Project Four
Title: Denim Day
Size: 40" by 20"
Medium: Thread and Denim
Date: December 2021
Size: 40" by 20"
Medium: Thread and Denim
Date: December 2021
Exhibition Text: In 1998 an Italian Supreme Court decision overturned a rape conviction because the victim wore tight jeans. This case grew to spark change and thus came "Denim Day". This dress was created to cast the idea that survivors could wear anything, but their clothing will never be an excuse.
Inspiration:
Denim Day is a campaign on a Wednesday in April in honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month. The campaign began after a ruling by the Italian Supreme Court where a rape conviction was overturned because the justices felt that since the victim was wearing tight jeans she must have helped the person who raped her remove her jeans, thereby implying consent. The following day, the women in the Italian Parliament came to work wearing jeans in solidarity with the victim. As the longest running sexual violence prevention and education campaign in history, Denim Day asks community members, elected officials, businesses and students to make a social statement with their fashion statement by wearing jeans on this day as a visible means of protest against the misconceptions that surround sexual violence. Clothing has often been seen as a house for over sexualization and judgment. These negative concepts often lead people to feel outcast and ashamed of how their body fits in clothing or how a person is presented through the clothing that they wear. In order to understand the history of fashion though, it is important to look at the time period. This dress was inspired by a 1960's dress called the "A line" dress. The dress was not focused on hugging the wearers figure, but rather to focus on a more flare look-almost resulting in a letter A look. The A-line collection was originally produced by Christian Dior and it grew in popularity from there. I choose to focus on this specific dress because in introduced a lot of anonymity into the piece. Any person could be wearing an A line dress, because it could fit any body type. This was important in convey the message that any person could be sexually assaulted and so clothing could never be considered consent. |
Christian Dior's A-line dress
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Planning:
The planning process for this piece was originally very difficult to plan out. I understood that I wanted to work with an nontraditional fabric to create a piece with a personal meaning, but I was unsure of how to do so. I began by researching styles of dresses through the decades so that I could start with a dress pattern that spoke to me. Coming across the A-line dress by Christian Dior instantly sparked my thought process. I was amazed at the amount of gender-less appeal the dress had, as well as the fit of the dress on the model. It made me think about what clothes meant when equating gender, and even further, what it meant to choose specific pieces of clothing to wear. I knew that my final meaning of the piece would focus on using clothes as a gateway for expression, and not for gender or thus consent. The three final thing I choose to focus on were this;
1. Create a pattern for a dress that spoke to both the feminine and masculine body
2. Use a material that had meaning behind it, even if it was personal, so that there was a story behind the piece
3. Create the dress from the beginning, pattern and all, and photograph it in a meaningful way
These three things helped me to shape my artwork into a piece that would truly show emotion and show the main themes of the work. In order to properly plan this piece formally, I began by laying out what I wanted to accomplish each day that I would work on the piece. I began with picking out a fabric that would properly fit into the theme of my piece. This would allow me to keep my creativity balanced while also being productive. Next, I worked on what my main focal point would be. I planned on following in my inspirations footsteps, and using the A-fit detail, the most interesting part of the dress, to show the amount of anonymity in the piece. This would allow me to use all of the three elements listed above to truly show the theme. Lastly, I planned out my construct, because my piece was fashion based I had had to take extra time on this step. I wanted the piece to be able to fit to the original inspiration and also be recognizable as an A-line dress but also have creativity mixed in. To do this I had had spend time making sure the pattern was accurate to my body, as well as fit exactly as I wanted it to. This helped me focus my piece on including only the details I really needed so that the piece did not loose the style that it needed in order to express so much emotion.
The planning process for this piece was originally very difficult to plan out. I understood that I wanted to work with an nontraditional fabric to create a piece with a personal meaning, but I was unsure of how to do so. I began by researching styles of dresses through the decades so that I could start with a dress pattern that spoke to me. Coming across the A-line dress by Christian Dior instantly sparked my thought process. I was amazed at the amount of gender-less appeal the dress had, as well as the fit of the dress on the model. It made me think about what clothes meant when equating gender, and even further, what it meant to choose specific pieces of clothing to wear. I knew that my final meaning of the piece would focus on using clothes as a gateway for expression, and not for gender or thus consent. The three final thing I choose to focus on were this;
1. Create a pattern for a dress that spoke to both the feminine and masculine body
2. Use a material that had meaning behind it, even if it was personal, so that there was a story behind the piece
3. Create the dress from the beginning, pattern and all, and photograph it in a meaningful way
These three things helped me to shape my artwork into a piece that would truly show emotion and show the main themes of the work. In order to properly plan this piece formally, I began by laying out what I wanted to accomplish each day that I would work on the piece. I began with picking out a fabric that would properly fit into the theme of my piece. This would allow me to keep my creativity balanced while also being productive. Next, I worked on what my main focal point would be. I planned on following in my inspirations footsteps, and using the A-fit detail, the most interesting part of the dress, to show the amount of anonymity in the piece. This would allow me to use all of the three elements listed above to truly show the theme. Lastly, I planned out my construct, because my piece was fashion based I had had to take extra time on this step. I wanted the piece to be able to fit to the original inspiration and also be recognizable as an A-line dress but also have creativity mixed in. To do this I had had spend time making sure the pattern was accurate to my body, as well as fit exactly as I wanted it to. This helped me focus my piece on including only the details I really needed so that the piece did not loose the style that it needed in order to express so much emotion.
