Behind the Boosh, Photography by Dave Brown



Collage of some of the photographs from exhibtion.

Oriel Colwyn, 01.09.12-16.10.12

Dave Brown also known as Bollo the Gorilla from the Mighty Boosh had a photography exhibition at  gallery 'Oriel Colwyn' in which photography of props, backstage scenes, shots from tour and scenes from the TV series was shown all in which he had photographed from the start of 2004 with the first series of Mighty Boosh right through to the tour and ongoing series.

The photographs were all in black frames giving a simplistic and modernist approach the whole environment had an intimate room the exhibition was in a small room at the back of the theatre. As Dave Brown was the photographer the images have a personal feel and don't look staged it is as he is shooting his friends and span over the twelve years of the Boosh they provide a unique insight into the characters behind the Mighty Boosh.

Inge Jacobsen

Artist Inge Jacobsen is painstakingly turning over saturated commercial images into ones of couture status. Her methods include hand embroidery, cutting, cross stitching and collage of well known commercial images, magazine covers and fashion advertisements into hand stitched unique, individual creations.

Her style is highlighting the image saturated society we play a part in and by breaking the image into its cross stitched design she redefines the image and in turn I feel embeds the image with fresh connotations away from its previous mass produced into individualism.  

 

Her use of cross stitching over the face of the model in both the magazine cover and fashion editorial shoot shows how the imagery we see doesn’t depend on the individual look of the model as we are accustomed to a pre-defined over saturated image of aesthetic beauty so by removing the details of the face we do not lose the appeal of the image. Jacobsen is allowing the imagery to become unique to our own perspective by removing the aesthetic ideals of mass produced images by her individual cross stitching.

I like how Jacobsen is allowing fashion imagery to become back to its routes of individual style rather than that of over saturated replica imagery.

Some other examples of her work -:

 

Pre-Raphaelite Femme Fatales

Lady Lever Art Gallery, Liverpool
‘A Pre-Raphaelite Journey,’ Eleanor Fortescue-Brickdale, 1 June to 4 November 2012.

Lady Lever Art Gallery current has an exhibition of Eleanor Fortescue-Brickdale work who was known as one of the key figures in the last phase of Pre-Raphaelitism, a generation younger than the original Pre-Raphaelites (1848) she helped to revive their style at the end of nineteenth century.

The Pre-Raphaelite style of heightened colour and hyper real detail was known for in their images of telling a story of mystical religiosity and femme’s fatales, it was of the Victorian era where Shakespeare and medieval quests was a source of inspiration.

The Lady Lever exhibition was a labyrinth design of three rooms showcasing in chronological order Brickdale’s work as painter, designer and illustrator. The walls were painted lilac with the images in gold mounted frames and panel boards in each room with background information on about that time period. Overall I wasn’t enthralled by the design as there was no variety in display techniques used or colour was not emphasised it was not in keeping with the Pre-Raphaelite style of heightened colour and mystical story telling. I think in the exhibition plan there could be more definition used between each room/time period of emphasising the key highlights of that period via use of colour and texture.

The aspect of the exhibition that I was interested in was how Brickdale showed women she celebrated their beauty as a scene of nature and women were not seen as just ethereal creatures to be adorned and adored but who had control of their own destiny by their own natural beauty and how it could be used to disarm and distract men.

 The little foot page, 1905.

In this image Brickdale showed a woman cutting her own hair to disguise herself as a man so she could follow her lover as he rode on horseback as not to be discovered by him. By her cutting her hair it is symbolic of the lengths women would go to trick their lover as in the Victorian period long waving hair was a sign of aesthetic beauty. The woman is shown to be cunning and scheming in following her lover, it highlights the differences that women are showing as the Victorian period progresses from the previous images of ethereal delicate creatures to now being connoted as devious in controlling their own beauty for their own gains.

Vivien and Merlin, 1911.

In this image Brickdale shows how Merlin the wizard is beguiled by Viviens beauty, it shows the power of women as a seductresses as she is disarming him in taking control of his magical powers. She is shown as a serpent like figure with emerald green cloak it is the use of animal analogy and the use of natural colours in showing how women could be seen as part of nature and animalistic in their qualities for their own self preservation by the tightness of her dress it has sexual connotations and how use of their feminine charm and dress can be used to disarm and distract, it shows Vivien as a femme fatale.

