MY STARTING POINT: MAKING A STUDY OF COLLARS
I made an analogue drawing of the object
3D to 2D
I photographed some antique collars from a fancy dress hire shop
Is it important that the collar appears realistic or should it become something else?
are the series/grouped ones more interesting than folded for wear?
Is it the correct presentation or wearing of the object what interests me or its ability to be changed and the resulting ambiguity?
this led to me make digital drawings
which I developed into screenprints
Back to more of a 3D look, described by others as having the look of 'stealth planes'
Is it the single object or the formation repetition that interests me?
The individual within the group?
Isolating a particular signifier from the 'ensemble' enables me to explore its structure, its qualities and its potential for transformation to other contexts
Obsessiveness of an attention to detail, what do the signifiers mean and how can their meaning be altered and subverted? Who does this?
The 2D images are cut out with a craft knife and then return to a 3D status through manipulation resulting in a short animated film, here I accidentally captured my own hand i the process so this was removed from the final movie!
A certain Individuality remains within the group's own codification of the signifiers
Repetition is a the theme that interests me. Collars line up in a drawer, but this could also allude to military type formations
EVALUATION OF THE ANIMATED FILM- I FEEL IT WAS A VERY SUCCESSFUL FIRST ATTEMPT AT ANIMATION,
I AM CONFIDENT THAT IT WAS TECHNICALLY QUITE ACCOMPLISHED, AND THAT ITS CONCEPT/NARRATIVE WAS CLEARLY AND HUMOROUSLY CONVEYED. I feel that there is more scope to further develop the prints on a larger scale in the future as this ws probaabl underdeveloped at the time. As main interest is in working with people directly thorugh interviews this has talne prioity
Still from (The Regiment 2012) As my film resulted in having a 'mauvey' tinge I adjusted the colour in Final Cut Pro editing software
Stop frame animation, black and white,silent,
A group of collars lines up to be drilled and and inspected by their 'officer' , one of the number faints, and the casualty is revived by the medic and the parade continues. Trouble brews when they 'fall out' and internal rivalries surface. This leads to confrontation and scuffles among the ranks, in this lighthearted observation of the dynamics and hierarchical structure that exists within certain masculine groupings
Working with these clothing features led to me finding and approaching a local Scooter revival group where i knew I would probably find some ex-Mods
Regiment (2012)
Duration 51 secs.
Collar style and size was very important to the Mod style. Link to Lloyd Johnson page
Semiotic theory states that paradigm and syntagmic (see essay)I
I have manipulated the shape and sctructure of the copllar to in a similar way to th eway mods and othe rsubculturures appropairatesclothong towhich they then imbue dwith different meaning
The Mods - loyalty to the group displayed through signifiers such as collars
Sharon McElroy