The Costume on the Model

These are photos of my model in the full costume I have put together to make sure that it looked right, fitted well and fulfilled what I wanted it to.  Originally I was planning to spike up his hair, but this didn't work well and detracted from the look so I bought a wig.  I was concerned it would look gimmicky but I think it actually works well, and once he is laying down I don't think you are really able to tell it is a wig and the dishevelled look of it adds to the broken down appearance I was aiming for.  I blackened the models eyes a little to enhance his death-like state and also in keeping with the makeup punks wore, but toned down as I wanted to keep him looking natural.  However I think I need to be bolder in the application of make up as it is somewhat lost in this picture and when the model is outside in natural lighting it may be almost unnoticeable.  I think the jacket fits the style of punk well and combined with the hoody underneath it creates a fitting look for the style of 70s punk.  As suggested in my tutorial I have left the model's chest slightly exposed to provide vulnerability, and I have also decided that he shall not wear shoes to again enhance that idea.  I think the studs, spikes and accessories on the jacket and trousers work really well and I am pleased with the way the costume decoration has turned out and the effect they give the overall costume.  The chains and handcuffs relate well to the themes of war in my early research and I tried to make the studs and spikes create a military look by keeping them in lines and symmetrical as the early renaissance Italian armour was.  Another point I need to remember when taking the final photo is to make sure the belt can be seen.  It is a bullet belt; again to bring in the military aspects of my research, however I need to turn it around so that you can see the bullets as it is completely lost here.  Overall I am very happy with my work on this costume and I feel confident that, with a few tweaks, I will be able to create a successful photo shoot that brings the original image into a new context while maintaining some of the themes it encompassed. 

31/03/11 - Tutorial with Bunny and Frances Tempest

This tutorial was extremely useful and I have taken a lot from it; we discussed my ideas and how I was planning on interpreting the painting.  The tutors liked my ideas of using punk and they said that it would probably work really well.  This has given me confidence in my ideas and they helped me develop them further.  I asked Bunny about hiring boots from the costume store and she said this would be fine.  They approved of the location I had found and said it should work quite well against the black covered figure.  It was suggested that I have some of the model's chest exposed slightly to enhance the vulnerability of the figure.  It was also mentioned that the painting has some considerable foreshortening so this will have to be taken into account when positioning the figure.  I learnt that simplicity in ideas is what will probably make this shoot successful; Frances said that I need to do the shoot soon so that my ideas don't become too over-thought as this would detract from the idea.  This was really useful advice and I shall take it with me and try to begin developing the costume from here and get it wrapped up as soon as it is ready.

Idea development - Punk and Vietnam

My ideas have developed and I have decided on a 'concept' and period for my interpretation.  My initial research led me to look at various wars and photographs and art inspired from them.  One of the pieces of work that I found was this:

   "Vietnam Scene" Duane Hanson 1969

"American Photorealist Sculptor, Duane Hanson (1925 - 1996), created realistic human figures in polyvinyl that would then be painted and dressed in accessories for the ultimate in realistic statuary. His Vietnam Scene was a tableau of dead and dying US soldiers positioned on a gallery floor as if a grenade had detonated in their midst.  Hanson's hyper-realistic figures often couched a biting social critique of the excesses of American consumerism, racism, and other social ills." 1

This installation showed me that you can create the stillness of death, but the positioning and realism of the figure is important, so I shall try to apply this in my interpretation. The Ideas behind the work are not disimilar to the meanings and symbolim in the original painting and I think this work is very relevant to my project. 

From looking at the Vietnam war I went on to look at the rise of punk in the 70s and the militant protests against war and other causes for social unrest.  I think using leather instead of armour will work really effectively because it will maintain the shiny element of the armour and the studs on the armour of the soldier can be recreating using the studs and spikes that define punk.

The ideas behind the rise of punk and the reasons people dressed this way was to make a stand and comment on society, to go against everything else and be outrageous where everything else was controlled.  The state was killing freedom of dress and music was becoming mundane to many, punk was a way to rebel and take a stand. 

Images such as these will be my main influence in creating the costume, they have a militant feel and I think it's a good way of updating the painting to a more contemporary and relevant way.  I hope to find most of the components of the costume in charity shops and then I can accessorise and style them up individually.  I am pleased with the developments in my ideas and I feel that, when combined with the location, my interpretation could be quite successful.

1: http://www.art-for-a-change.com/vietnam/vietnam.htm

Location Hunting

I have been out and about trying to find locations that are similar to the original painting.  Although I intend to update the look of the figure and change the period I feel that the setting in which the soldier is placed in the painting is what makes it so striking and I didn't to lose that in my interpretation.  You wonder why he is on a cliff? Where is he? How did he get there? And I wanted all these questions to remain and have my model looking a bit alien in the landscape and also enhanced by it.  As such I have been trying to find a way to get a similar look in my photo, luckily my location in Bournemouth is ideal as the beach is close by so I can use the sea without having to Photoshop too much.  I think I have managed to find a location that suits the painting and will give the look I want.