Process/Techniques/Inspiration:
As I began sewing up the piece and it started to work together I had had to focus on using my skills as both an artist, but also focusing my creativity. I wanted my piece to cohesively work well together, while also giving off the complexity I was hoping for. Working with a medium such as fabric made it difficult to include my own personal touch in a way that looked visually appealing. I originally started the piece by sketching out the pattern that I would use to create the dress. I wanted to first try the pattern with a test fabric so that I could know it would fit. In doing this I was ensuring I would not make a mistake my second time around and have a clean looking final piece. I continued by cutting out the test fabric and pinning it together so I could try it on my body. I wanted to make sure it held its shape relatively well. This was essential in keeping the "a" shape and thus staying true to my inspiration. Once I was happy with how the dress fit my I altered the pattern to fit the test fabric and then began cutting out the pattern on my final fabric. This was a process that took me a lot of time because I had to stay precise to the template that I was using for my pattern.
Continuing, in order to create the best quality piece that I could, I focused on my technique a lot. For example, I focused intently on not having the lines sewn together in wonky line with lots of bumps. This would promote better composition of the piece in the end. Furthermore, I focused on having the space between the panels clean and evenly sewn together. This added a lot of time to the overall process of my piece, but resulted with a cleaner finishing product. The neck, for instance, took a long time to complete; but the overall finished look gave the exact look that I was going for. Giving the final product a complex and clean look. Finally, I focused on my technique of awareness as well to allow the piece to be 1960s-ish, and accurate to my original vision. I made sure that the piece would also be able to close together correctly by including a zipper in the back neck of the piece, although not as time period accurate, it added my own personal style to the piece. Overall, the piece gave way for more inspiration as I added each element together. All in all, the piece connected to the artist through it's use of shape and design as well as the fabric connecting to the reason behind the piece being made.
As I began sewing up the piece and it started to work together I had had to focus on using my skills as both an artist, but also focusing my creativity. I wanted my piece to cohesively work well together, while also giving off the complexity I was hoping for. Working with a medium such as fabric made it difficult to include my own personal touch in a way that looked visually appealing. I originally started the piece by sketching out the pattern that I would use to create the dress. I wanted to first try the pattern with a test fabric so that I could know it would fit. In doing this I was ensuring I would not make a mistake my second time around and have a clean looking final piece. I continued by cutting out the test fabric and pinning it together so I could try it on my body. I wanted to make sure it held its shape relatively well. This was essential in keeping the "a" shape and thus staying true to my inspiration. Once I was happy with how the dress fit my I altered the pattern to fit the test fabric and then began cutting out the pattern on my final fabric. This was a process that took me a lot of time because I had to stay precise to the template that I was using for my pattern.
Continuing, in order to create the best quality piece that I could, I focused on my technique a lot. For example, I focused intently on not having the lines sewn together in wonky line with lots of bumps. This would promote better composition of the piece in the end. Furthermore, I focused on having the space between the panels clean and evenly sewn together. This added a lot of time to the overall process of my piece, but resulted with a cleaner finishing product. The neck, for instance, took a long time to complete; but the overall finished look gave the exact look that I was going for. Giving the final product a complex and clean look. Finally, I focused on my technique of awareness as well to allow the piece to be 1960s-ish, and accurate to my original vision. I made sure that the piece would also be able to close together correctly by including a zipper in the back neck of the piece, although not as time period accurate, it added my own personal style to the piece. Overall, the piece gave way for more inspiration as I added each element together. All in all, the piece connected to the artist through it's use of shape and design as well as the fabric connecting to the reason behind the piece being made.
