PANDORA DOLL

                                                            18th century Pandora doll.

        

pandora dolls- used by dress makers to style and design garments.

                             

Pandoras dolls were used from the 14th century and became more popular in the 18th century. The dolls had become more common, and were used as fashion templates were they were then sent all over Europe and America to dress markers to use and share. The dolls were made and designed purely for fashion purposes so that dress makers could use less fabric to create a garment and see how their design would work.

The dolls had a wooden head and where 

This is a wooden pandora doll dressed in a silk sack back robe with a matching petticoat. She has all the accessories and of a fashionable lady of the late 1750s. The original headed pins suggest that the garments have remained in position since the 18th century and the figure may never have been played with.

The dolls weren't made for playing purposes but most of them during the 18th century were reused as toys for young children after they had fulfilled the purpose.

I love this design as I think it is a really clever invention and is very useful when wanting to design a garment without having to to use loads of fabric for it to potentially go wrong, wasting time money and materials. 

I have used a 1/2 scale manikin which works the same as the pandora dolls, and I found very useful as it's easier to play around with getting the shape of your garment and allows you to use up less fabric.

             

I think the dolls were a great invention for designers and dress makers and would have saved them a lot of money and fabrics they may not have been able to afford to practice on. 

FESTIVAL OF BRITAIN

The festival of Britain was a national exhibition held in Britain in Summer 1951. 

The fesival had a lot going on and was very colourful and vibrant riding all the negativity that had been left from the war.

 

If I was to of designed something for the festival I think I would have designed an over sized throne as a tourist attraction for families and friends to take photos on to remind them of their experience at the festival. 

I've chose a more modern idea, getting inspiration from the oversized beech chair usually located at butlins campuses across England. 

I've chosen to use a throne design and Union Jack as this represents The United Kingdom and the royal family that most people love and look up to and are reminded of when associated with 'England'. 

I think this design would have been a fun aspect to the festival to bring originality and excitement. 

ROCOCO

ROCOCO

My favourite 18th century style is rococo. Rococo is a decrotive style from paris covering aspects of art including painting, sculpture architecture and interior. 

Rococo is design that incorporates broken rocks and shells. i like the style as i thinks its pretty and creates interesting decretive look. Rococo is very over the top and out there but is also very pretty and  mystical, i think. 

If i was to use Rococo in my own work i would properly create a garment incorperating flowers and very draped and flawy as i think that this is the pinnacle of rococo as it very feminine and elegant. 

WILLIAM MORRIS

WILLIAM MORRIS 

These tiles designed by William Morris in 1876 really appeal to me as i think they are aesthetically pleasing, very unique and has a natural calming affect. 

I think i get this from the design because of the curves, majesical colour and the over lapping leafs and flowers. 

I also really like that there is a lot going on but still doesn't seem over whelming due to the different color contrast, rather that it being a mixture of similar tones and colours.

ART NOUVEAU

Art Nouveau 

Art Nouveau is a movement that focused on decorative arts and architecture in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. 
Art Nouveau was aimed at modernizing design, escaping historical styles that had previously been popular. Artists drew inspiration from both organic and geometric forms, evolving elegant designs that united flowing, natural forms.
 The style went out of fashion after it gave way to Art Deco in the 1920s, but it experienced a popular revival in the 1960s, and it is now seen as an important factor in the modernism of art.

I like these Art nouvaeu designs by ssava as i find they are quite majestical due their use of swirls, curves and colors. the pale pastel colors give the designs a fantasy look about them and they come across to me as calming spiritual designs. 

Art nouveau could be used in fashion by haven very pastel coloured fabric and prints. Art novae could also be represented through garments by them being very flowy and draped to represent the swirls and curves used in the original designs. 

Garments that resemble Art nouvaeu- 

GOOD DESIGN

In our lesson we looked at the 19th century debate on what makes a good design.

A good design is; eye catching, simple, good form, successful, memorable, safe, aesthetically pleasing, and fulfils it's function. 

According to the 19th century debate-

Decoration is secondary to form, 

Form follows function 

And design should drive from historical English and non western oraments as well as animal sources and plants. 

FIRST LESSON, TRACEY EMIN FREUD AND GRAYSON PERRY

In our first lesson we looked at a variety of artists including Lycian Freud, Tracy eminn, and Grayson perry.

We looked at some of their work and how they differ to one another and our own personal perception of art. For example Tracy eminns 'my bed' piece made us all question wether or not we saw it as art and looked in to who says what's art and what isn't. 

We also did a bit of object analyse in our lesson, which helped us all to be able to look at art or objects in a more detailed way. For an example we all had to pass around a watch and then all had to give one different characteristic this made us all think of the object more and try to spot out something different.