UNIT X- hand painting onto screen with reactive dye

This technique ables us to get a hand painted feel to our work, it's useful for backgrounds to then print onto further.We wanted the print to be a watercolour with the colours bleeding into each other. Painting this on the screen we used a lot of water to get what we wanted. Once dried, manutex is pulled through the screen transferring the pattern onto fabric.

The print can only be used once as the colour fades, we tried printing it again but was very faded.

The print is extremely vibrant at this point. the circles of colour are formed from when the dye drops have dried. I like how the print curves around and bleeds into different sections. We left the white space so we can print over the top.

Once the print is dried, it is set to steam. the colours fade slightly but this links with our warn out theme.

UNIT X- muse

Captain Don Leslie

To create a muse we researched circus and ring masters, as we want to specialise in menswear for this unit.

Captain Don Leslie is a sword swallower. His tattoos and quiff able us to create a character who is quite grungy and cool.Researching the circus we came up with different styles eg inspiration from clowns- stripes, frills, baggy trousers etc. A muse is created to kind of tell a story through the work and gives it a theme.

The clowns outfits have no shape but still are quite feminine with frills and wearing makeup, so is quite androgynous. I need to research further into menswear.

The colour palette we found from our research is bright and bold in some places from the showgirl costumes yet dull and warn from the vintage side and the roller coaster structures.

UNIT X- Inspiration

Vintage fairgrounds and circus, abandoned roller coasters and glitter.

looking at my research so far, I like the idea behind vintage fairgrounds. The colours aren't as bright as modern rides and would suit a colour palette better. In my group we like the idea of contrast, by mixing vintage fairgrounds, with elephants and the colours and textures elephants have and the brightness of showgirl costumes.

I've been looking at old rides, with inspiration from Belle Vue and Blackpool Pleasure beach. I find the images from 100's of years ago fascinating and like to compare them with rides today. I like how the rides were made from wood and the affect it gives and how in time it looks worn and rustic. 

As I researched vintage fairgrounds I came across a lot of eery photos from the circus. They are fascinating yet quite creepy, I like this side of the fairground as it makes me curious to what they used to do. 

Images from abandoned roller coasters are equaly as eery and give the feel of emptiness. 

I love how the roller coasters have been left for nature to take over and the weather to take its toll. The worn wood and metal shows texture and a perfect colour to contrast with the vintage colours from the fairground rides. 

The shape of the roller coaster is still quite easy to see, the bends and curves are sill noticeable. I can't help but think about what the rides would have been like when people enjoyed them, a lively exciting atmosphere is now a creepy structure. The mix of colours from these images would look good in a colour palette, with the toned down wood.

Contrasting this with colours from showgirls and the circus, using glitter and energy. The main focus is contrast and I would still like to research this, as the business of the circus in contrast with the loneliness, cold abandoned rides works well together.

UNIT X- drawings from group LAA

our first bit of group work for group LAA.

creating different patterns, colour and texture from our Blackpool inspiration.

Amy used inks to create a watercolour drawing using inspiration from Blackpool pleasure beach. The colours are from the different garments in the vault.

 Drawing from the different rides (ferris wheel)

I used roller coaster structures as inspiration for this drawing. Negative space is something i like to show and work from. I used different media.

UNIT X- Belle Vue

Belle Vue Chetham library visit and lecture.

Belle Vue was one of the most popular destinations for people to visit for a holiday in England. In 1820 jenison owned a pub and to make it different from the rest, he caged rats, squirrels and other small animals in the garden of his pub. people then never saw things like this and we're extremely curious. He then opened up a zoo, this was when Belle Vue was created.

The park was run by the family, everything was made in the park and had its own bakery and brewery etc it had the biggest beer license in the country and would sell 40,000 pints of beer a day. They would sell on average 20,000 biscuits/slices of cake a day. It even had its own rail network and public transport bringing in 80,000 people a day.

Green coloured paper would be used to advertise the park, with each town having a different holiday they worked out the dates of each holiday and would advertise in that certain town using large green posters, so a huge amount of people would go.

The circus was one of the main attractions.

Images from the Chetham library archive. In this book the family kept a huge log of everything.Monkeys would be walked around the park.

exotic animals would be used to perform daring stunts. As in the zoo, the animals were cheap to buy but only lasted a few weeks/months. The elephants didn't have enough room to even turn around in their cages. The animals would still be used once dead, they would be stuffed and placed in museums for people to still observe.The park had 100 acres of land which also had lakes, stables,dance halls and the zoo.People often enjoyed dancing at Belle vue and is well known for couples to have met here. Dance halls would have been huge with sometimes controversial same sex dancing would happen.

