stellahendomakers

[stellahendomakers]

WEEK 10

HUMAN BASED INVESTIGATION:

LEE JENSON INTERVIEW

Question: What is the queer movement?

“The Queer movement was first mooted in 1991, that term was used, very much a term that comes out of postmodernism”

“Growing up all I had gay, faggot, poof”

“Queer movement was other way of looking at a certain kind of sensibility that was not necessarily about, I suppose, identity, so much was about difference”

“So Queer was good because it meant that it actually incompased more people, more kinds of people”

“Previous to that a lot of identity politics, or identitarian politics, was very couched in absolutes, bit like a subculture”, “[other groups] you’re in my club, not in my club”

“Queer opened the space out a bit”

“[Queer movement] the postmodern voice of going, ok there are other voices in play, we want to hear those voices.”

“Was very much about inclusiveness”

“One of the most classic postmodern tenants was the idea of relativity, which meant, no longer was it just the voice of the powerful or the rulers or those who wrote history that were the voices that were heard, it was the other voices, it was the voices of the marginalised, voice of the slave, voice of the underdog, voice of the workers that got a say”

“Queer was a part of that”

“Queer was also a recognition that in a sense the dominant, the heteronormative, was actually a position in itself, it wasn’t actual thing, it was a counterpoint”

“There’s been a lot of questioning over the last few years, there was a period in the midish 2000s, people were thinking, was this ‘queer thing’ over?”

“There’s been a reviolising of it from a few theoreticians, and writers, and thinkers”

“It’s still punching along in a very interesting way”

“Yeah there’s boundary pushing, but it’s boundary pushing not for its own sake but to go, ok it’s a questioning, the things you assume, you ought not to.”

“Yours is not the only way”

“Speaking from a self understood queer person”

“Not only about identity but subjectivity and the validity of my voice, in the same space as your voice”

“Was a little bit alternative, but always about challenging the norm”

“Going ‘you assume this, but you can’t’”

“A lot of the recent guests of the LGBTQ+ movement, a lot of the ideas around getting marriage equality and adoption of children and service in the military or police, they’re such conventional and normative aspirations,”

“so there’s still a tension in the queer community about ‘where is the word’, how do we hold onto our queerness, surrendering to assimilation or loosing that edge.”

“Not a finished thing, it’s an ongoing thing”

Question: How has queer fashion developed over time

“We’ve just survived the met gala, and the main theme there was camp, and a specific conceptualising of camp was based on the work of susan sontag, who wrote something quite famous”

“Is a weird cliche and a crucial truth that fashion is full of LGBT people”

“It’s often at the surface of a mainstream understanding of what men wear and what woman wear”

“Radical fashion doesn’t necessarily make it to the runway”

“Alexander Fanderadoc, he plays with the queer man and the silhouette”

“Leigh Borie, his work is on the boundaries of fashion and art performance”

“Scrap fashion - very queer in it’s sensibilities”

“Marco Marco - sexy rainbow runway”

“Valentino, John Paul Gotye, Ralph symons, Dior Dior - all gay men”

“When you speak about queer fashion, you are going to have to develop a definition”

“Could you understand John Paul Gotye as a queer designer?”

“John Paul Gotye - most famous for his perfume bottles, that are shaped like aw torso, designed the comical bra for Madonna”

Question: why do we need queer designers

“It’s like a movie, i went to see the marvel universe, avengers end game, it’s amazing to me that people can imagine a magic future without a rainbow world”

“That’s what I like about fashion, it’s inclusive”

“When you go ‘why would we need it’ the moment you identify one thing you’ve identified the other, so it’s like, ‘why do we need straight fashion’”

“You have to respect, [Dior] would’ve been understood as a gay man within his community, but outside of that he was working at a time in the 40s, 50s, 60s, when that was problematic”

“These days, the people i’ve mentioned to you, in the old fashioned sense, are out and proud - and that’s really important”

Question: Is that a reaction to how it’s been so un representative

“Yes, representation starts to speak about ‘can I join the club too?’”

