Analysis of "Five Zipper Necklace by Tara St. James"

Analysis of "Five Zipper Necklace by Tara St. James" 2009

CONTENT

Content = the subject matter that the item seeks to communicate to the viewer

The items name

Five Zipper Necklace

Artist/Designer 

Tara St. James (fashion designer)

What is the item

A handmade necklace

fabric and beads

What is it made of

entirely recycled/up-cycled materials

cotton/silk offcuts from Tara St. James 2009 collection "Study" (considered desirable/fashionable because of this?)

beads made from recycled zippers

When/where was it made

 2009

Designer lives in Canada

How much does/did it cost

$95

affordable designer jewellery?

Is it a one of a kind

yes?

each one is handmade

from slightly different fabrics or zips

What type of object is it

a decorative item

functional

fashionable

affordable (you can own a tiny piece of her 2009 collection "Study")

up-cycled (perhaps considered trendy because of this) 

What ideas are conveyed/communicated

sustainability

deluxe items from scrap

changing something mundane or destined for landfill into something beautiful

like a butterfly

FORM

Form = the physical characteristics of the item

Colour
soft silver, metallic grey and blue
subtle colouring
almost pastel hues

Shape
a line of fabric tied into a bow to form a circle, and a necklace.
fabric seems to "flow"

Symetry/Balance
symetrical

Form
soft fabric contrasted by hard metal accents
"beads" are made from coiled recycled zippers

Light/Dark Properties
light reflects from the metal accents
the fabric seems subtly shiny perhaps to better compliment the beads

Variety
the materials are varied and help to create contrast and interest
hard/soft   metal/cotton

Unity
the colours of the piece create unity
silvers and metallics working together

Emphasis/Focal Point
the recycled beads are the main focal point
the bow fastening is possibly a secondary focal point

Materials
all recycled
cotton and silk offcuts (from Tara St. James's 2009 collection "Study")
recycled zippers (sourced from her local area, that would otherwise have gone to landfill)

Texture
contrasting smooth and soft cotton/silk with rough, hard metal zipper beads

Use
an object for wear as well as decoration

Motion
the fabric almost appears to flow through the beads like quicksilver

Formal Analysis

This necklace is interesting and beautiful, but once you realise that it has been made from entirely recycled/up-cycled materials this adds a new level of interest. The beads have been cleverly made from old zippers destined for landfill. Wrapped around themselves to form the main focal point of the necklace. Discarded or unwanted materials re-purposed into a beautiful decorative item. The silk that forms the body of the necklace has come from offcuts from Tara St. James 2009 collection "Study". This gives the item another level of desirability. That if you really liked something from that collection this was an opportunity to own a small piece, that was fashionable and desirable in its own right. You could even say that the item was very affordable for a unique one off piece, by a relatively well known designer.

The colour palette and contrasting textures help to create unity and interest. The flowing silver silk reminds me of quicksilver running through the beads. Despite being made from scraps the piece doesn't feel used, flawed or badly made. It actually seems very luxurious, elegant, fashionable. I also believe that you appreciate the item more for its clever design and use of materials, once you know that it has been sustainably made.

The designer is known for her sustainable fashion designs and that is something that I'm really interested in, particularly in jewellery. Its nice to see something that is well made, functional, clever and beautiful, that is also eco friendly.

This is where I found the item and got the images;

http://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/32778948/mix-and-match-5-zipper-necklace

Here is an interesting interview with the designer;

http://sustainablog.org/2012/07/tara-st-james-interview/

Sustainability, Everest and at Home

Sustainability, Everest and at Home 

I went to a lecture and film at Plymouth University on sustainability on Everest tonight.

I'm a keen climber and Everest has always enchanted me, one mountaineer called it "the closest you can get to heaven". So its a shame that such an incredible place is being used and abused for commercial gain, to see the amount of rubbish being dumped at the various base camps is really disgusting.

This got me thinking about sustainability. I really want to involve some form of sustainability in my work at PCA, whether that means using more recycled materials or perhaps making objects from found items. Considering my other personal love for beach-combing, perhaps that is one way of sourcing items to use in my jewellery making.


It was a really great film, take a look at the links below for more information.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BI2TlvNJxCo

http://www.savingmounteverest.org/clean-up.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRQh50lAl4Y

The Rise of Visual Culture Notes

The Rise of Visual Culture Notes

Meaning is embedded/encoded into texts/artifacts.
That meaning can be added to further, dependent on its context or position in the environment.
The viewer decodes the embedded meaning.
That interpretation can be different to others dependent on;
  The beliefs of the viewer.
  The context in which it is viewed.