Recently photographer Ellen Von Unwerth photographed model Eniko Mihalik for July 2012 Vogue Italia in a shoot named ‘So full of dreams’ it is inspired by the Pre-Raphaelites but unlike Brickdale it goes back to the earlier stages of early nineteenth century and shows women as ethereal creatures to be adorned and adored in this case by lightweight dresses and sparkling jewels all by Chanel. It shows how when we think of the Pre-Raphaelites we like to imagine beautiful, delicate women but I like how that as the Pre-Raphaelite period ended at beginning of twentieth century women were now seen as more than having just aesthetic charm.

 

 

 

Some of my favourite images from Walker art gallery, Liverpool.

Lucien Freud – ‘Interior at Paddington,’ 1951.

 

The man in the image is Harry Diamond a well known photographer of the bourgeois London 60’s scene and Freud’s friend. I like that even though he is a close companion he captures him as wearing an ill fitting coat, mood of depression and anxiety by clenched fist and how he is focused on the plant which seems out of proportion to himself as though he is self consumed in his own feelings. I feel there is a comical element to the image of Freud denoting his friend as a moody, self consumed character.

 

Harold Gilman- ‘Mrs Mounter,’ 1916/17.

This image is of his landlady Mrs Mounter she is represented as a specific real character and is not glamorised in the process, the use of colour I like as is a balanced composition of her face against background I feel that the colours all blend nicely together to accurately represent Mrs Mounter in her own surroundings. Also the use of thick brush strokes re-immerse that she is a real character and is not highly staged to appear neat and exact but in true likeness to the character.

Paul Cezanne – ‘The murder,’ 1868.

Cezanne was an important figure in abstract art and cubism movement but this is an example of his earlier work I like how it is so different to his later work it is as his use of dark subject matter of anonymous violence as cannot see attackers faces and desolate surroundings is an indicator of his mind process of his confusion of trying to determine his style and his turmoil over the process by his blurred background and thick brush strokes used of bodies which is so different to his later style.

Frederick Sandys – ‘Helen of Troy,’ 1867.

This image I love as is an example of the Pre Raphaelite favoured style of beauty of her rosy cheeks, full lips and pale complexion. I think it is slightly humorous as well by her sullen and guilty expression by her eyes being out of focus it is as she is withholding a secret glimpse at someone, she was described as having fatal beauty which I feel this image represents by the juxtaposition of her sullen expression versus her features it is as the burden of being so beautiful comes at an expense.

Paulus Bor – ‘Mary Magdalene,’ 1630-39.

I think this image is dramatic, theatrical and emotional by the use of strong lighting effect above her head to illuminate her face of the repentant sinner. The use of colours and her posture all work by encapsulating on the story behind the image and it made me have an emotional sad response as you feel for her, it is very typical of the dramatic style of Baroque era.

The little artists, John Cake and Daniel Neave, ‘Hirst’s shark tank,’ 1994 and ‘Emin’s bed,’ 1999.

The conceptual artists Lego representations of Hirst’s and Emin’s work I feel is comical and a light-hearted reprimand to the effect of art as a commodity as is a humorous look at the power of the original art work and is showing how art is now a commodity.

Birgit Dieker, ‘Bad Mummy,’ Blue coat Liverpool.

Birgit Dieker 2005 sculpture ‘Bad Mummy’ was showcased as part of DaDaFest at Bluecoat in Liverpool the theme of the exhibition is questioning what it means to be perceived as normal and the codes of looking we establish in creation of a system of ideals that we as a society measure ourselves against.

‘Bad Mummy’ is a solid black leather form of a pregnant woman with obtrusive spiked pins and needles. The use of dark leather is symbolic as it is normally classified as fetishistic material so it is questioning the opposing ideals of sexual fantasies and motherhood. Leather also has associations with bondage and sexual dominance/submission so by being a pregnant limbless woman it raises the question that once a woman has given birth is she now just supposed to be submissive to her child at the cost of her own freedom and self identity.

‘Bad Mummy’ also works I feel in its setting it is perched high on metal stool and in the corridor against the white wall it connotes a feeling of aloneness as well as strength  of its impact on the passing visitor.

Contemporary Welsh Artists

Welshness as a theme conjures for me imagery of a rich cultural history and landscape which work by juxtaposing against one another creating a mythical dream like imagery, connoting the hardness of the industrial past coupled with majestic scenery

Contemporary Welsh art is unifying the past and landscape but also cementing that as the past in becoming more visual in display techniques not to just display history of Wales but also its innovative techniques.