The park was used as a place for everyone to go on holiday, the trains would bring people in and would stay all day till night.The fireworks were the conclusion of the day to lure people in staying the whole day which then would make more money by buying food and drinks. with over 400 people employed to be in the firework display which was themed 'Battle of Waterloo'. Belle vue even had its own firework factory to make the masses of fireworks.

The park was also a musical attraction with brass bands. There would be dirt track racing. In the 1920's one of the biggest roller coasters in the world (at the time) was opened called 'Bobs' this would cost a shilling to ride hence the name 'Bobs'.

The roller coasters remind me of the ones at Blackpool Pleasure beach at the same time. These were also not very safe and people had to hold on to stay in their seats.Belle Vue had its own TV show and broadcast on the BBC. this was extremely popular and had elephants in the background which Belle Vue is iconic for.

In the 60's the park started emptying, It had had its time and people were no longer very interested as seaside amusement parks seemed more desirable to visit for a holiday and no longer offered anything different. The park then operated as a concert hall for big acts to play such as Led Zeplin, The monkeys and Rod stewart.The venue would have concerts where the Rolling stones and the Beatles played, they started to get celebrities to place their hands and feet in concrete creating prints. On sundays it would host an audience of black people as in some clubs they wouldn't allow them in. Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye gigged here.

Belle Vue was extremely popular with people still talking about it. I like the history of it and the vintage feel to the images.

UNIT X- print designers

Cedric Charlier S/S 2014

Linear designs.

Christian Wijnants

These prints remind me of negative space or shadows from objects.I like how the prints look on the sheer fabric.

Manish Arora

Bright prints on a simple background.

House of Holland

Bold abstract prints

Pattern placement, using different fabric panels using denim.

Issey Miyake s/s 2014

Batik style print.

Shape and structure

Blackpool:Roller coasters

 On all Roller coasters the structure of the ride is the most important thing and dictates whether the ride is extreme or not.

The curvy structures of the dips and loops (from a visual point of view) look amazing and really show the iconic feel of a roller coaster.

The way in which the metal curves are suspended in the air are visually inspiring.

The tracks curve and flow from one dip to another showing a streamlined shape. I like how to roller coasters look with the dips and how each one looks as if they are weaving in and out of each other. 

The rustic wooden tracks have a lovely curve parallel to each other. The chunky shape of the tracks gives the feeling of safety. The weathered red metal in contrast with the wood creates a retro feel.

  .Image from 1916.

The curves on this ride look flowing and smooth. It's quite a change from roller coasters we have now and probably were just made from wood with limited colour.

 

UNIT X- Blackpool Pleasure Beach

Unit X

.Blackpool pleasure beach trip.
10th March 2014

 The Launch of Unit X started with a trip to Blackpool Pleasure beach. To enable us to gather information on 'fairgrounds' we started to research the history of the park.I found this interesting as the park has been in the Thompson family from day one. The park was founded in 1896 when traveling fairgrounds were made from wood.This then progressed from the traveling fairground to the stationary 'amusement park'.

We looked at the archive photos from the park.I find all the old photos extremely interesting as it's changed drastically. This is an image from the 1930's where finalists of a beauty contest enjoy the roller coaster. One thing I noticed about this photo is that they don't have any safety bars physically holding them in except from one bar at the front, which they just had to hold onto, which now would seem absolutely erratic.I'm so intrigued by this image because of how unsafe the ride looks, yet the people on it seem totally oblivious.

The oldest ride on the park is the 'rockets on chains' this was opened on the 1st of August 1904. The park still has the ride for visual purposes only on top of the shop.I thought the ride would look more 'old fashioned' and dated than what it does as it was made in 1904, but it has been well looked after and the park don't throw anything away as it's all owned by the family. They are proud of the heritage.

I love how some of the roller coasters look aged,weathered and still made from wood.

I particularly like this image of one of the rides which was mainly a flat track. The rustic feel to it reminds me of the images of the roller coasters from the 30's, it gives a heritage feel to the park and a sense of nostalgia.

In places, the park has a totally different feel to the wooden structures, for example a newly introduced area called 'Nickelodeon Land' I find the contrast of colours completely mood changing and when you walk through this it brings you a sense of magic and nostalgia back to my childhood. The mix of the rustic wood from the roller coasters and the bright sharpness of nickelodeon land could work well together in a colour palette.

I find the history of the park interesting and how the park has changed through the years to the current time, it still has the feel of a retro amusement park in contrast with a more up to date contemporary theme.