Sender    -   Message  -  Receiver
Encodes  -   Medium  -  Decodes

example
Artist     -    Painting  -  General Public

Man Ray's “Le Violon d’Ingres” 1924

Another example;
This photograph by Man Ray as I "decode" it, draws a similarity between the form of this woman and the shape of a violin. If you didn't know what a violin looked like, your interpretation/decoding of the image would be different.

Newspapers, television, radio, etc, these allow for the mass encoding and sending of messages, that you and I decode.
Again our interpretation of the message may be different depending on our experiences and beliefs.

Semiotics - the science/study of signs
Iconography - the study of visual symbols

The meaning of signs/messages is not a natural thing, it is something that we have learned or been taught by our parents/peers/culture.


Rene Magritte - The Treachery of Images.
Images are not real.
They are a representation or re-representation of reality. 

Rene Magritte's "La Trahison des Images" 1928

 

"The famous pipe. How people reproached me for it! And yet, could you stuff my pipe? No, it's just a representation, is it not? So if I had written on my picture "This is a pipe", I'd have been lying!"
Harry Torczyner. Rene Magritte: Ideas and Images. p71.
 

Visual Culture Notes

Visual Culture Notes

Quick note on Harvard Referencing
Author - Year - Page number/web address
John Smith (I'm an Example), 2009, Page 8

Visual Culture = everything that we use to communicate through visual images or means.
Everything we see, have seen or can visualize.


Images have the power to;
Make us think of absent people e.g. photos of loved ones
Calm
Incite to action
Scare

Images can create emotional responses in the viewer.

"Our world is an increasingly visual one"
Sturken & Cartwright

Big Brother

Now more than ever, we are constantly bombarded with images, advertisements, slogans etc. We are also captured on CCTV, (whether intentionally or not) camera phones, television, we put ourselves on youtube etc.
 
Also most people think of the television show when they hear Big Brother and not the book by George Orwell.

Images are interpreted differently depending on the viewer and how much they know about the subject or its history.

Looking and seeing are different things.
We see things all the time, out of the corner of our eye, or as we rush past. But the act of looking at something is an active choice and requires effort and thought.
You also have to be able to decipher the meaning and understand the image your looking at.

Images can have multiple meanings - Polysemic

Images can have two layers of meaning
Denotative/Denoting = What is there
Connotative/Connoting = What we read into it/what is suggested

Signs are made up of the signifier and the signified
Signs = mean particular things to people/groups
The maker of the sign encodes it with information.
The viewer decodes the information.

Personal Timeline 1984 to Present

I've been asked to make a personal timeline, so here it is ;).

• 1984 - Born Luke Axworthy at Freedom Fields Hospital (now demolished) Plymouth.
• I have three siblings, my sister Helen is 10, my brother Sam is 5 and my brother Peter is 4.
• 1987 - I learn to swim, and it quickly becomes one of my favourite things along with hats, my swing, and my cuddly toy rabbit.

 

• 1988 -  I start primary school at Laira Green.
• I refuse to cut my hair and it quickly grows long.
• 1991 - My mum trains and becomes a body builder, and wins three events this year.
• 1992 - My sister Helen moves out ( I didn't really understand at the time)
• My dad founds Stoke Damerel Climbing Club, I join my brothers climbing.
• 1993 - My parents divorce.
• My brother Sam and I stay with my mum and move to a slightly different part of Plymouth.
• 1994 - We move to a different part of Plymouth.
• The local school wont allow me to study there, as I have long hair and "boys shouldn't have girls hair". I don't care and refuse to have it cut.
• My mum home schools me. We go to museums and art galleries.