Lois Williams - 'A reconstructed thing'

This has many connotations for me the way it is hung on the wall in equal distances from one another suggests the conformity of the past with its draping down and becoming more thread bare it reflects hanging onto past routes which are systematically falling away through time. I like how you can visually become part of the history of the production and its effect over time as metamorphosing into something which was not how maker intended, which is symbolic of holding onto Welsh national past.


Huw Jones - 'Tom Jones,' oil on canvas

The surrealist quality of the image appeals to me by choosing to portray Tom Jones an iconic Welsh personality it gives a comical approach it has a hyper-real quality by the displacement of background it is as he is floating, it looks Margritte inspired. I enjoy how the only real life like of the image is portrayed in Tom Jones face it is as he is laughing at the absurdity of his surroundings and his pposition as celebrity position, it acts as comical metaphor for the increaseness of the role of Celebrity importance played in society.


Tim Long - 'Dyffryn 1'

The initial reading I take is the connotation of subverted ugliness versus beauty balance as by the placement of displayed face against an aesthetically pleasing background of flowers it is challenging the notion of how we analyse beauty and the collage 3D effect of the face is demanding attention against background, it is as the subverted face is challenging the person reaching towards the flowers. For me his mix of colours works by blending the piece together but the redness in the face is obtrusive and reflects to viewer a harshness that remains behind our perceived values of what constitutes as beauty.

Fashions green print

Fashion is maintained and run by consumer desire with the speed and accessibility of new trends being constantly accelerated every season. Each new style renders the older one obsolete, ultimately ending up in the landfill site.

The Sustainable Clothing Action Plan was launched in 2009 by the UK Government Department for the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs. (Defra.) It aims to encourage shareholders to invest in sustainable fashion where there is no adverse impact on people or the environment at any stage of the fashion cycle, from production to end of life management.

Tribulations of fashion.

Anthony Griffiths, representative of Defra said, ‘In the UK, two million tonnes of textiles are consumed per annum with the fast/discount fashion sector making up one-fifth of the UK market. Yet about 50 per cent of this is destined for landfill, leaving just half a million tonnes of textiles a year collected for reuse or recycling.’

Unbeknown to the consumer, by buying readily and cheaply they are contributing to resource depletion. Last year the price of cotton was forced to increase as consumption worldwide is exceeding the production of the cotton. This will have a direct consequence on the fashion industry, as no longer will it be common practice to have cheap, disposable clothes, such as one pound t-shirts from Primark.

In 2005 the Co-operative Bank ‘Ethical Consumerism Report,’ showed that the market for ethical fashion had grown by 30% between 2003-04. However, now in 2011 sustainable fashion is still not common practice by the mass market. Bronwyn Lowenthal, design director for Lowie a handmade ethical clothing brand explained that sustainable fashion,’ should be encouraged but there is still a huge amount of education to be done before designers and manufacturers realize how important it is.’

Plant the seeds of thought.

Sustainable fashion is a way of thinking, the formula for environmentally friendly fashion should be people plus planet then profit in equal measures. The London College of Fashion, Centre for Sustainable Fashion, is a fore runner in the development of a sustainable approach to fashion design. They offer advice and work with small to medium sized businesses to inform them with knowledge on how to become a sustainable brand, by questioning corporate social responsibility.

Ruth Ferguson representative of sustainable swimwear designer Olga Olsson, who only uses organic cotton and wool in her designs, also works in correlation with the London College of Fashion said, ‘The business support program has assisted me by giving advice about how to improve sales, marketing, and reduce my business carbon footprint.’

New approaches to fabric development are being developed to equate to an ethical approach to fashion design, this is required to reduce the volume of hazardous waste produced from the production stage especially by dyeing and distressing treatments on the fabric.

Nadja Solovieva, designer behind the brand Vassilisa, who has trained at Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen is currently in the development of new innovative fabrics. ‘I have always been rather minimal in terms of how I do things, I naturally use maximum efficiency pattern cutting, it is all fairtrade manufactured, to date only natural materials. I also have a philosophy of liberty, multi cultural acceptance and challenge of perceptions,’ Nadja explained.

The British Fashion Council founded ‘Ethestica’ in 2005 to promote sustainable fashion development. The designers who are part of Ethestica all have to adhere to at least one of the core principles of sustainable fashion development such as fair trade, ethical practices and the use of organic or recycled materials.  

