Blog post 3: Project Outcomes and Personal Reflection Task

The first practical lesson taught by Steven Solomon was the first time I truly understood how the Better Lives unit come in handy with the Hair & Makeup industry. Prior to this, I had no idea how the 3 themes from better lives is going to apply in the ‘Developing a Character’ project. Steven kindly broke down the themes for us and it was so much easier to work with.

In the first practical lesson, I was introduced to some products that were often used in the makeup industry and how each of them are useful and sustainable in its own way; for example, using gelatin is more inclined towards the sustainable approach rather than using silicone because gelatin can be melted again and reused for other projects whereas silicone is just a one-time usage. It is true that gelatin is a more sustainable option to use but its production does produce water waste, even if it is responsible for just a tiny fraction of the environmental impact. This makes me wonder if there is even a 100% sustainable process throughout the whole product life cycle and how the time is ticking away as we try to achieve that 100% sustainable product. This puzzled factor led me towards my conceptualized design. 

In present day, the natural ecosystem has always been the provision, regulating, supporting and cultural services for the human beings. In our daily lives, we take advantages of the natural ecosystem without so much as giving back or considering the consequences that will be present later. I chose Sustainability- ‘Ecological Balance’ as my focused theme and character’s inspiration. My character was developed with a mindset that our Mother Earth has eventually succumbed to the transgressive activities humans have created. The character that I have created is a vision of a human form transitioning into a lifeless grotesque form where the tables have turned- the human body now serves the nature, almost as if it was sucking the life out of the body. I have painted my character as though it was part of nature; green mosses and tree-like features. I am trying to envision a world where humans would give back to nature. While designing this character, I realized that I have contradicted myself along the way. I could have used any computer program to draw out my character or repurposed newspaper/ magazine to create my design. Instead of using a more sustainable alternative, I have chosen to use a blank piece of A4 sized paper.

It is so easy to feel a thing and to do another. The Better Lives theme(s) made me realise that as a human being, I have very little knowledge on our natural surroundings and consequences our actions have produced along the way; as a student, I still have a lot things that I need to educate myself and change for the better. 

References

Our Commitment to Sustainability (2020) Available at: https://www.inditex.com/documents/10279/249245/Dossier_JGA_2019_EN.pdf/1664de2f-ca77-3a40-2b78-cace74c06c82 (Accessed: 10 May 2020).