The British Museum.

On Wednesday I visited The British Museum. It was so interesting to see real items from many tribes across the world including Africa, Asia and America. 

I have made a story board that shows the artefacts I found in the museum but I have also picked out the ones I think are of most interest to me and my ideas. 

I choose this image because of the man to the left. I thought the snow on his moustache was brilliant. Great texture and really shows the climate that they live in. As the information board says, the people of the North American Arctic rely on animals as part of their culture. They use them for transport, food and also clothing. 

I was thinking I could use this inspiration for my final images, perhaps using materials such as feathers or something fluffy. 


These next images are inspiration for a idea I have for my catwalk shoot. I love the white on black, the contrast and the intricate designs that stand out from a far. 

I also included these two images above because I feel like they both might have the same initial inspiration but have been used in different ways. 

I am going to start drawing from these images and start developing my ideas for the catwalk shoot. In the meantime keep looking for more ideas and points of inspiration for the editorial shoot. 

Story Board.

I created a story board of all of my initial research so I can use this as a reference point when I am deciding what I want to research further. 

A simple collaboration of images I think bring together my research. 

Models Models Models.

Okay so I've found my two models I want to use in my shoots. I just need to decide which will be more suitable for which shoot. When I have thought deeper into what I want in each design I will choose which model. 

I have a male and a female model which I think will really help me and benefit me in my skills and will make my portfolio stronger. They are two completely different people. One female; pale skin, tall, slim, long thin hair. One male; black skin, average build, blonde/ gray curly hair, facial hair. 

I am so excited to start practising on these guys. I will post images of them shortly. 

Considerations.

I need to consider that this brief wants two very different final designs. One for Catwalk the other editorial. There are very different elements that need to be thought of when designing for both of these and I have made a list so I can understand it clearly and related back to this when starting my final designs. 

Editorial:

-Only has to work from one view, the camera. 

-It doesn't have to be mobile, bull dog clips and safety pins can be used if well disguised. 

-Usually very detailed designs that work for close ups. 

-The designs need to be perfect as the camera picks up every detail. 

-Generally more extreme designs. 

-Pre production and post production can be used.
ie. Lighting, backdrop, location.
ie. Editing the image, use of colours, mood etc. 

Catwalk:

-Has to work from a distance, impact needs to be seen. 

-Doesn't have to be SO perfect if time doesn't allow it. 

-This style has to be mobile and work from all angles. 

-Location and setting needs to be considered incase model finds it difficult to walk. 

-Image has to work as a whole. A lot more clarification with stylist, designer and hair and makeup artists. 

-Different options need to be available.
ie. Hair length, Skin colour etc.  

Progress So Far

& Where I Need To 

Go From Here.

I feel like I have now covered a lot of areas of tribes and have researched many different elements that will influence my final design. I think I should now start to write a list of what I have looked at and found most interesting and what I want to research deeper and what I can do with it. 

Research into Tribes:

Native American Indians

-feathers

-textures of fabrics

-strong use of patterns

Amazonian

-materials used to build houses

-grass skirts

-bald stripe in hair 

Inuits

-vast change in culture

-fur

-thick clothing

-animal materials

Asia

-importance of jewelry

-use of strong intense colours

-magical and spiritual beliefs 

Papua New Guinea

-strong makeup

-use of wigs

-cannibalism 

Other Influences:

Skin Care Adverts

-use of tribal influences 

-translate into my final designs

Hair

-textures of the hair

-use of braids to create texture

-rodarte collection

-using fabrics for textured influence

Makeup

-minimal makeup V's strong intense makeup

-dark colours 

-contrast to styling that is chosen 

Fashion

-Rodarte 

-Burberry

-Louis Vuitton

-Thylane Lena-Rose Blondeau 

Music

-Kelis: Acapella  

-Empire of the Sun: We are The People

From here I need to really think about what I would like to include in both of my designs but first I need to know what has to be considered in each image. 

Tribal Influences In Fashion.

Here are two collections from different years that have tribal elements and influences and are shown in very different ways. Something I can consider when styling my designs.  

Burberry | Spring/ Summer 2012 | Christopher Bailey 

There are many elements in this collection that are subtle of the tribal influences, but there is a lot of them. The edging of jackets, the large jewelry, the colours and the fabrics. They all remind me of tribes that I have researched. 

A big 'mash up' of many tribes. 

I also think the music they have used fits well. The opening song, I Put a Spell on You, brings the magical and spiritual concept of tribes to the collection. 

Although I think that this collection is exceptional and works well, I dont agree the hair and makeup fit in well and have the same effect. It is a very plain, simple, natural look and doesn't have the WOW that I would like in my final images. 

Louis Vuitton | Spring/ Summer 2009 | FashionTV

This collection I think is totally different in the way that the tribal influences are very obvious. Again works very well. Everything in this collection from the clothing to the bags, shoes and jewelry are very strongly tribal linked. I think the makeup and hair in this collection are equally are strong as the styling and work very well as a whole image. 
The hair sleeked back with the large, crimped pony tail is very contemporary but with the fabrics in the hair still have a very strong tribal influence. The fierce dark makeup and deep red lips are striking. 

Creating Scarification.

Using Different Techniques; 

Tuplast. 

I wasn't sure if I liked the effect that flat peas gave when I was creating scarification in my last practical lesson. So I experimented with Tuplast by Kryolan. I found it had a more subtle outcome and it is a more simple technique and easier to complete. However, it isn't as cost efficient but if the outcome is only small then it could be worth your time to choose this way. 

