James Hollerbach: May 2011

Sunday, 29 May 2011

My dress partially inspired by Rei Kawakubo

http://www.barbican.org.uk/generic/large-images.asp?id=10771&im=12697&af=artgallery

Rei Kawakubo’s garments on display in the exceptional Future Beauty - 30 years of Japanese Fashion exhibition at the Barbican last autumn/winter. The way some of them are padded as an ‘anti-accentuation’ of the female figure was an inspiration for part of the design on one of the garments in my upcoming show.

Saturday, 28 May 2011

'12 fabulous dresses' by Alexander McQueen (Posted by Cassie on smokingdesigners.com)

Wow!
Truly inspiring...

Friday, 20 May 2011

Last day of screen printing at the London College of Communication?

My remaining screen printing for the Final Major Project may well be the last time I print at the LCC...

...and the end of an era (& start of a new one)?

These de-constructed shirts I have dyed & printed (with Selectasine pigment & transparent binder)...

...are also a sneak preview of what will be part of one of the dresses in my graduation show.

Tuesday, 17 May 2011

'Dressing Gaga' - London Evening Standard (today)

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/lifestyle/article-23950912-dressing-lady-gaga.do

If I were lucky enough for Lady Gaga to even look at any of my work, she would be one of those few people that I feel would be willing to wear my more conceptual piece's exactly as they are. Her (Jana Sterback inspired) meat dress springs to mind...

'The Great Grunge Revival' - London Evening Standard (13/5/2011)

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/music/article-23949932-yuck---the-great-grunge-revivers.do

Grunge...
...the music inspired me then (in the mid-1990's), as it does now in my Filthy Gorgeous London projects.

'Dirt: The filthy reality of everyday life' @ the Wellcome Collection, London

http://www.wellcomecollection.org/whats-on/exhibitions/dirt.aspx

Focusing on different locations at various points in time, this unique exhibition covers not only London.

Particular exhibits inspired my work, such as Susan Collis' Waltzer (2007). It looks like just an ordinary household broom propped against the wall in the corner of one room. Look closer and there appears to be specks of paint and dirt on it, as we might expect. Looking closer still these specks turn out to be small precious stones and jewels.

Monday, 16 May 2011

BBC Filthy Cities - Medieval London

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01076qv

This was an interesting documentary for further (contextual) research late in the final year of my degree, although certain points are not for the faint hearted!
It didnt pull any punches when it came to (the public's interaction with) raw sewage, infectious fatal deseases, maggot infested raw meat, etc, etc.
Although it does really put into perspective some of todays social problems.

Filthy Gorgeous London sketchbook pages

When you're walking down the street...

The people that you meet...

With your feet on the ground...

If you havent made a sound...

Here we must take our stand...

You better move when you're swaying round the room...

Ready to wear garments created for LCC Pop-up shop

Inspired by punk, these piece's have safety pins added to & as part of the design as opposed to its construction. Both Selectasine (water based) pigment & opaque binder on cotton.

Discharge, Selectasine (water based) pigment & opaque binder on cotton.

Screen-printed felt Kimono long sleeve

Again the print design was influenced by panels from my 'Ciggy Paper' Samples and uses Selectasine (water based) pigment & opaque binder.

This prototype uses eyelets & safety pins in its construction.

(detail of back)

Screen-printed Kimono straitjacket

Selectasine (water based) pigment & opaque binder on cotton

I constructed a straitjacket to print these designs on as a representation of the feelings of being trapped by such an addiction and the repeated attempts to break free of the habit, coupled with the part cigarette butt litter plays in Filthy Gorgeous London.

Welcome to 'Filthy Gorgeous London'!

My Filthy Gorgeous London projects began just before the start of the final year of my degree. Inspired initially by lyrics from the Scissor Sisters’ Filthy Gorgeous song I then travelled through the dirty side of this gorgeous city of ours for inspiration. This is a journey that has included medieval filth, Charles Dickens’ Victorian London and present day environmental issues. Bringing together garment construction with dyed, screen-printed, collaged layers of fabrics & papers to create detailed designs that play with the contours of the body. My approach to ‘the body as a surface’ can be described as ‘scientific grunge.’

'5 Senses Ciggy Paper' skirt

(detail)

This is a prototype skirt consisting almost entirely of manipulated cigarette rolling papers and other smoking paraphernalia that are recycled to evoke the 5 senses. It consists of panels that can be interchanged on the body with safety pins to form alternative garments. The core lines and textures of these and co-ordinating sample panels inspired the print designs used on my following garments, such as the screen-printed kimono straitjacket in my next post...