Experimentation/Critique/Compare and Contrast:
In my past experimentation's with art, I have worked with fabric and a sewing machine, so I felt comfortable with my materials goings into this project. I took this into account when I started my piece. I first began my piece by focusing on just the final composition of how I would connect my inspiration to my final creation. I knew that I wanted the piece to look cohesive, while also being made up of several different components. So I experimented with different stitching patterns for each element of the sections, as well as adding other elements to the dress to make it more personalized to my style (such as a bow on the back). Doing these things helped me better understand how to put together the final composition for the piece. During the process I learned three very important things:
1. Pinning down the edges of the fabric and working slowly is vital to having clean edges
2. Trying on the piece over and over again makes sure that the final product will fit your body
3. Being creative with you shape and not following a pattern allows for a lot more freedom when creating the piece
Continuing, these three things helped me evaluate my success as an artist and my understanding of my inspiration as I worked on it. I also experimented with the techniques I used to cut out the pattern and pin it together. Originally I tried using the same size for the entire piece but this made the dress to big and it did not have any defined shape when it was on my body. This led me to using different sized front and back panels so that the dress would fit to my body and not stay box like. I also focused on making sure the dress kept consistent with the A-line look from the 1960's. This meant keeping the base of the piece would be flared out more than the top of the piece, creating an "A" shape. This was something I struggled with originally because it was an aspect of the piece I knew was important, but I didn't have a the experience to know how to do it right away. Eventually I was able to have enough ideas that I could create an "A" shape while also looking like it was a cohesive piece. Finally, with these concepts, I was a was able to create a piece that flowed and used line and balance to create a dress that looked like an androgynous piece of clothing anyone could wear. Using my new skills surrounding technical art, I had a better understanding of creating patterns and then sewing it together to fit myself.
In my past experimentation's with art, I have worked with fabric and a sewing machine, so I felt comfortable with my materials goings into this project. I took this into account when I started my piece. I first began my piece by focusing on just the final composition of how I would connect my inspiration to my final creation. I knew that I wanted the piece to look cohesive, while also being made up of several different components. So I experimented with different stitching patterns for each element of the sections, as well as adding other elements to the dress to make it more personalized to my style (such as a bow on the back). Doing these things helped me better understand how to put together the final composition for the piece. During the process I learned three very important things:
1. Pinning down the edges of the fabric and working slowly is vital to having clean edges
2. Trying on the piece over and over again makes sure that the final product will fit your body
3. Being creative with you shape and not following a pattern allows for a lot more freedom when creating the piece
Continuing, these three things helped me evaluate my success as an artist and my understanding of my inspiration as I worked on it. I also experimented with the techniques I used to cut out the pattern and pin it together. Originally I tried using the same size for the entire piece but this made the dress to big and it did not have any defined shape when it was on my body. This led me to using different sized front and back panels so that the dress would fit to my body and not stay box like. I also focused on making sure the dress kept consistent with the A-line look from the 1960's. This meant keeping the base of the piece would be flared out more than the top of the piece, creating an "A" shape. This was something I struggled with originally because it was an aspect of the piece I knew was important, but I didn't have a the experience to know how to do it right away. Eventually I was able to have enough ideas that I could create an "A" shape while also looking like it was a cohesive piece. Finally, with these concepts, I was a was able to create a piece that flowed and used line and balance to create a dress that looked like an androgynous piece of clothing anyone could wear. Using my new skills surrounding technical art, I had a better understanding of creating patterns and then sewing it together to fit myself.
Inspiration: Final Product:
The main difference between the two dresses was the sleeves and the neck line. I wanted the dress to cover more of the shoulders so that it would have a less feminine neck line, while also exposing my actual shoulders so that it seemed as if the dress was too short. This would allude to the common question "Well, what were you wearing?" Often people find rape excused through clothing; ex. Too short a skirt, or a to0 skippy dress. Both dresses how ever focus on the dress being tighter at the top and flare out at the bottom. The back of the dress as well includes a bow which was a common embellishment on the A-line dresses when they were first released.
Reflection:
Looking back on the final piece that I created, I am very proud of the process and product I was able to produce. I was able to adapt quickly to using a skill set I was originally confident in using and still kept on learning. Continuing, I was able to see a clear connection between my inspiration and my final piece. I included similar themes, as well as similar final lessons for the viewer to take away. I wanted to focus on the "structure" of the artwork and make it the entire piece. That way it would flip the subjects from the original geometric-ness of the patchwork on the fabric. I knew in the beginning of this piece I had to focus on getting to a final product and not correction every single mistake that I would make. Although I am not a perfectionist, when I work on art I tend to over analyze the piece I am creating and never finish my projects. Knowing this was something I would have to work around I planned out each day and how much work I would get done on that day. This helped me to finish my dress in a timely manner and create a piece I was overall truly proud of.
Continuing, my favorite part of creating this piece was definitely trying on the final piece. Being able to see how the sketch finally lays out in a final product brings the entire project back to its inspiration. If I were to do this project again however, I would want to spend more time on the pattern so that I wouldn't have to modify as much going forward. Even with the difference in pattern to final product though, the dress came together to create a professional looking piece. This could totally be related to the style and the materials I choose to work with, however I still would want to try and make it better. When people view my piece I want them to question how much clothing affects their perception of gender. I want the dress to cause the reader to think about how much they judged people based on the item of clothing that they were wearing. Although, most of all, I want the viewer to acknowledge that clothing can never equate to consent and no matter how short or tight the clothing is, it is never the wearers fault.