Using tuplast you simply have to apply it to the area you wish and let it dry. These are some image, please leave comments of your thoughts. 

The Importance of Jewelry In Tribes.

In the Tribal Asia book I was looking through it gives a lot of information on the importance of jewelry in their culture. I had noticed a lot of tribes decorate their body with jewellery, tattoos and piercing. These are some images I thought were extremely interesting. Some of them have reasons behind and some of them are just amazing. 

Wedding Jewelry

 A woman from the mountains of Yemen. She is wearing wedding jewelry which is an impressive example of the craftsmanship of traditional Yemenite silversmiths. 

 Examples of jewelry they wear on their arms and hands. 

 The Body as a Decorative Object

Bonado woman are seen decorated with a number of brass or aluminium neck rings and magnificent necklaces of glass beads that cover their naked torsos down to their hips. According to legend there is a commandment that forbids them to grow their hair or wear any other clothing apart from a loincloth and this is how they compensate. 

 Piercing's on the face, rings on their ankles

The woman and children of Orissa have their noses pierced and decorated with brass rings to keep away all evil spirits. The same reasons for the bells on the ankles of the young. 

 Kupas of the Kalash

This is a head dress married women of Kalash wear. They do not leave their homes without it and not only does it represent their origin and that they are married it is also seen to keep away bad luck. 

Tribal Asia.

Tribal Asia and The Importance of Makeup

Ive been looking through a book by Robert Schmid and Fritz Trupp called Tribal Asia; Ceremonies, Rituals and Dress, to look for more inspiration and this is the first thing that caught my eye. 

Magical Makeup 

"A Kalash mother with a heavily painted face. The colour she uses is a black paste made from ground and burnt pulverised goat's horn mixed with water. The makeup is not washed off but left to peel off, because as well as protecting the skin from the powerful rays of the sun, it is also thought to have magical powers and to protect the wearer from evil."

I think more than anything it's the colour in the image but the thick application of the makeup is also very beautiful. It seems different to other tribes I have looked at in a sense I can feel more of a trend, a fashion. Maybe not for us in Cities but for them in their small villages and towns. Again texture is something that communicates strongly through this image and I will definitely research more into textures in the overall styling aswel as the hair and makeup.

This image inspired me to draw. I choose to use chalk on black paper as I think it is effective when showing use of vibrant colours. This was a quick sketch and something that I would have to elaborate on if I choose this as one of my desired outcomes.

Practical Lesson: Scarification.

Creating Scarification

In our lecture today we watched a video that showed procedures of scarification amongst many tribes, mainly in Africa. The reasons differed depending on the tribe. One of the tribes that we watched the reason for scarification on the face is to represent childhood. So this would be done at a very young age. On the abdomen it represents manhood. Men can choose when they want to go through this long tiring procedure as they only hold it once every 4 years. The age is usually ranged from boys at the age of 16 to grown men of 30. 

After a weeks intense ceremony this is one of the last events that happen. They cut into the skin in a design that they wish and make wounds. They have to be careful when the scars are healing so they get the effect they wish for.

This is the video we were shown for those of you who have the stomach to watch it.

We created the effect of scarification in our practical lesson this week using Liquid Latex and food products such as rice, lentils, popcorn etc. 

For my example I used flat peas:

Step One

After completing a skin test to make sure the model isn’t allergic to latex, gown the model and make sure clothing is protected.

Step Two

With your choice of product, depending on your desired outcome, pour the amount you require into a bowl. For this example I used flat beans.

Step Three

Pour liquid latex into the bowl with the beans and stir. You can add more as you require but the latex should cover the product.

Step Four

You need to work quickly so the latex doesn’t dry. Start placing each bean on the skin with tweezers for a more precise finish.

You can also use your fingers and grab the product if you want to create an effect that isn’t as precise.

Step Five

Once you have placed the product on the skin and are satisfied, you can either wait for it to dry naturally or use a low heat hairdryer.

Optional

Once the latex has dried you can add colour over the top to create a more natural look. You might choose a face base colour or a brighter more vibrant colour for a contemporary approach.

I thought I'd upload this picture from after I pealed the peas off. I think this effect could look nice if it was done more precise and I'm considering this in one of my designs. 

i-D Magazine.

Hello World;

The October issue of ID magazine has an article written by Terry Jones and images by David Bailey. Jones interviews Bailey about when he travelled to the Oceanic island of Papua New Guinea in 1974. He lived for two weeks amongst cannibals and bow-and-arrow carrying tribes. "They treated me ok, but didn't make me feel relaxed" he says. 
The interview states that the way of life for them is out of this world for us. Something unthinkable. Eating other humans and unknowingly giving themselves brian damage from it. They didn't understand a polaroid or it's use. To them its useless, they thought it was a broken mirror. 

More than anything the images stroke me the most. They are all so beautiful and so real. These are real people, they aren't set up for camera. The amount of effort for their appearance is somewhat outstanding. 

I am going to use these images as inspiration to try makeup ideas for myself. I like how the application isn't perfect and you can see every brush stroke. 

Drawings.

QUICK SKETCHES

I started to draw onto some images in old magazines I had. I need to start designing some looks for my final images but I'm not quite sure in which direction I want to take it yet so I just did some quick drawings of what first came to mind with a black sharpie.