“When it’s really about ‘fuck you, this is my place as much as it’s your place’”

“That’s a radical extension of that thing that I mentioned, postmodern idea of relativism, my voice is as valid as your voice, you don’t get to police that boundary”

“Market policies it, media policies it, but that won’t stop me doing what I want to do”

“Fashion still functions a lot of the time for ‘him’ and for ‘her’”

“It’s not just happening at the level as the department store”

“it’s trendy, but it’s also that idea that what is being revealed is a certain acceptance, I suppose, or tolerance”

“It also may well reflect big, strong queer space in the people who are running it

“could be from inside”

“people within the company who could be driving this”

“not just imposed from outside”

“Always been an interest in what was called the ‘pink dollar’”

“It was all about gays and lesbians having a more disposable income, than the straight couple with kids”

“It’s a point of tension, we are in a commercial space, fashion is in a commercial space”

“We enjoy the inclusiveness, we welcome the opportunity to participate but we’re continuous of it being still an economy, capitalist culture we’re in”

“Commodifying the risk that comes with LGBTness, is kind of fascinating to the dominant culture, they like the edgy novelty of it, because it makes them look interesting”

“the dominant, in a marxist sense, has always worked that way, it likes the novelty because it keeps it interesting”

I asked Lee Jenson all the questions I am looking into for his own opinions, this helped me understand a first hand experience and different viewpoint. He talks from experience on these topics and helped me understand more deeply and develop my investigation.   

[stellahendomakers]

WEEK 10

TEXT BASED INVESTIGATION:

A QUEER HISTORY OF FASHION: FROM THE CLOSET TO THE CATWALK (VALERIE STEELE)

2. Fashion and style has played an important role within the LGBTQ community, both pre and post stone wall, and even as early as the 18th century. (pg 7)

Not much has been published about high fashion as a site of gay cultural production. (pg 7)

2.Aethetic sensibilities and unconventional fress choises made by LGBTQ people, we see how gay culture has been to the creation of modern fashion. (pg 7)

3. Even Though a vast majority of designers are gay, they do not want to be labeled as such because they don’t want their work to be stereotyped - or their own accomplishments minimised. (pg 8)

3. Robert Schankle and Kim Marra argue that “sexuality permeates peoples beliefs, actions, and social relations.” If sexuality is “a historical force”, as they suggest, then it’s “far from irrelevant”, it is, in fact, entirely legitimate to ask why homosexuals have played such an important role in fashion. Indeed, not to write the history of gays and lesbians in fashion “is to be complicit in what has been called ‘inning’, the perpetuation of systemic denials that foster the climate of shame and risk surrounding same sex eroticim. (pg 8)

3. William Mann’s book on gay and lesbians in Hollywood, we believe that, by seeing these fashion “pioneers” not only as designers, fashion professionals, and trendsetters, “but also as gay men and lesbians,” we can “cast new light not only on their experiences but also on their very history” of fashion itself. (pg 8-9)

3. It is important to be open about the sexualitites of the decessed, since there is nothing to be shameful about variant sexuality. (pg 9)

3. In later decades, of course, as homosexuality was legalised and became increasingly accepted, more designers have came out publicly. (pg 9)

1. Fashion history cannot truly be understood without taking account of the creative contributions of gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transsexuals, and other “queer” individuals. (pg 9)

1. “ the word queer has often been used in a derogatory sense. However, in recent years it has increasingly been appropriated by many LGBTQ people. (pg 11)

2. By “performing” fashion, often in such a way to convey “signs of gayness” to other gays, LGBTQ people, whether fashion professionals or not, have been instrumental in creating queer subcultural styles as a queer sensibility that have profoundly influenced mainstream fashion. (pg 12)