This location isn't perfect and I will have to use Photoshop to mirror the photo and get the cliff the right way round, which means I will have to shoot it the opposite way to the painting, so it would probably be useful if I Photoshop the original so that I have a direct reference when I'm on the shoot.  But I feel this location will be effective, especially because the sand is quite pale which will provide an interesting contrast that will hopefully be as eye-catching as the original.  Also if I can catch the evening light and perhaps the end of a sunset the backdrop will reflect the original; it will never be the same but I can choose a day when the weather is good and hopefully get the effects that I want.  I am pleased that I have managed to find this location and I feel positive that it will work well with the rest of my ideas.

As a side note to this I decided to hire a camera in order to practice with it the other day, and although it was raining so I couldn't get to my location I took it out and practiced taking landscape photos and generally got a feel for how it works.  I was happy with the photo quality and I can now hire it out again when I do the shoot, or a test shoot, and really see how the location works with a model and a good quality camera.

 

17/03/11 - Tutorial with Adele

Adele emailed me asking to discuss a proposal she had that would alter my SDP, but would be a great opportunity; we had a meeting at uni and she offered me the chance to do an AUCB production instead of the film that would make up part 2 of painting for inspiration.  She said I could still carry on with the styling part as there is no script at the moment for the AUCB production and I should try to have it done by Easter at the latest so when a script does arrive I can focus all my efforts on it.  I would be designing the costumes for SDP and then when I return for third year in September I will work on the live production bringing my designs to life.  I would work closely with Rhiannon Price, who is in my year, as she will be desiging the set.

I had a think about this offer and decided that it was too good an opportunity to let it go.  While I want to experience film and possibly pursue it in the future I feel that the AUCB production will allow me to exercise my skills as a designer in a more rewarding way.  The film would only be a short 5 minute film and the costumes would be interpreted from a painting whereas I will be able to create designs from scratch in a creative way and then be a part of bringing a complete show to life which excites me more than the film opportunity.  Adele mentioned that the project will probably be quite scary at first as I am quite shy and I will have to talk to actors and directors but that ultimately the experience of designing the production will raise my confidence and help me to progress as a designer.  I feel I am ready to embrace this challenge and step up to the mark, because if I can't do it now when will I?  I am also relieved that I will not be in charge of the set design as it is not my strong point and I feel a lot more confident dealing with costumes.  Also this way I can focus my time purely on the costumes and not get lost in thinking about the set as has sometimes happened on other projects.  I feel that this will give me a real experience of being a designer and I cannot wait to get started.  

17/03/11 - Tutorial with Bunny

 My tutorial went well, we discussed why I had chosen the painting, where I wanted to take it and any initial ideas that I had.  It was suggested that I could look at modern interpretations of death and how death is viewed in modern society.  I have found some other artists whose work relates quite well to the painting and I should now go on to look at their work and link it to my own and use it to influence my ideas.  I have decided to do the styling part of the project on my own as much as possible because the other half of my project will be very collaborative and I wanted to do the styling bit myself.  I talked to Bunny about this and it is totally acceptable for me to do this. Although I will need a model but my boyfriend fits the painting quite well and as the facial features aren't overly prominent he should be a perfect fit.  This tutorial was helpful it gave me confidence in my painting choice and I was able to discuss it with Bunny and explain why I chose it.  I am now able to develop my ideas knowing that I am heading in the right direction; I can start in my sketch book now and begin deconstructing the painting, researching and gathering ideas to form a concept.  Bunny suggested that I now forge forward at a good rate and decide on a period in which to set my interpretation.  She said that the costume store may not be much use to me, with all the military elements in the painting.  I do want to maintain a degree of the military but I'm not sure actual armour is what I will be using.  This tutorial has shown me that I am progressing in the ways I should be and I can now begin to properly formulate my ideas and really begin sinking my teeth into the first half of this project.

' A Dead Soldier ' - My chosen painting

After researching and considering the paintings I had seen, I chose this painting called 'A Dead Soldier'.  It is believed to be of Italian origin, painted in the 17th century.  Who painted it is unknown and the soldier depicted has no identity.  This painting appealed to me on several levels.  I like the fact that there is very little known about it because I can then focus on the symbolism of the painting and perhaps what the artist was trying to say.  The colouring of the painting in real life is beautiful and extremely striking and I want to build upon that; I have been told I have a good eye for colour and it is important to me that I don't lose this element of the painting in my interpretation, but instead use it to make it beautiful.  The ideas of death and war give me many different ideas to explore; the description on the National Gallery website was really what sold it to me:

"To the left are a skull and bones, symbols of death. The wick of the lamp hanging from the branch has just been extinguished. This work is intended as a 'vanitas', in which the objects serve as a reminder of the brevity of life and the futility of human achievement.

The school and date of the painting are much debated, but it may be a Neapolitan work of the 1630s."

I really want this to be the basis for my interpretation and I hope to explore themes and ideas linked to ‘the brevity of life and the futility of human achievement’ and make it evident in my photo.  I want to give the painting a contemporary look and bring it up to date and maybe base it on a more recent war.  I love the armour the soldier is wearing and I certainly want to maintain an element of the military and armour, but I will have to be creative to achieve this.  I am excited to begin my sketch book and start the creative ball rolling, the painting has really inspired me and I can't wait to see where it takes me.