1. Chalayan’s works in clothing, like Afterwords (2000) and Burka (1996) , are often challenging to both the viewer and the wearer. What are your personal responses to these works? Are Afterwords and Burka fashion, or are they art? What is the difference?
Hussein Chalayan is a British/Turkish Cypriot fashion designer born in 1970. 'Burka' and 'Afterwords' are two works that would definitely stir large amounts of discussion within the fashion community. The work from the series 'Afterwords' was inspired by the stories of refugees, having to leave their homes in times of trouble. The dress worn by the model was once a table made from circular rings. She steps into the table pulling up the rings, transforming the piece of furniture into a piece of clothing. This transformation suggests the necessity to leave home in a hurry with nothing but your clothes on your back. I think the work is obscure to look at and very hard to see past as an image. If seen as the filmstrip like I did afterwards, your understanding is easier to come by and the meaning and decisions behind the design surface much faster. When looking at it as an image you can see it suggests industrial ideas from the modernest of modern worlds. I think it is clever and the outcome of the pieces was very successful for Chalayan.
The piece 'Burka' when first seen looks relatively disturbing, looking through the images they would create endless controversy for critics and audiences. This work, to me is definitely crossing the line between fashion and art. The works challenge ideas like modesty, feminity and identity with some models wearing nothing but masks and sandals. To me the work definitely challenges the identity of the female. It looks like he is showing women to all appear to look the same, no matter what the mask is like.
I believe 'Afterwords' as a work would be classed as a fashion piece. However 'Burka', I think this work continuously crosses the line between fashion and art. It could be classed as both on many levels. I think fashion should head more towards being something that a person would literally wear, but it seems to be moving further from that. A quote about the difference between art and fashion "Fashion is what seems beautiful now but looks ugly later; art can be ugly at first but it becomes beautiful later." - Mona Simpson. As a piece of work, 'Burka' seems pretty ugly to me.
2. Chalayan has strong links to industry. Pieces like The Level Tunnel (2006) and Repose(2006) are made in collaboration with, and paid for by, commercial business; in these cases, a vodka company and a crystal manufacturer. How does this impact on the nature of Chalayan’s work? Does the meaning of art change when it is used to sell products? Is it still art?
'My work is about ideas. If I had to define my philosophy in just a few words, it would be about an exploration, a journey, and storytelling' - Hussein Chalayan.
When the links between his works and industry are so strong, I think that to the art world his work would be classed less as art. It would be seen more as a money making exercise being performed. But to the people who try to understand his works meaning and what he has tried to accomplish, the would appreciated it further. Working with a client or a specific reason like advertising for a company would make his process a lot harder and longer. The construction of the thought bubble behind would be twice as big as a normal work. Overall I think the impact wouldn't be noticed by Chalayan, an audience would look at the work with the thought in mind that 'it is a piece by Chalayan' not that it is a piece of advertising which is why I think he does it.
3. Chalayan’s film Absent Presence screened at the 2005 Venice Biennale. It features the process of caring for worn clothes, and retrieving and analysing the traces of the wearer, in the form of DNA. This work has been influenced by many different art movements; can you think of some, and in what ways they might have inspired Chalayan’s approach?
'Absent Presence' film screened in Venice Biennale, 2005. It is based on genetics, biology and identity. It opens the argument on how certain identities can or cannot adapt to new environments. I think the film was highly influenced by Postmodernism, and of course a lot from the film industry with very realistic and blatant screenplay. He uses a lot of modern society elements such as DNA testing and other technology which shows the influence of the age we live in now.
4. Many of Chalayan’s pieces are physically designed and constructed by someone else; for example, sculptor Lone Sigurdsson made some works from Chalayan’s Echoform(1999) and Before Minus Now (2000) fashion ranges. In fashion design this is standard practice, but in art it remains unexpected. Work by artists such as Jackson Pollock hold their value in the fact that he personally made the painting. Contrastingly, Andy Warhol’s pop art was largely produced in a New York collective called The Factory, and many of his silk-screened works were produced by assistants. Contemporarily, Damien Hirst doesn’t personally build his vitrines or preserve the sharks himself. So when and why is it important that the artist personally made the piece?
I think it is important for an artist to play a lead role in all aspects of their work, including the production. I believe it gives works much more value, having assistants doing bigger portions than the artist should under/decrease values. If an artist did none of the production, they would be getting constantly judged and phrased for talents that they don't have/didn't do. For example, audiences interested in hands on detail elements could be amazed by parts of a work, giving an artist a high place in their standards when infact that wasn't even their talent in play. To me it definitely completes a work, having the artist playing a lead roll in the production.
http://usedmagazine.co.uk/?p=1542
http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/galleries/TMG8459042/1/In-pictures-Hussein-Chalayan.html
http://art100.wikispaces.com/Hussein+Chalayan
http://www.husseinchalayan.com/blog/
http://www.designboom.com/eng/interview/chalayan.html
No comments:
Post a Comment