2. By the 1880s, Lebsians in Paris were iften depicted as wearing mannish, dark, woolen jackets and white shirts with starched collars and bow ties. (pg 24)

2. Tailored clothes of upper-class men were also experienced as liberation for many lesbians (pg 24)

2. It was not simply that many lesbians had a “mannish” style of self-presentation. (pg 26)

2. They style garconne in the 1920s seemed to blur the traditional boundaries between men and woman, this new style was deeply controversial. (pg 26-27-28)

2. It is not only as fashion professionals that gay men and lesbians have influenced the world of style (pg 28)

2. In the early 20th century, gay men and lesbians were visible in large cities, such s Berlin, New York, and Paris. In New York, many gay men “boldly announced their presence by wearing red ties, bleached hair, and the area’s other insignia of homosexuality.” (pg29)

3. Many predominantly homosexual men were married (sometomes to lesbaians) and some had children. (pg35)

4. 1947 Dior launched the New Look, an ultra-feminine style, characterised by voluptuous curves and longer hemlines. (pg 41)

2. After ww1, the structure of fashion business changed, and men became increasingly visible as designers. (pg43)

3. “so those who have power must [be open about] their homosexuality and do everything they can so that it will be considered just like being left-handed or right-handed.” - Berge, Out magazine (pg44)

1. After the relative tolerance of the early 20th century, the postwar paranoid was characterized by savage reaction, which has been called “the 1950s Kulturkampf, or state-sponsored culture war, against homosexuals and other gender-benders.” (pg44)

1. During the postwar period, many homosexuals became in effect, “invisible men” because they experienced a “very real fear of exposure and arrest”. (pg44)

1. Lesbians dressed to “pass” in a vaguely androgynous style. (pg45)

2. 1960s “Peacock Revolution”, involved a lot of gay men. (pg45)

2. John Stephen played an important role in bringing  a “queer” look to a hetrosexual market with the ride of mod fashion. (pg45)

1. One year later after the stonewall riot of june 28 1969 the first pride parades took place in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. As LGBTQ people increasingly asserted their rights, variant sexualities became more accepted in the 1970s. More people lived openly gay lives, and fashion reflected this. (pg46-47)

2. A bunch of new styles arose, such as Clone, macho, gym-toned and other elaborate sexual codes. Middle class lesbians adopted a more “anti-fashion” androgynous style. (pg 47)

2. Woman fashion designers flourished during the 1920s and 30s, after ww2, male designers became much more numerous and influential. (pg53)

4. Calvin Klein’s advertising, then (1981) and later, was widely perceived as homoerotic, it also clearly appealed to hetrosexual men and to woman of all sexual orientations, reinforcing what would become a long-term trend for the use of homoerotic imagery, especially in fashion advertising. It is sometimes forgotten that gay sexuality is widely “considered extraordinary,inviting as well taboo.” (pg55)

3.  “There are many gay men in fashion”, says John Bartlett. “I know I was drawn to this career knowing that I would be welcome there and encouraged to be creative and expressive. Fashion is one of the rare industries that accept gay men.” (pg 62)

3. “The otherness of being gay informs our eye in a very different way from a young age. We relate to both men and women and therefore have a unique perspective on both sexes. We also identify a lot with our sexuality, so we think a lot about what defines gender.” (pg 62)

4. By the late 1990s, a fertile period of fashion innovation =, many of the world's most famous designers were gay or bisexual. But they were not always comfortable with having their sexuality labeled. Heralded as “Gucci’s Gay Superstar” on the cover of The Advocate (june 10, 1997), Tom Ford (b. 1961) was pressed to discuss his sexuality. He said that he was “very happy” with his long-term partner, and admitted, “i’m certainly gay at this particular moment in my life,” (pg 62)

3. Karl Lagerfeld - “that’s one of the good things about the fashion world. Those things [sexual orientations] are nonexistent subjects. You are never strange enough, bizarre enough, or different enough… It’s not a question of political correctness. Be correct, ,but don’t feel the need to tell the world.” (pg 62)

