The Contrast Between Old & New

Taking the idea of the ‘contrast of the old and new’, I took a tour around Manchester with my camera and found that the contrast between the new buildings and the older buildings was evident. The architecture on the older buildings are more detailed – engraved and most built with red or sand coloured brick. Whereas the newer buildings are tall, mostly made of glass with a reflective quality to them. From a landscape view it looks extremely varied in the use of colour and detail. Here are some of the photographs I took, focusing on the contrast between the different architecture. 

Journey to Decay

On my first tutorial of the term, I have discussed my concept and found that I may have given myself a ‘theme’ rather than a concept as such, as the practice unit is longer than any project I have done before I need the concept to be broader, in order to keep my idea’s flowing. With this I have started to explore the larger subject of ‘decay’. I have first focused on the journey of objects decaying- experimenting firstly with an apple cut in half that I have watched and recorded the decay of it for a week.

 On completion of this experiment my intent was to then draw and experiment with material to capture the detail of the apple on its journey, but I felt as if it wasn’t original – it was something I had seen done before. After mind- mapping the word ‘Decay’ I started to think of the way objects decay over time – and how things evolve. A city for example, buildings are built new and decay over time, and then new ones are built next to them, creating an interesting contrast between the two.

Summer Work

Over summer I looked at the fungus and mushrooms grown in the environment. I responded through this interest through taking photographs and responding to them through paint, biro and pencil. I also used coffee to capture the earthy colours. I particularly concentrated on the marks and textures of the fungus and growth. Through this response it gave me an idea to look at what a fungus is, ‘any of a group of unicellular, multicellular, or syncytial spore-producing organisms feeding on organic matter, including moulds, yeast, mushrooms, and toadstools.’ Meaning that a fungus is a growth – something that is decaying or has decayed. I also looked at the scientific aspect of ‘fungi’, researching into the bacterial growth and the looked at the microscopic visuals of the cells.

 Here I focused on the movement and the more linier detail in the bark.

In my final year on this course I want to find my place in this industry, fashion is my interest and goal when designing and making, but I want to find out where I stand, and find designer’s that I feel are where I fit in the fashion industry.