of interesting fabrics shapes and details thing my jacket. i was really inspired by the curve of the lining connecting to the blazer fabric. The pattern reminded me of a corset and knew that this would be the foundation for the front of my garment. While i was experimenting and deconstructing i was able to ask for advice from my peers working beside me. This allowed me to have a fresh eye on my work in order to create a successful outcome. As i progressed with my discovery of my jacket, i had finally found a layout i found best fit my image. I began to manipulate the waste in order to create a voluminous skirt and a corset waist. This outcome allowed me to create my view on femininity of a dramatic waist. Referencing back to sketchbook during this processes allowed for me to look back on my drawings and research to see which parts i wanted to contribute to my final image. Being at archway, around my classmates really allowed for a successful day. I was able to give my complete attention to my project with other inputs on my process and outcome. Therefore, with my future projects i plan on continuing coming into Archway campus to work. This will allow for progressive feedback and a dedicated working area.

If i had more time to work on my project or redevelop it in a different way i would've incorporated more nature and repetition. There was one photo i found very interesting of a spider web with teardrop water lining the web. It was a beautiful photo of repetition, which reminded me of breads or pearls on a line of thread. If i could've incorporated that idea in my work i would done a more open caged look. This new look would incorporate a new side of my research linking back to spider webs and Mandel's sustainable spray on fabric. 

Today, i completed my workshop induction for sewing and knitting. I found today extremely useful and inspirational, as i was taught techniques and use of machine that i had never used before. the firsts embroidery stitching on the sewing machine. i learnt different methods of embroidering different fabric on top of another. In the future it will allow myself to explore and develop further dimension and texture for my samples. But on technique really stuck out for me, it was free sticking of dissolvable plastic. this method showed me a really interesting way of getting a patchy textural look, almost like a web. This method would've been very useful for this past weeks project with my jacket and creating textile samples. the way the thread is interlaced would've allowed me to create spider web look and breading throughout the sample.  I had never used a weaving machine before today as well, and this gave me a burst of ideas and inspiration for future projects. The different layering methods, colour combinations, along with patterns that you can make all made me really excited for where i could go with future projects. The weaving machine will also allow for me to make fabric samples in the future and to be more creative with them. 

i went to an event happening at the Alexandra Palace called stitch and knit. i thought this would be a great way to buy more materials as well as different textile outlooks. i was stunned to see so many venders with amazing artwork, especially for textiles. In the middle of the room there was an exhibit of recent graduates. i stumbles upon this recent graduate called James Bowen, he displayed an amazing textile collection. He used a mix of fur and different coloured silks to create a beautiful mosaic pattern on the back of the jacket. However, i was more impressed with how he displayed his work. Bowen used the same fur fabric on the jacket as a base for this business cards some other photos and book. This really brought me back to the day we displayed our jackets out and they told us to think of how we present our work. In the future, i would like to take the idea of  displaying the fabric along with my work,  it really ties the whole process together successfully. After i visited him i continued on and was instantly drawn to this one women work. She had displayed around the room beautiful modern design garments of what looked like to be sustainable fabric. It just so happened that the designer Jose Hendo, was a past graduate of LCF. She told me all about her collection and how the fabric is indeed sustainable and made from tree bark in her home town. This was really inspiring for me to see because of my pathway of wanting to be sustainable. Jose showed me that you can have both original complicated looks and eco friendly materials.  

As I walked into the exhibit of Hassan Hajjaj ‘Rock Star,’ I was instantly taken aback by the culture in the room. He has various photographs of people he knows and admires known as “rock stars,” wearing vibrant colours with a canned food from Islamic culture. The intensity of colour in the room reminded me of African culture. Malick Sidibe and Seydou Keita were only some African portraiture that Hajjaj was inspired by for his collection. As you continue walking around you begin to hear music. Hajjaj has created a wall dedicated to portraits of his admired pop stars, however they were moving images. One by one, each artist would perform a traditional song to themselves and their culture while the other performers are positioned and listening to them. I feel this video element to the exhibit was a beautiful touch and very important for the experience of his work. As the audience you feel welcomed and apart of their culture that they are sharing. The music video being very modern was an intriguing way of combining earlier traditions. I feel that Hajjaj was trying to bring culture towards today’s society in London. England can be a grim place at some points and Hajjaj wanted to bring his culture Morocco to London. He states, “I’m just tapping into how all the traditions and cultures have power. Every country and culture has a style, has a tradition. Within the traditional clothing, there’s a style, there’s a couture…” This is best seen in his installation in the middle of the exhibit where he places a motorcycle with YSL patterned print on the bike. As well as, the couture playing dolls were decorated in traditional clothing. The dolls were sitting on top of a replica of the life scale motorcycle. The audience Hajjaj was trying to obtain was anyone. I feel his work was meant to have no age limit and that his culture was supposed to be expressed to anyone who wanted to listen. However with that being said I feel in reality, I feel many university high school students al the way to elderly men and women are most intrigued by Hajjaj collection.

when i look at my past textile projects i found that they were bland with colour and texture. i knew that in order to improve i needed to step outside my comfort zone and expand on my samples. i decided to go to the fabric warehouse store where i was faced with thousands of fabrics. grabbing inspiration from my peers work i knew i wanted something where i would attach and expand to the preexisting fabric. i found some great fabrics such as a canvas like material so i found be able to paint and stitch. As well as, a burlap stack/ mesh material that would allow for me to weaving into the fabric different textural materials. Additionally i got organza to allow for detail and light movement within my samples.