3. “The marginalised status of gay men produces the freakish, anarchic bursts of creativity and daring which are fundamental to fashion innovation,” argues Simon Doonan (pg 66)

3. “Gay men's lives have always been oriented around fantasy and disguise and transformation. They desire to escape from the negativity in their situation. Fashion is a ticket… The sad thing is both gays and straights continue to disdain effeminacy in men. Many gay men still have tremendous ambivalence about their proximity to fashion. They remain evasive about their sexuality and they suffer as a result.” (pg 66)

4. “The psychological struggles of Alexander McQueen and John Galliano are traceable to their working class homophobic roots. Their huge success only increased the unresolved conflicts and dissonances.” (pg 66)

This text talks about how queerness has influenced fashion pre and post stone wall. It brings up views about big designers and their reluctance to speak upon sexuality, the article also goes into to detail the evolution of queer style and where it stemmed from. This helps me to answer my key questions in my investigation surrounding queer fashion.

[stellahendomakers]

Images of fashion brands in relation to lgbt and Queerness

[stellahendomakers]

Week 9: Investigation -

One thing that I can relate to the treaty:

How big major companies exploit queerness. They wouldn;t endorce it if there wasn’t a profit to be made. Same as the Crown, they wouldn’t have made a treaty with the Maori people if if there wasn’t something to be gained.

Two ideas on how to investigate my question:

Question: How do major brands fit into Queer fashion and culture and what roll do they play?

Investigate what the Queer community is wearing and why

Watching videos and academic texts critical of the Queer fashion industry

Ethical concerns or stipulations I will follow:

Not talking over anyone

Respecting their view and opinions

Not using any language that could offend 

[stellahendomakers]

WEEK 9: Queer Fashion Notes -

YOUTUBE: Queer Discussion Panel: Progress, Visibility and Authenticity in Fashion and the Queer Community.

To deconstruct/ disrupt 

Thinking outside the binary 

Re formulated into identity - Some use as an umbrella term - Queer as a radical positioning - To actively deconstruct the norm

Many interpretations

Umbrella term

Expression

Controlling how you are portrayed 

Re appropriation - Used to be a slur

Rooted in politics

Seen as a new movement

Trendy - Moved into fashion

Buzzword (Used by commercial companies)

Pros and cons

How fashion designers interpenetrate Queer - Making clothes for non binary people

Authentic - Are designers using Queer for attention or for more financial gain? - Is there something behind the designs? - Are the models Queer themselves? - Working with the community 

Plays into capitalism?

PRIDE: How many Queer people are actually involved and who is selling the rainbow merch?

Queer goes beyond the word gay

Heterosexuality as the defult

Claiming Queerness as more radical - Creating divide between Queer and Gay

Being in dangered for looking “Queer”

Gay and Lesbian are the binary

Fluidity - All encompassing

What Queer means to you 

Not a set definition 

Safe spaces?

BABES: Club night/ Queer space that centers Queer, Queer people of colour and non binary folk - South London - Can only enter if you are respectful - Prioritizing Queer people   

Make Exhibitions

Curate and create 

Privileged - Cis passing?

Hard to find Trans and Queer people of colour who have ties to the fashion industry 

Fashion industry wants to break norms but when you look you don’t actually see that many Queer people behind it 

Lack of diversity in fashion industry

Fashion is a huge platform - Duty to bring forward diversity - Prone to trends - Word Queer is trendy

Shift industry away from trend

Exploitation - Doesn’t care about Queerness just product disguised as Queer 

Brands tricking Queer people

Designers need to make profit

World built by white men won’t back up

Queerness as an aesthetic 

Emotional labor - Fact that our visibility is so unchangeable from us that we can’t hide it. Will get Harassed, cat called, starred at, get laughed at, people won’t sit next to you on public transport. - By being visible it gives you emotional labor that you have to deal with.

