Unit X - Research Context - Studio Toogood

Agender promo material showcasing abstract sculptures 

My research into 'the pop-up'  has pointed me in the direction of many artists and designers who utilise the element of 'pop-up' to cause a stir, or get the sudden attention of the public. My attention fell on one pop-up experiment taking place in Slefridge's in London at the moment; a pop-up fashion store, 'Agender' are sending art and fashion enthusiasts everywhere a bit bonkers, and the studio who developed the aesthetic and installed the interiors are masters of shock within fashion and textile trending. Studio Toogood is directed by London based designer Faye Toogood, and specialise in high concept interiors for creative projects and companies through out the creative world. Their involvement with unisex clothing experiment 'Agender' is visceral and superbly done. Inside the store sit voluptuous, abstract sculptures reminiscent of flesh and human reproductive organs.

Pop-up store, Selfridges, London

“In order to move forward I felt like I needed to look back,” says Toogood. “We are all flesh and bone. I wanted to find a primal palette of materials that explores our individual needs and desires despite our gender or sexuality. On the first floor there is pink latex and rubber like flesh, and on the second floor there are bones - tar; mud; horse hair and concrete.”

I love this approach to homogenise the human body, and move it away from male and female into an abstract mess of 'human-beingness'. The organic shapes are inspirational and I love the tones of pink and purple matched with yellow ochres to 'degender' previous conceptions of colour and sex. High concept interiors for fashion/textile promotion is a possible context which our pop-up could fit into. 

Fashion installation by Studio Toogood

Unit X - Research - Week 2

This week began with a trip to the People’s History Museum as part of our Archives research. I found the excursion very interesting as Ive always had a love for history, yet, similar to Blackpool it was quite difficult to gather information. Most of the exhibits were literature heavy, but I found myself spending a majority of the trip on the ‘Banners’ floor. Naturally, as a textiles student my mind is orientated to fabric and colour; the collection of political and protest banners in the museum is awe inspiring to any practitioner of fabric and any human with a social conscience. Banners from Labour campaigns, to Miner strikes and LGBT issues got me thinking about the depth ‘cloth’ can reach. Cloth can be a key tool in social change as symbols and colour can entice inspiration. The monolithic curtains of fabric also got me thinking about how cloth can be used to dictate a space, and how we as people interact and utilize a piece of fabric dependent on its established context.

Worker Union Banner

Tuesday saw us gather as the Pop Up Class where we each had an opportunity to present our ideas with the intention of establishing groups. I was very much inspired by the D.I.Y. culture of DJ Dave and was inspired by the work of artist Linder Sterling, and using quite unconventional materials to create our space. After what felt like a chaotic session of 'speed dating' our groups were established. I feel the whole process of making the groups was very haphazard and quite ‘cliquey’, however we have a strong group of talent as I have been in these girls class all year and although we each have very different styles, approaches and interests, we know each others strengths and weaknesses, which should come in handy for working collaboratively.

DIY research, mark making and possible asthetic

We hope to achieve a space that evokes a sense of comfort and safety for the audience. We are currently developing ideas potentially for a gallery context with some form of interactive art, which engages the viewer. We agree that we want the viewer to leave something behind or take something from our space; perhaps a trade of some sort, physically, emotionally or spiritually.

sellotape experiment, web

sellotape experiment, structure applying roll of tape on to itself

Engaged in the idea of something being left behind by the viewer, we have been looking at absorbent structures such as sponge in the hopes our space will absorb and then keep something from the viewer, in turn changing the overall piece with each new visit. We have began playing with Sellotape as a possible material to construct our space as it is sticky and very cheap. We are playing with the idea of a fingerprint or piece of hair being left or entrapped on the tape by the viewer, leaving a piece of DNA behind and therefore creating an ‘Archive’ of our own.

Unit X - Research - Week 1

To kick off the launch of Unit X we visited the ‘sunny’ seaside resort of Blackpool as a year group. This marked the beginning of our research, and was an opportunity to gather resources alongside our fellow peers. Overall I found the trip quite uninspiring; Blackpool was slightly drab and dead, and I struggled to find much visual information I would be happy to get my teeth into. I still took photos of as much as I could knowing that on reevaluation of the images something could pop up which inspired me. The highlight of the trip however was found in ‘Treasure Cove’ (a tacky, garish amusements arcade), amidst the flash and jazz, a vintage style fortune teller ‘Zoltar’ struck my attention. After a few sneaky snaps and a reading of my future (for a mere £1) I was on my way back to Manchester. I don’t think Blackpool will influence my Archives project, but I am interested in the Zoltar machine.

As part of of the launch of Unit X, we had the opportunity to attend a series of ‘Inspirer’ talks, two speakers in particular got me thinking about the potential of our practices. DJ Dave Haslam was the first; telling us about his exciting life at the forefront of the Manchester rave scene during the 80s & 90s, he is an advocate for living life ‘out on the margines’ of society and the importance of young creatives, sick of spoon fed mainstream culture, to seek out and create our own hidden gems. Our maverick nature and D.I.Y. approach are our weapons. The second was Sally Denton, a trend forecaster, gave us an intriguing insight and perspective of ‘trends’, how global and social change are what are the catalysts for trends within textiles, fashion and art. This has got me thinking about the potential of our ‘pop-up project’ and possibilities of ‘Trend Forecasting’ for the future within my own practice.