Looking back on the final piece that I created, I am very proud of the process and product I was able to produce. I was able to adapt quickly to using a skill set I was originally confident in using and still kept on learning. Continuing, I was able to see a clear connection between my inspiration and my final piece. I included similar themes, as well as similar final lessons for the viewer to take away. I wanted to focus on the "structure" of the artwork and make it the entire piece. That way it would flip the subjects from the original geometric-ness of the patchwork on the fabric. I knew in the beginning of this piece I had to focus on getting to a final product and not correction every single mistake that I would make. Although I am not a perfectionist, when I work on art I tend to over analyze the piece I am creating and never finish my projects. Knowing this was something I would have to work around I planned out each day and how much work I would get done on that day. This helped me to finish my dress in a timely manner and create a piece I was overall truly proud of.
Continuing, my favorite part of creating this piece was definitely trying on the final piece. Being able to see how the sketch finally lays out in a final product brings the entire project back to its inspiration. If I were to do this project again however, I would want to spend more time on the pattern so that I wouldn't have to modify as much going forward. Even with the difference in pattern to final product though, the dress came together to create a professional looking piece. This could totally be related to the style and the materials I choose to work with, however I still would want to try and make it better. When people view my piece I want them to question how much clothing affects their perception of gender. I want the dress to cause the reader to think about how much they judged people based on the item of clothing that they were wearing. Although, most of all, I want the viewer to acknowledge that clothing can never equate to consent and no matter how short or tight the clothing is, it is never the wearers fault.
ACT Questions:
Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause effect relationship between your inspiration and its effect on your artwork?
- While completing my artwork I was able to clearly identify the cause and effect relationship between my inspiration and its effect on my artwork through the discussion of focus unique media. My inspiration directly influenced the focus on the shape of the dress and the audience that it would reach.
What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
-Christian Dior want to great clothing that he would presented an image of radical femininity, achieved by tight-fitting jackets with padded hips, petite waists, and A-line skirts. This showed his commitment to finding ways to include all types of gender into clothing.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
- As I researched the inspiration I came to the conclusion that often times people are unaware of the problems that revolve around sexual assault. I had to generalize the reasons for Christian Dior to make the dresses and use the materials that he choose because I was not able to get direct quotes from him through my research.
What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
- The central idea/theme of my inspirational research was inclusion. This allowed me to focus my research on finding pieces of art work that inspired creativity and personal connection. By understanding that I wanted to create a piece that showed anyone could be sexually assaulted, it allowed my research to include all types of opinions.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
- While reading my research I had to make inferences about the meaning behind Christian Dior's pieces and I also had to inference how throughout the times information would change. This adaption allowed me to focus beyond the moment of creating the piece, but how it would affect the viewer later on.
Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause effect relationship between your inspiration and its effect on your artwork?
- While completing my artwork I was able to clearly identify the cause and effect relationship between my inspiration and its effect on my artwork through the discussion of focus unique media. My inspiration directly influenced the focus on the shape of the dress and the audience that it would reach.
What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
-Christian Dior want to great clothing that he would presented an image of radical femininity, achieved by tight-fitting jackets with padded hips, petite waists, and A-line skirts. This showed his commitment to finding ways to include all types of gender into clothing.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
- As I researched the inspiration I came to the conclusion that often times people are unaware of the problems that revolve around sexual assault. I had to generalize the reasons for Christian Dior to make the dresses and use the materials that he choose because I was not able to get direct quotes from him through my research.
What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
- The central idea/theme of my inspirational research was inclusion. This allowed me to focus my research on finding pieces of art work that inspired creativity and personal connection. By understanding that I wanted to create a piece that showed anyone could be sexually assaulted, it allowed my research to include all types of opinions.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
- While reading my research I had to make inferences about the meaning behind Christian Dior's pieces and I also had to inference how throughout the times information would change. This adaption allowed me to focus beyond the moment of creating the piece, but how it would affect the viewer later on.
Citations:
Welle, D. (2018). The new look: How christian dior revolutionized fashion 70 years ago: DW: 10.02.2017. DW.COM. Retrieved December 2, 2021, from https://www.dw.com/en/the-new-look-how-christian-dior-revolutionized-fashion-70-years-ago/a-37491236.
Welle, D. (2018). The new look: How christian dior revolutionized fashion 70 years ago: DW: 10.02.2017. DW.COM. Retrieved December 2, 2021, from https://www.dw.com/en/the-new-look-how-christian-dior-revolutionized-fashion-70-years-ago/a-37491236.