Being visible is taxing

Suit - Became staple of menswear - “What a man looked like”

Battle to fight for, for younger generations

Fashion is more willing to platform the people/ aesthetic than the conversations 

If they can’t profit from it they won’t endorse it 

Are Queer people in the industry being paid the same?

PRIMARK 2018 COLLECTION CONTROVERSY: Clothing were made in countries where it is largely illegal to be gay  

Jumping off point, not seasonal 

Could they be doing more?

Could they be doing something different?

Employing diverse people

Fashion reflects culture

[stellahendomakers]

WEEK 8: Journal Task 2

The Crown’s English version guarantees to Māori only “the full, exclusive and undisturbed possession of their lands and estates, forest, fisheries, and other properties” as long as they wish. THE CONTEXT OF TE TIRITI -

1. At the time that The Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840, approximately how many Māori and Pākehā lived in New Zealand?

The Maori population varied between 150,000 and 200,000

2. Which version of the Treaty – the English or Māori version – was signed by rangatira (chiefs) and representatives of the Queen?

The Declaration of Independence

3. The Māori version of the treaty promises Māori “tino rangatiratanga”. What did ‘rangatiratanga’ mean at that time? What document established its meaning internationally? What world powers recognised it?

4. Was there any type of parliament – a political organisation that made decisions – for New Zealand prior to 1840?

Maori followed principles of manaakitanga with newcomers, and expected that the newcomers would respect their authority and law (tikanga).

5. Māori were increasingly concerned with lawlessness at the time of The Treaty. Who were they worried about in particular and how were they being lawless?

They were concerned about the European settlers that would come and not show the same respect such as killing, kidnapping and going into sacred areas and when the punishment was dealt not respecting that either. 

6. Briefly explain Māori participation in one of the following prior to 1840:  International trade  International travel  Agriculture 

Maori were great traders but did not trade land.

Maori leader were interested in many nations overseas, and were aware of the differing political status. The Maori chose the British as the people as it was seen as a way to strengthen international links.

Decoration of independence - The rangatira wished to establish their authority in the eyes of the international world and further their expending trade interests.

DISPUTES ABOUT THE MEANING OF TE TIRITI -

Translation:

If Henry Williams used words such as rangatiratanga or mana in distinguishing what the Crown was getting sovereignty, the ragatina would have never signed the treaty as they wouldn’t ever give up those things.

Contradictions:

Te treaty o waitangi confirms Maori sovereignty while the crown’s English version states that the Maori gave it up to the Queen.

The different texts also reflect different world views, therefore different economic, cultural and political understandings and priorities. 

Article I:

Te Tiriti o Waitangi says that the rangatira and hapū agree to the Queen’s governor exercising kawanatanga (a transliteration of the word governorship). In fact, the oral discussion at Waitangi was about allowing the presence of a governor, and this was what was in the mind of the rangatira who signed Te Tiriti o Waitangi. This did not mean that the governor was to have authority over Māori but over the British subjects “living here outside the law”. The Crown’s English version says that the Rangatira would cede their sovereignty to the Queen, meaning the Crown would have complete power and authority over everything and everybody throughout the land.

Article II:

Te Tiriti o Waitangi says that the Crown recognises and upholds the paramount authority of the hapū over their lands, villages and all that is precious to them (taonga). This directly contradicts the cession of sovereignty referred to in Article 1 of the Crown’s English version.

The Crown’s English version guarantees to Māori only “the full, exclusive and undisturbed possession of their lands and estates, forest, fisheries, and other properties” as long as they wish.

Following the Treaty, the Crown took actions that forced land and other properties out of Māori hands.

Article II also talks about transactions with regard to land, giving the Crown priority over others in land dealings with hapū.