As i was leaving the kings cross area, i stumbles upon a sculpture. it was box likes structure looking like i was being multiplied in different ways creating a depth allusion. It instantly reminded me of Die Gestalten Verlag's collection of collages. The infinite feel to the piece as well as the layering and shapes repetition i felt was a clear connection. it brought me back to thinking about one of my samples, where i layered the canvas fabric along with my thin material to create a wave affect. If i could redo aspects of this project i would do a small series of collaging and depth perception samples using fabric. i would create samples that had certain areas of different depths that go along with my observational drawings.

the three shapes that i had cut out really aloud me to explore movement and 3D components to my finally outcome. For example for our first project similar to this one i had flat edges with very little curves making it harder to create 3D shapes and exaggerations of the garment. Therefore, for this project when looking back at my shapes in my observational drawings, i was looking for organic wavy shapes, an abstract and a combination of both for my shapes. My selection really allowed me to manipulate the fabric in interesting ways creating abstract shapes and hills within the garment.  

When we started off with creating the enclosed shapes i was much focusing on really connecting the edges instead of thinking about how i could make an interesting shape using the rules. Therefore, when i was mapping in my head the direction i wanted to go in, i knew exactly what u had to fix. I decided to use the edges of my curved shape in order to make an intriguing dimensional outcome. This really allowed my piece to become unconventional and interesting with he different points and movement of the paper. 

i can definitely see how a collection could be made out of the process we went through today. using the different shapes within our piece would create a really interesting collection. You can continue to see different positions of the shapes used and combine with others as well. This overall process really just allows your to focus of the garment like a sculpture instead of worrying about how to make something appealing to the figure. You can take different aspects of today in the future for making a collection to push your ideas past the conventional style in order to make something unique. i personally really love this exercise because it allows me to think form and sculptural aspects rather than that looks good not he model/mannequin. 

reflecting back on my garment and what i was able to make i feel that what i wanted to accomplish was there and successful. However, i believe that i could of done a stronger job of creating my garment. i think that during our independent study week i will try and reconstruct my garment in order to create the volume that i wanted. I'm going to continue my research for this project and look at structural garments that have the big volume aspect and light fabric. i feel that with a more structural form it will allow me to achieve my desirable outcome that i wanted this past week.  

today i decided to get in contact with someone who is on the BA course for fashion communication. i hope that this will allow for me to have a clear view on what i want to do moving forward applying to my desired courses. i think I'm struggling between the actual work that fashion communication does and me not being able to test out one of their projects. I'm going to continue to try and add a fashion communication aspect to my fashion outcomes to see what i enjoy and am successful at. furthermore, when i meet her i feel and hope i will have a clearer mind of what i want to achieve now and in the future. 

tonight i went to go and celebrate the Guy Fawkes bonfire night at Victoria Park. Although the music choice wasn't that good, the display was beautiful. it reminded me of how i felt about paint balling and the explosions of colour. However these explosions were deliberate and were meant to create the beautiful splay that it did in the sky. Alike paint balling, i could use the idea fireworks and perhaps the use of them and how they are made, for a future project. i enjoy the image of the popping colours illuminate in front of the moon tonight. it reminded me of florescent lights and the sparkle and light to contrasted.   

today i went to go and get fabric so i could redo my original Public art final garment. the original Garment, i wasn't happy with how it lacked what i feel my design was all about, structure. therefore, for my new garment i needed a fabric that could either hold the design that i desired or create a skeleton for the outline. i knew that with my timeline i would need to find a durable fabric that could display all factors of my design. i had a material in mind already, neoprene, this was perfect for being light and mouldable. Though, when i looked at the selection i was struck with an image problem. All the neoprene looked very sporty, so i had to make a choice. If i would risk it looking like a sports garment and have all the design aspects checked or find another material that may or may not work like he first time. i considered getting a cotton material or something more stiff however i knew i would still need to get interfacing in order for it to hold. None the less, i ultimately chose the neoprene as my fabric due to its futuristic appeal and malleability of the fabric.   

today i completed my photoshoot. i decided to choose places that to me represented a modern setting or futuristic feel. i decided that one of my locations would be at the kings cross location where the black pillars stand. i feel the pillars and matte finished smooth geometric pattern really gave off a modern feel. especially with the movement of linear perspective in the space i felt was on of the perfect settings for the photoshoot. my second location was at the strand LV exhibition, i had seen videos of Ryoji Ikeda's black and white stripped moving pattern floor and new that was the perfect location. However, due to the art being so public i was told i wasn't allowed to shoot in the moving image area. the exhibit itself was very inspiring on how simple and idea of different lined patterns could create so much attention and fascination. i believe that the more interactive your art is the more people will be drawn to visit and engage. i can take this idea moving forward with my garments and how i can create not only a wearable component but an interactive eon for those admiring the clothing.