Centre for Sustainable Fashion

From Function to Frippery

From Function to Frippery is a commentary on the collars of early 20th century nurses uniforms. The uniform symbolized the glorification of self sacrifice and subservience, creating a picture of modest femininity and obsequious compliance. The addition of the collar served to perpetuate a type of enslavement, the collars, cuffs, caps and aprons I was handling were very heavily starched and held form rather like the way paper does. The outer surface was pristine and gave the impression of ordered anonymity. In stark contrast to this, the insides betrayed the marks of the wearer. The memory of the physical presence of some of the women was evident in the smudges of dirt embedded in the fibres of the accessories which had been repeatedly washed and starched.

Strong social identities of these women began to emerge, despite the absence of their bodies, through both the preserved garments and the visual photographic representations. I began to examine their faces closely, and it became apparent to me that they were uncomfortable, trapped by their cumbersome uniforms particularly the starched high collars. Conflating ideas of order and uniformity on one hand and subtle individual potential for expression on the other, led me to the discovery that the collars acted as instruments of restraint- creating painful weals on the neck of the wearer.

I wanted to represent this somehow. I decided to use the medium of video to deconstruct and release the ‘binds’ of the uniform. I acquired some old cast off NHS uniforms and started to consider them, noting small details in the simple construction designed to make the wearers job easier, such as waterproof pocket linings, hidden side pockets and extra fabric across the back for bending over with ease. My aim was to create something beautiful out of their destruction. I played with the idea of peeling the uniform off a body form to symbolically reveal and release the humanity within. The remaining collar then takes on a new significance and grows into something beautiful and fantastical.

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Portable Pelt

Portable Pelt is the culmination of all the elements that I have cultivated over the last trimester. It is a visual and aural representation of a person’s interaction both with their environment and with another being. I wanted to invite the idea of public engagement through symbiotic biomimicry through the wearing of a photosynthetic garment or accessory. It is hoped that such participation would encourage the individual to reconsider how a garment might function on a spiritual and aesthetic level as well as being tangibly productive. I began to look at the physical differences between man and his immediate environment. Which further led me to investigate the idea of man adopting the natural environment as a type of cladding thus enabling active photosynthesis to take place through daily interaction with the air.

Bearing this in mind I fashioned two collars made from living moss. I photographed the moss as it was fruiting and digitally printed the resulting pattern on to silk.

By inviting participation, and encouraging responsive action from the individual I hope to prompt consideration as to how human cladding might function on a tangible, spiritual and aesthetic level to encourage engagement, participation and communication.

The performer is alone and deeply in repose, her metaphysical presence lies between dream and consciousness. Her awakening comes from an increased awareness of herself in her surroundings, the interaction between her body, the silk garment and the air immediately within her physical realm, coupled with the interplay of light and shadow, brings that awareness into reality. This expression anticipates empathy with another. The introduction of another being allows a shared exploration which extends beyond her physical self and into the world of unspoken communication, duality, interaction, collective movement, and ultimately awareness.

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