THE TREATY TODAY -

The level of disrespect and underlying agenda of power from the British, “the crown’s English language document calls The Treaty of Waitangi was not seen or agreed by Ngapuhi and instead reflects the hidden wishes of the British imperial power.” This just goes to show how if a group of people think they are superior want something they will do whatever it takes to desive and manipulate their way to the top. Also how a senior British wririghting describes Maori ancestors as “a people composes of numerous,  dispersed and petty tribes, who possess few political relations to each other, and are incompetent to act, or even deliberate in concert.” To justify British notions surrounding sovereignty.

Racism. “racism is the additional or ideological phenomenon that accepts racial superiority, and, when present in those in power, justifies them using that power to discriminate against and deprive others of what is rightfully theirs on the basis of their race.” This is evident in the history of the Treaty and just British rule in general. They saw themselves as superior so they took the high ground and anything that didn’t fit, such as the Te Tiriri was just ignored and shelved away. “Three levels of racism,” “ institutionalized racism, interpersonal racism and internalized racism.”

[stellahendomakers]

WEEK 8: Journal Task 1

Review your journal entries from week 2 -

MATA AHO COLLECTIVE (Stop Collaborate and Listen)

- The communities this project focused on was people who were mourning the loss of someone, also looking at how Maori culture and communities did the same. They accessed knowledge from these individuals through art, expressive art. It was a way to bring them together in a safe and comfortable way to achieve something bigger than themselves. The people who took part also acquired knowledge by learning how to sew in the process. The traditional Maori garment the project is based upon is the Pare Kawakawa, the project represents this through using fabric, weaving and sewing.  

BIG LIFE FIX (James the Photographer) 

- The community this project focuses on was people with disabilities who were being disabled by everyday objects, in this case, a camera. They accessed knowledge through fist hand research, mechanical research and interviews. They always checked everything past James to get the best in site as they were not in his shoes and wouldn’t ever know fully so asking, testing and being mindful was key in the process of the project. This also unlocks opportunities to make similar products got people in James’ situation or similar. making things we take for granted easier for them. 

Write a brief reflection on what communities might see the artifact, place or topic you will investigate in a different light than you -

The topic i’m going to focus on is Queer fashion. Some communities that might see this topic differently from me are: 

1. PEOPLE IN THE FASHION INDUSTRY ~

Interviewing them

Researching online designers

Why designers chose Queer fashion

2. PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN THE QUEER COMMUNITY FOR A LONG TIME ~

Interviewing people in that community 

Older Queer folks who were around when it was more taboo and could first hand see the evolution

Researching older Queer folk experiences 

Online videos

Also interviewing people around my age to see their opinions and perspectives

Researching Queer fashion throughout history

3. PEOPLE OUTSIDE OF THE COMMUNITY ~

Interview their opinions on it from a more outsider perspective. Was it or is it easy to identify Queer fashion for them? Did they notice at all? Has it had an impact outside of the Queer community into others? Integration into modern fashion? 

Looking online

[stellahendomakers]

WEEK 7: Journal Task 3

VACANT BUILDING IN WELLINGTON INVESTIGATION BRAIN STORM -

 1. Who currently uses it?

- Depending on location and the type of building it could be owned by a land lord or the government.

- Could see if there is a sign outside the building disclosing the intent of use with the building.

- Look the location up online and see if anyone has it listed or has posted about it.

- Could contact the council? (not sure if that would work)

2. What is the social history of the site?

- Look the location up on google or google scholar and there might be some information available.

- Go to the library and ask if there is a book on historical building in Wellington?

- Depending again on the location and type of building it might be a house where people flat in so there would be a lot of social history in it. Maybe ask around to see if anyone has previously lived there, like on Facebook, and get their opinion on the building and/or the social aspects of it.  

[stellahendomakers]

WEEK 7: Journal Task 2

DEFINE ‘RASQUACHE’ - 

Rasquache from what I understood is an art form that originates from Mexican culture. Originally it was used to ridicule the aesthetics of Mexican peasants because of how they looked, such as the way they made do like re purposing an assembling cast-off bits. This way of living has developed resonance for the people of Mexican origin living in America where the term ‘rasquache’ became associated with shared heritage and sensibility.