Ethestica Autumn/Winter 2011 collection showcased at London Fashion Week, with twenty designers being involved who all have ethical credentials and design excellence.

Designer Michelle Lowe-Holder who has designed for Topshop explains her involvement with Esthetica,’ I have shown my last 2 collections here, the season before that I showed under London College of Sustainable Fashion. It is a great way to show your collection to buyers and press. There are many ways to ensure that you are ethical and sustainable when you are small, the challenge comes when you are a larger company, at present I control all my sourcing sampling and production. As the label grows the real challenge will come.’

Questioning the fashion status quo.

More emphasis on investment in good quality items is needed, as the majority of the public view the high street as the destination for cheap, disposable clothing that fuels consumer spending habits. The amount of choice available coupled with consumer desire for the latest fashion trend at affordable prices equates to an overall increase in damage on the environment. Such as, ‘energy use, resource depletion and GHG emissions from processing fossil fuels into synthetic fibres,’ explained Anthony Griffiths, representative of Defra.

However some stores, such as New Look and Next now have an organic cotton and fair trade range which promotes the encouragement of sustainable fashion. Topshop currently stocks ‘People’s Tree’ range which uses only organic cotton made from plants grown without chemicals or pesticides, and treated with natural dyes.

Katherine Hamnett is an ethical clothing innovator, it is by her work in the 80s of protest slogan t-shirts that bought a sustainable approach to fashion in the public eye. Her slogans such as, ‘Clean up or die,’ placed emphasis on the ethical concern with regards to the fashion industry.  She has now signed a deal with Tesco to create an ethical and environmental clothing range using organic cotton. Her condition was that Tesco had to agree to sign a contract with the cotton farmers for sustainable development.

Stella McCartney is the ultimate eco designer not only does she develop collections that are sustainable and ecologically friendly, such as organic cotton and the use of no leather or fur, she takes the sustainable approach to every aspect of the Stella McCartney organization. It has been acknowledged as a carbon neutral company as all the offices and studios in the UK are powered by Ecotricity, which invests all money spent on electricity into clean forms such as wind power encouraging a sustainable approach to the future. Also, all the shipping bags are made from corn which is 100% biodegradable instead of the commonly used plastic.

‘I can only hope sustainable fashion will be the future, it is a long way off but many things need to change, and fashion is a small part of a large cultural way of evolving,’ said designer Michelle Lowe-Holder.

The cultivation of an Eco future.

In the future, fashion will begin to blur the lines between fashion and science by the collaboration of designers and scientists to produce new innovative fabric development. Designer Suzanne Lee is the senior researcher at Central Saint Martin’s college where they are growing garments from the bacterial cellulose. It is a totally new alternative to fabric development as no resources will be affected, it aims to grow your own garments using natural resources in the formation of a utopia fashion garden.

Donna Franklin, lecturer at the School of Communications and Contemporary Arts at Edith Cowan University explained the process of bacterial cellulose fabric as having, ‘a lot of potential, as the source is organic. However, the chemicals used to make the fabric viable are as yet not. As an arts/science practice it aims to speculate on the potential cross-over’s between clothing as living and clothing as an art project.’

Another approach to tackle resource depletion in the future is to combine technological developments with fashion to create wearable technology. Avant-Garde designer Hussein Chalayan is looking towards futuristic styling by combining clothing as a mechanism. He is making everyday objects transportable, tables and chair folding into dresses as seen in his Autumn/Winter 2000-01 collection ‘Afterwards.’ He is an innovator in finding new uses of materials as seen by his use of material from aircrafts to create a dress which changes shape via remote control. It is his innovation in fabric development that will be a necessity in the future due to resource depletion.

Gary Cass, Lecturer at the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, University of Western Australia said, ‘I do not think sustainable fashion is the future because it involves two main issues, money and vanity. When it comes to vanity humans are the vainest, this is perpetuated by the corporations and mass media. Economics and environmental sustainability are not compatible. Do not let the economist steer the ship as it will be directed down the cheapest path, with no consideration for the environment or ethical production.’

As we look to the future with the current rate of resource depletion, more innovative fabric development will have to be considered to cope with the growing demand of new fashions. Coupled alongside with consumer knowledge more emphasis needs to be placed on investment in good quality pieces, instead of short term trends.

Ultimately customers drive fashion by their demands, so by stressing the importance on consumers of ethical and environmental purchasing, it should encourage a sustainable fashion system that doesn’t adversly damage the environment in any part of the fashion cycle.