Resourceful recycling in the Urban Environment

With the talk of recession and cut backs it onnly makes sense for us to re-invent the clothes we have rather than going out and spending more money. By re-vamping our present wardrobes we get new, original and more importantly, individual pieces.

My focus on washing lines and urban clothing led me to this project of re-using the old clothes I had banished to my 'giving away bag'. I came up with the following top and jacket , both completely made from old jeans.

Front of top

Side view of top

Back of jacket

Front view of jacket

Photoshop

This is the picture which has been photoshopped to demonstrate my theme of people using masks, such as cosmetics and make-up, to hide their true feelings behind. This week I am using acrylics to paint this picture and to practice colour mixing.

First Project Pictures

This is one of the first observational pictures which I took to start me off on my Urban Environments project. It was to represent the idea of city dwellers and their personal lives, a persons 'dirty laundry'.

This picture is an example of the laundry theme going public, hanging on the open road as opposed to in ones private backgarden. It represents teh idea of the lack of privacy which some city dwellers experience.

This week

So far this week I have been drawing parts from the photography I have collected , but altering it in some way, with the addition of text and so on. I hope to continue this and possibly re create other scenes or images using different techniques and methods.

Last week

Last week I concentrated more on teh use of photoshop.
I also experimented with textiles, learning the techniques of knitting and felting.

This week I have been focusing on the 3D elements and possibilities of my project. I am firstly working with card .
I also spent time collecting more source material, hanging out clothes and getting photographs as well as finding exposed washing lines in my urban environment.
I learned how to use photoshop and am experimenting with the photographs I have taken.
I have begun researching various artists and have found the manufacture of jewellery from disguarded objects interesting which
leads me to think of how jewellery is hung for safe keeping. I may investigate further i nto this idea using 3D.

Urban Environment Project

Having been given the topic of 'Urban Environment' to work on over the next few weeks, I began by exploring my personal urban surroundings.
   As I am attracted to colour and shape i began looking at various forms of signage throughout the city. This then lead me to thinking about how inhabitants of the urban environment view not only signs but eachother. How do we choose friends? Do people judge others on their appearance or habits?
   I went on to focus on what we use to help others form opinions of us. How one hides using make-up and clothing. How we can lull even ourselves into a false sense of security by buying into trends and fads just because they bombard us in our surrounding environment.
   One way which I hope to focus on getting behind the barriers of urban dwellers is by searching for and recording the various washing lines around the city, especially those in full view of the general public. I intend on researching others who have focused on this topic and document in my project how they went about their discovery.
   I hope to use washing lines as a way of seeing the bare person. How they hang their washing, when they do it, do they follow a certain method? unconsciously, people will be displaying their upbringing for all their urban neighbours, friends and foes alike.