‘Rasquache’ in this article is referred to as “a form of life”. This idea is important as it was and is and was just a way of life for many. “The social practice of social reproduction, the creative work of holding together the social fabric of a community or sociability.” It’s taking one thing and almost mocking it while neutralizing it’s power, as well as making the most out of what little you have.

How reasquache can relate to New Zealand could maybe with the Maori culture and way they used the environment around them to create new things like using flax and other weaving techniques. They have been a marginalized community but we value their art.

[stellahendomakers]

WEEK 7: Journal Task 1

PART 1 - 

FACTORS:

The factors that made this topic particularly hard to write into New Zealand's history are firstly how the attitude was towards the gay community. Lee grew up in the 80′s, at that time it was still very looked down upon, being gay was still illegal until a little later. The practice of bathroom cursing was extremely secretive and quiet as you had to be careful because overt displays of affection could, and would, be met with violence. The practice was largely regarded as :not worth recording” as it wasn’t “the noble sweep of our history”, but this can be seen as homophobia that has carried and continued from that time.

COMMUNITIES IN RELATION TO THE TOILETS:

Lee talked about his community re purposed the architecture to better suit their activities, such as holes in the walls. He also talked about how he went to a New Town public toilet more recently and discovered less signs of bathroom cursing but more signs of people who were homeless making the bathroom a home/ shelter they could stay in.   

PART 2 - 

NOTES ON THE ARTICLE USING THE QUESTIONS PROVIDED:

[stellahendomakers]

WEEK 6: Notes on the Malaria Mosquito text 

[stellahendomakers]

WEEK 5: Task 3

Kakahu 

Personally to me my clothing is a way to express myself to the outside world and also myself. It is a way for me to feel confident and comfortable in my own skin, almost like a layer of protection. I see clothing in my society being used to convey a variety of different things such as uniformity, class, power, status and performance. These observations coincide with the Kakahu in some ways as it also puts across a message of power and status. What I wear doesn’t have the same significant meaning the Kakahu has, the garment showed importance not only to who wore it but to everyone around them for centuries. I could relate the message of status to my shoes in some way as they are a well known brand of shoe and so are held on a higher standard. The people who used to weave the kakahu were taken into consideration and highly regarded withers today and the rise of fast fashion a lot of the people who may be making the clothing we wear are not thought about at all, quality as also taken a hit in terms of how much a manufacturer will cut corners on spending money where the Kakahu was highly detailed. I think what is similar though is how they put a lot of symbolism in the garments to mean different things and we do the same now with graphic tops and different slogans. Another thing that is similar is the act of draping the Kakahu over a casket at a funeral, I relate this to how some people get a flag put over their casket as a sign of respect, especially to someone who might have served the country.  

[stellahendomakers]

WEEK 5: Task 2

DESCRIBE YOUR FAVORITE PIECE/ PIECES OF CLOTHING:

Adidas Continental 80 shoes and a black graphic long sleeve top

- How do I feel when I wear them?

I feel confident and happy

- When did I wear them last? A couple of days ago to school

- Do I save them for special occasions?

Not necessarily but if it was going to be a special occasion I might do but usually I like to wear them when I have the most going on that day so I feel my best all day 

- How long have I had them?

I’ve had my shoes since my birthday this year, I’ve never really owned low top sneakers and I just really like them. My top was also from my birthday from my good friend so I especially like it more because of that fact.

- How long do you think you’ll keep them?

The shoes until they break and I can’t walk in them anymore and same for the top, until it cant be worn anymore. 

- Would other people think they were as important as you?

I don’t necessarily think so, maybe the shoes because they’re nice but they wouldn’t think that it has any meaning to me unless I said so. But I don’t think an item has to look “special” to others for it to mean something personally to you, and if they don’t think it’s special that won’t take away from how I feel about them.

