Project Brief

During 5 weeks of Space and Materiality, I had to develop an object connected to my community, how it defines me, my beliefs and my personality. The object could be a garment, a functional tool, body accessory etc.

Concept

Community is a group of people with either the same interests, geographic boundaries, external event, profession or desire for change. I am intrigued by the idea of ecological succession: the process of a biological community evolving. I wanted to take this lens and look at my family. My parents have taught me to accept the good parts of our country’s traditions and reject the negatives: valuing the cultures, dance forms, traditional art forms, landscapes and cuisines of India. I wanted to show this passion for my country’s history but not at the expense of my values.

Design Process

I had to decide the form in stages: 9, 6 and finally 3 sketches. For my project, I decided to make a loose silhouetted dress and attached belt. The belt was inspired by the Indian classical dance, Odissi, that I learnt for 7 years.

Next, I made small 3D mockups of different ideas and using brown paper, a to-scale final mockup.

The final process of dressmaking involved laser cutting, block printing and skitching to create the garment. I made the belt using the acrylic board and laser-cut the chant onto the board.

I used muslin cloth, paint dye and custom printing blocks to create a unique block printed fabric. I also added some details like button stitch to the collar and braiding the belt together for a more polished look.

Reflection

With this project came the realisation that I do not enjoy making garments. The biggest challenge was creating the block print: I had to experiment with different materials, consistency and dye before getting a satisfactory product. I am proud of the project (to some degree) but aware of the mistakes I could fix armed with the skills and knowledge I gained in the five weeks. I overcame some challenges, like manipulating cloth, and eradicated my fear of a new medium.