Project outcomes and personal development reflection
In an attempt to stick to the conceptual framework that I laid out in my second blog post, I ended up choosing punk as the subculture that I would engage with for my styled look. This was something that my parents had identified with when they were young and draws on lots of visual cues from our wider cultural background, for example the adoption of tartan and kilts. In a retrospective way, I started to revise the subculture making these ties more obvious, choosing a mohair jumper, a staple of the punk wardrobe, that had a stag’s head on it: a very popular motif in Scotland (especially with my grandmother).
To bring punk up to date, in line with the better lives themes I devised a sub-sect that I dubbed ‘Earth punk’. They have left behind the self-destructive behaviour of the original punks like drug taking excessive aggression. While they retain their rebellious nature, it is manifest in very different ways: rejecting society and the economy by living off grid. I was inspired to make this change as I found that, in isolation, I found comfort in reconnecting with nature, which I hadn’t realised how much I missed living in London. It means that not only would this lifestyle be more sustainable, only taking the essentials from nature, but it would also be beneficial for the individual’s mental, relieving the pressures of society. The t-shirts of Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren’s Seditionaries were another aspect of punk culture that I found myself drawn to, featuring graphics of Snow White snorting lines of cocaine and Mickey Mouse doing heroin. In line with the general direction of my project I swapped these out for another graphic tee, this one with a sleeping gun motif and reading ‘give peace a chance’ across the back.
When it came to the improvised accessories I decided that using natural matter to make them was the way forward as this stayed true to my new subculture, this is what they would have around them if they were living in a caravan in the woods. I safety pinned a leaf to my fishing hat as a nod to both the punk DIY aesthetic but also the practical aspect of trying to blend into your surroundings if you want to be successful in catching anything. I also remembered that a couple of weeks previously I had been tasked with hacking ivy of trees and had been interested in the strange furry texture of the stalk. I went back to one of the trees that was the worst affected and cut myself a piece the right size to be a mask that ended up looking like a beard from a comical disguise. I thought this worked nicely as a subversive and humorous way of protecting identity may be in the interest of someone who didn’t want to be logged in the government bank of facial recognition knowledge.
4th May 2020 @ 12:37 am
After having read through a number of posts on the Better Lives blog, I found Hugo Taylors ‘Project outcomes and personal development reflection’ particularly interesting. Initially, the images of his styled look drew me to read his post, and after having read through it I was even more interested in the concept behind the images as I have previously looked into Punk as a subculture in my foundation year and into subcultures in general at the start of my time on this course. I am also passionate about society becoming more educated on matters concerning sustainability, especially in relation to fashion.
I think that the way Hugo has adapted the aesthetic of Punk in order to fit into the current political climate is very clever as the look was still recognisable as being influenced by the Punk aesthetic through the use of the tartan, mohair jumper and graphic t-shirt, however the message conveyed has an obvious link to nature. I really enjoyed his concept of ‘Earth Punk’ where they would be rebellious in different ways than before; they would rebel against modern mainstream culture by being more connected with nature, living off-grid and caring more about sustainability.
I think that this project links to the Better Lives themes of sustainability and social responsibility clearly through these images. There is a theme of utilising natural resources in the narrative conveyed, as well as maximising the use of clothing by adapting it to suit the environment it is being worn in, demonstrated by the leaf attached to the hat, both of which fall into being more sustainable. Social responsibility is also shown in the concept behind the ‘Earth Punk’ idea as Hugo said individuals would only take essentials rom nature; benefitting their mental health, as there would be less stress to work, as well as the environment. The only aspect of the Better Lives themes that felt less represented in the images was Diversity, however this would have been difficult due to social distancing as there is no access to use other people within the shoot.
Being diverse within this project could be done through the use of a variety of models, for example using those with different abilities, ethnicities, sexual orientations or age. However it does not always have to be immediately obvious that a project is inclusive, for example the designers of the garments used could come from diverse backgrounds, or other people involved in the production of the images, which Hugo may have done. Having looked at Hugo’s work and read his blog post, I have been inspired by his concept and want to think about including more references in my own styling work as I really enjoyed these images.
Link to Hugo’s blog post:
https://1920betterlivessmc.myblog.arts.ac.uk/2020/05/01/project-outcomes-and-personal-development-reflection/