• 1995 - We move again.
• I start a Bull Point Primary school, I become swimming champion and get put on the swimming team. Of the four children in the team only three can swim, we lose every competition.
• 1996 - I finish primary school.
• None of the local schools will accept me as I have long hair. Some of our neighbours throw stones at me, and call me names.
• I refuse to have my hair cut.
• I have to travel 20 miles on two separate buses to get to my new school (this takes nearly two hours).
• 1999 - We move again to Bere Alston.
• I start at Tavistock College, they don't mind me having long hair.
• 2000 - I make a 4 1/2 ft tool metal man out of scrap and win a local art prize.
• 2001 - I pass Sixth form Art & Design with the highest mark of any student.
• 2002 - I pass my driving test.
• I start an AVCE at Plymouth College of Art & Design (PCAD).
• Other men have long hair and I no longer stand out, so I finally cut my hair for the first time in 14 years.
• 2003 - I finish at PCAD and start working at Richard Miller Solicitors.
• 2004 - I start working at Vue Cinema as a dogsbody, then a projectionist and staff rep.
• 2005 - I get the opportunity to travel to the Caribbean and crew a yacht with my aunt and uncle.
• 2006 - A few days before I am due to fly out I meet an amazing woman called Gemma.
• I fly out to the Caribbean and we travel from island to island, we see some incredible things, and meet some incredible people.

 

• When I get back I start working for Devon & Cornwall Police in a print room.
• 2007 - I begin to work for Plymouth Crown Court.
• 2008 - I begin working for "Goldbergs" legal firm.
• I get fired for being too honest.
• I begin working at Tavistock College in exams, data analysis and co-ordination.
• I meet Gemma again and we move in together.
• 2009 - I change roles at Tavistock College and start working with children with special educational needs (SEN).
• 2010 - I love my job.
• 2011 - Tavistock College makes me redundant.
• We move house.
• I begin working part time at Kelly College.
• I also start working as a carer for a gentleman named Doug and his wife Jean.
• I return to climbing at Stoke Damerel Climbing Club (SDCC) and become a member of staff and instructor.
• 2012 - Gemma and I rescue a dog from a local shelter. He has been there for nearly three and a half years. His name is Bear.

• It takes several months to bring Bear out of his shell, but eventually he does and he goes everywhere with me.
• Bear becomes an extremely popular face at the nursing home, even being considered for PAT.
• 2013 - Gemma and I travel to Bulgaria. I propose at the top of Mount Mavela (over 9000 ft).

 

• Doug sadly passes away.
• I decide that I need a change and apply to come back to Plymouth College of Art and retrain.
• I get a job at Stylus Engravers as a metal engraver.
• We move again.
• I start college.

Definition of Craft

The word craft can mean many things, its definition is being constantly debated, its contents changed, re-arranged, grouping this with that.

Until relatively recently Fine Art (painting, sculpture, etc) was kept very separate from craft, an artist wasn't someone who worked in "crafts". Craft was seen as being a bit too much like manual labour.

To put a single definition to it is incredibly difficult so I'm going to start with what I don't think "craft" means.

“Work or objects made by hand” (Oxford Dictionary 2013 - http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/craft).

Instantly this conjures up the image of countless stalls at craft fairs where someone has churned out hundreds of bead earrings with bought findings and no skill or purpose. "Work or objects made by hand"... does that mean that sandwich making is a craft?

This definition is too broad It makes no reference to whether the object has a function or a purpose, let alone the makers skill or the amount of time or love involved in creating the item.

 Christopher Frayling, Rector at the Royal College of Art states that “The American Customs & Excise definition of 'a work of art' is that the owner must be able to prove it is completely useless. Craft work is something else, though it can produce objects for contemplation as well as objects for use.' (http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/w/what-is-craft/)

 

This definition I agree with more as it suggests that craft items are functional as well as beautiful or thought provoking. That they are not in the same group as painting for example, but are not the lesser for it.

Perhaps you could also say that art is the communication of an idea or emotion, and craft is the physical building of the object. That you can be a great artist by perfecting a particular craft.

For me craft certainly refers more to the making of an object, this object can be beautiful or ugly and can artistically convey a message, or an emotion. The important thing is that it is made with skill, care, quality, and a purpose or function.

If your interested in reading more, take a look at these links; 

http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/w/what-is-craft/ 

www.craftscouncil.org.uk/files/download.../how-do-we-define-craft.doc

http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/videos/g/video-grayson-perry-discusses-craft-and-art/  

First Blog

My first post on my first blog, its going to be brief. This is so that I can easily upload my Craft in Context (BCOP100) work.

The Module Aims are;

• To develop knowledge and understanding of a range of critical discourses that impact on the production and consumption of art, design and media.

• To develop approaches to, and perspectives on the interpretation of art, design and media.

• To develop core research skills for the study of art, design and media.

• To develop a range of communication skills. 

Hopefully this gives you a slightly better idea of what I'm doing, and what this blog is for.

Thanks