Chalayan is an artist and designer, working in film, dress and installation art. Research Chalayan’s work, and then consider these questions in some thoughtful reflective writing.
1. Chalayan’s works in clothing, like Afterwords (2000) and Burka (1996) , are often challenging to both the viewer and the wearer. What are your personal responses to these works? Are Afterwords and Burka fashion, or are they art? What is the difference?
Not all clothing is fashion, so what makes fashion fashion?
I think the work ‘Burka’ is art because the way the work is present was naked people some are wearing black cloth over their head you can only see their eyes. For the ‘Afterwords’ it seems like more art to me. The dresses on that woman looks interesting but I don’t think anybody would want to wear that kind of clothes to the public and from my view it looks heavy and uncomfortable as well. There difference between fashion and art I think art should be more creative and it doesn’t have to mean anything it can be random. For the fashion it has to be interesting and comfortable so people want to buy it. But it can’t be too weird than people do often judge others by their looks and how they wears.
Hussein Chalayan, Burka, 1996
Hussein Chalayan, Afterwords, 20002. Chalayan has strong links to industry. Pieces like The Level Tunnel (2006) and Repose (2006) are made in collaboration with, and paid for by, commercial business; in these cases, a vodka company and a crystal manufacturer. How does this impact on the nature of Chalayan’s work? Does the meaning of art change when it is used to sell products? Is it still art?
The Level Tunnel(2006)
Repose (2006)
Chalayan has developed an experience of the senses, working with a number of different materials as well as plying with scent, touch and sound. The viewing is blindfolded and led into the installation, where they are confronted with sound created by a flute made from a vodka bottle. His work does not change the meaning of art. The works are creative for the ‘The Level Tunnel’ audience can work though the work and experience the art more.
http://www.designboom.com/weblog/read.php?CATEGORY_PK=&TOPIC_PK=2858
3. Chalayan’s film Absent Presence screened at the 2005 Venice Biennale. It features the process of caring for worn clothes, and retrieving and analysing the traces of the wearer, in the form of DNA. This work has been influenced by many different art movements; can you think of some, and in what ways they might have inspired Chalayan’s approach?
Chalayan has reflected the idea of postmodern because of the film ‘Absent Presence’. It’s the idea of different generation developed and using DNA. He showed his work in performance/play.
Hussein Chalayan, still from Absent Presence, 2005 (motion picture)
4. Many of Chalayan’s pieces are physically designed and constructed by someone else; for example, sculptor Lone Sigurdsson made some works from Chalayan’s Echoform (1999) and Before Minus Now (2000) fashion ranges. In fashion design this is standard practice, but in art it remains unexpected. Work by artists such as Jackson Pollock hold their value in the fact that he personally made the painting. Contrastingly, Andy Warhol’s pop art was largely produced in a New York collective called The Factory, and many of his silk-screened works were produced by assistants. Contemporarily, Damien Hirst doesn’t personally build his vitrines or preserve the sharks himself. So when and why is it important that the artist personally made the piece?
I think it’s important that every artist have they own personal techniques and thoughts. For the viewers it will be much easier to remember which work is from which artist and more audience looking at the new textures and ideas will be more interesting as a viewer. The art work will have different personal meaning and I think the artist will put a lot of effort to get higher standard compare to other artists to get more attraction from the audience.
I totally agree with your first answer. I also thing these two pieces of works are art but not fashion. I have the same idea that fashion is popular in a period and also could be weared by people. However, his "Afrerwords" may be too heavy for people to wear, and it seems too strange to wear that on street.
ReplyDeleteFor the last question, I think artist should make the original work by themself, in order to "make" the feelings. Also when they want to show the strong visual impact and the feelings, I think they will make the work by themselves.
you said the work is 'Burka' more art because of how they have worn. However, it doesn`t not make sense to me that wearing little and nake makes art. on the other hand i agree with you with the comparsion between art and fashion "the fashion it has to be interesting and comfortable so people want to buy it." I think Fashion is more like you follow the trend and art is where express the trend in your way
ReplyDeleteThere is actually a very thin line between fashion and art. Fashion = design = art, hence fashion is art. I partly agree with your definition of fashion - it is something which is trendy and comfortable, something which you will want to buy and wear out in public. However, nowadays, fashion is becoming more and more conceptual than ever. Designers are beginning to experiment farther with the performance of their collections on the runway rather than out in the streets.
ReplyDelete