[stellahendomakers]

WEEK 5: TASK 1

Step 1:

Discussed in class what the definition of atmosphere was and as a group we came up with: How the vibe, feel or tone of a space can affect how you persevere or approach the area. But also we found in the class that how you feel and personally approach a space can effect how you experience it.

For the hypothetical atmosphere we chose a gig at a bar. The senses we came up with for the it was:

- Kinetic = Dance

- Visual = Seeing the performance

- Sound = The music

- Biological = Body heat from a lot of people being in one place

- Verbal = Talking

- Social = People

For the site we chose to go to was Prince of Whales Park

Step 2: 

The words that I came up with to describe the site was: 

- Sparce

- Alone

- Out of the way

- Open

- Free

- Youthful

- Alive

- Quiet 

- Made me feel like I was out of the city

- It felt natural for us to be outside

The discussions that came up in the group was:

- Conversation flowed within the group and we felt peaceful and happy in the space even though it was only a cerement block and an open field. 

- If we were alone it would’ve felt more uncomfortable and scary.

Step 3:

- We are bringing objects and using them to communicate the senses and the atmosphere of the park.

- We are also doing haiku's to talk about what it is that we are individually representing so it can have more context and be more interesting but try not to over explain/ describe the atmosphere and let the objects do that more.

[stellahendomakers]

WEEK 3: TASK 3

INHOSPITABLE BOXES:

Where part of the terrace is now used to be a stream and now it is underground. She talks about how inside the offices of the terrace, nature feels a world away. She says that the designers did not take into consideration how the people inhabit the space as it has little room being able to connect, has no trees and feels unhealthy.

A SUBTLE INTERVENTION:

She focused a lot on the audience experience. She took into consideration that people weren’t choosing to walk through the tunnel for her art but for getting to work everyday so making it not to be jarring or exhausting to be around. She wanted to give people a feeling of nourishment, improve their day and feel safe. 

HIDDEN DEPTHS OF THE KUMUTOTO:

She wanted to incorporate nature and did so through speakers that played sounds of different kinds of birds. she thought about what that area originally sounded like. They thought about the various birds that could've been in the area before.

EVALUATING THE EXPERIENCE:

Seeing as people walked though the tunnel everyday she says, “somewhere up in your brain you will have a memory of what that place sounded like”, “influence your decision making in the future”.

[stellahendomakers]

WEEK 3: TASK 2

The first way the club brings on this atmosphere is through it’s spirit. At the club people can get denied entry no matter your status, even a celebrity. This makes door entry very unpredictable which some have said was “controlling” and “mystification”. This is a democratic idea that co insides with the spirit of Berlin. Being rejected only makes them want to get in more, seeking to get that fulfillment and satisfaction of being let in; this creates hype. 

The second thing that adds to the atmosphere is the architecture and layout. Architecture of the building creates public discourse, especially as it’s a part of history. The inside of the building is key to creating the atmosphere, there are small intimate rooms and other massive ones, architects call this architecture of enabling. The style of the interior is raw and industrial, which also pays respects to the building’s heritage, and is described by DJ Mag as the “most epic and stripped back rave environment you will ever encounter.” 

The third thing is the music. The place is said to have a “signature sound”, described as “industrial punch, heavy groove and fierce determination.” The DJ’s also work very close to the public, almost being a part of the crowd. The music is said to “melt together the mass”, as in make everyone feel united. The parties can go for over 36 hours which ‘provides plenty of time for an unusual aesthetic experience.’

The last way is through dance. This comes with music but it’s also a big part of the experience. “Dance is an important medium of social and cultural practice”, dance bring people together and with the music taking you on a journey it completes the atmosphere. It creates an imprint in the participants memory that they will share on. 

[stellahendomakers]

WEEK 3: TASK 1