250 word statement of why you find the images interesting/pleasing and how this could inform your own work.
The images above were all selected from Instagram from users I follow. I did this as a reflection of my own consumption of fashion – the majority of my style finds it stimulus from photographs posted on Instagram. The same goes for fashion films, as the platform is a stage for artists and labels to promote, whether I am able to view the whole video on social or just the preview.
As filmmakers, I believe we can use fashion as a means to inform our own art. The first three images are all quite neutral and pastel in appearance. I like this style and as it is quite cleansing and natural. The first image is taken from a minimalist label Baserange who mainly supply basics and undergarments. I like the connection between the subject and her background, the similar colours that link the clothing to its environment. It’s common to have different coloured surroundings as this would obviously make the clothes look distinctive and stand out. However I like how the basic colours neutralise themselves well when placed on a similar background. This aesthetic is also a strong representation of the minimalist brand and its array of clothing basics.
The second image is in fact of some of Baseranges underwear photographed as a collaboration piece between themselves and another lingerie brand. This image is more abstract than a traditional form of advertising and I find it to be a good example of fashion art being informed by a brand. Baserange is about comfort and tones and I think the diversity of this image helps to represent those ideas well. You can’t see much of the clothing itself, though you see get an awareness of the items and the brand. This is perhaps could suffice the more poetic of documentary modes (as in Bill Nichols Introduction to Documentary) if I were to try and convey this in a film.
The fourth image was taken during the filming of a collaboration between converse and a filmmaker. I really like skate and streetwear and this photograph taken on the streets of London shows a connection between fashion and place. The first image the clothing kind of moulds itself into the background but here the fashion seems like a direct result of the environment.
The third image was taken during the filming of a music video for Solange’s ‘Don’t touch my hair’. I think that you can create a strong collaboration between fashion films and music and Solange is always a great example of such. Fashion in her music videos, provide strong symbols of resistance and power, of unity and of visibility. Through music she is able to find a voice and through fashion and film she is able to embolden her expression.The last image is also connected to music in that it’s subject is rapper ASAP Rocky. This image and him as an icon, to me further exemplify a connection between an artists and fashion as a supplementary form of their art.
250 words reflecting on what you want to get out of this studio and outlining your goals and desires.
Clothing is a direct informative of style and I think that it is reflective of filmmaking. Fashion allows you to represent a certain aesthetic on your body as film allows you to do so on screen. This semester I wish to convey the connection of style in filmmaking and in fashion.
My dad named me Bliss because he thought it would be a good name for a fashion designer. He owned a children’s clothing company at the time and envisioned me at its head one day. The label didn’t work out unfortunately, and neither have my dads desire for a creative fashion savvy daughter. However, I have always felt this underlying connection to clothes that I haven’t yet found a way to express. This semester I will try and capture that expression.
Jessie Oldfield said to our class yesterday, to create work we want to make again and I hope to reflect that throughout the different subjects of this studio. I hope to come to the end of the term with a finish product informed by my own style and that of others. I hope this output is of high quality and something that I can use as a representation of myself and the work I wish to create in the future.